#dress to distress fatphobes

[lovertm]

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[frenchfriesoverguys]

‘fate: the winx saga’ review

im very late to this trend but i finally watched this show all the way through.

if you watch the first episode alone, you probably hated this series, as you should. the first episode’s dialogue is awkward and stiff. the fatphobia was heavily present. and the outfits sucked. so did i hate the series? not even a little bit. 

first, and most importantly, lets talk about terra. i saw the most talk around her character and the fatphobia the show exuded. having watched all of it, i can safely say that terra was being bullied. not by her friends, or at least not her real ones, but the classic mean popular clique. any issues she faced with this bullying, her friends stuck up for her but didn’t get involved. they knew she could handle it and she did. she was shown sticking up for herself repeatedly. her friends have issues with her at first and i’ve seen a lot of people pointing that out as fatphobia. it’s really not as their annoyance of her was from her oversharing and inability to stop talking (relatable). saying that the girls disliked her because she’s fat is reducing her character to her dress size, something only the audience is seeming to do. she is a fully developed character and so lovable by the end of the first season. but i would love to get into her love life a little more or more into her powers as she is the only one who doesn’t struggle with her powers.

musa’s character is well written and fun. her mind powers are interesting and i loved seeing them develop as she learns control. the issues with musa in this series comes from the casting. the actress, elisha applebaum, is white passing but is half-Singaporean. the cartoon design from the original was fully asian. applebaum plays the character so well and is an amazing actress but many say that casting a white passing asian woman to play a fully asian character takes away from the diversity the original show had. as a white self-claimed film critic, i don’t think it’s appropriate for me to have an opinion. i did however want to bring it up as it’s being discussed in the criticism of the show. 

**** this is an edit: it’s been brought to my attention that the actress who plays Musa is fully white and that singapore is not an ethnicity. i saw a few articles say that she was half singaporean and didn’t question it (definitely should have researched that) now that i know she is fully white and not mixed, i do have an opinion. what the fuck. the actual fuck. that is so messed up. why would they take a show that was full of diversity in 2005 and make it whiter in 2021??? when i thought she was mixed i didn’t want to say anything bc mixed poc constantly get torn between the 1 drop rule where if they have any poc ancestor then they are poc or a minimum percentage of that ethnicity to be considered a “real” poc even if they grew up in that culture. i didn’t want to tell a half asian girl that she wasn’t asian enough but knowing she’s fully white? yeah that changes a lot of things. in doing more research, she is of middle eastern descent (as am i, still very much white) and if she was cast as stella or even bloom who were classically western europe in the original design, i would be so happy to see extra representation. but not when she took away a part from an asian actress - ESPECIALLY in a time when asian hate crimes are escalating. i don’t care if she’s a great actress and person…..recast her.

idk how many people watched the cartoons but i always hated sky and riven. sky was a much better character in this series. he still struggles with treating the fairies as damsels in distress, which bloom calls him out on. he has more depth and seems like genuinely good guy. riven was....lashing out alot. i liked him in the series because he does acknowledge his fatphobic remarks and ends up admitting to terra that she was a badass while he was struggling with fighting. he begins to work out some of his issues and i loved the dynamic that he has with sky where they get emotional with each other, both more than willing to point out the toxic traits the other has. i look forward to more riven character development. while i like sam, there was way more chemistry in one scene with musa and him. im hoping they keep the enemies to lovers idea that the cartoon had. 

NOW i need to talk about what i thought could improved. the wings. i loved them, like a lot, but i want at least one more of the girls to get them next season, if not all. it was a fun reveal but wings were such a staple fairy ability in the cartoon that i was nervous they wrote it out. they have the perfect opportunity to fix the outfits with the transformation scene. as we know in the cartoons they girls get new outfits when they transform. they’re fighting outfits could be so fun or maybe as they develop as fairies they develop different wardrobes. the outfits weren’t awful and at 16, most girls aren’t wearing skimpy bright colored clothing 24/7 while training. they don’t have to be the same as the cartoons but i would love to see terra in vintage 70′s clothing that works with her curves, stella in at least one glittery outfit, musa in a more pastel grunge look, aisha in matching sweats or some sort of updated street-style look, and bloom is actually fine but maybe  more flirty dresses with leather jackets and sneakers, mixing the tough and flirty look more consistently.

also, if you’re new to the fandom, you might not know things like what sky and riven can do, specifically who the specialists are and how they contribute to the fairy world. they struggled slightly with world building as i believe they expected most, if not all, people watching to have an idea of the world already. the show could have done a better job setting up these concepts.

i truly recommend watching the show before you write it off completely.

[fatphobiabusters]

Hey guys, kinda dealing with some fatphobe shit right now? Boyfriend put a down payment on an engagement ring for me- We've been together for seven years and we have a beautiful gender fluid four year old.. Here's the shtick though, his mum caught wind and is trying to get me to "lose weight" so I look "beautiful." And man it is just such a downer on the whole thing? I /feel/ beautiful enough to be a bride already, I /want/ to have long purple hair and chubby arms because this is who I am, but I

a lot of anxiety about doing big event with them because of the shitstorm that was my kids baptism (lets just say a lot of tears on my part because they were in general pretty cruel towards me during the whole ordeal) and when we do get married I just /don’t/ want to feel like shit because of her shit on the day? I want to feel beautiful and loved and I know my boyfriend is an awesome person who will make me feel that but his family is very?? Center of attention folks. Everything has to be about them  sorta people. Like when I got pregnant his mother cried for days and his father tried to tell him to “come home” the next day after I gave birth because “he done his bit.” They’ve chilled out a little but just my anxiety mixed with everything is a mess right now. Looking at stuff for wedding dresses (because I want to start looking at budgeting ideas for it) is so hard when I’m hearing snide shit about my size all the dang time. I don’t know how to tell her to back the fuck off y'know?

[ old Post. Sorry! ]

“Back the Fuck Off”.  -nervous laugh- I’m sorry! But I have a REALLY hard time with people who don’t know how to stay in their lane. 

It’s your life. It’s your family. Its your chance to be happy… and it sounds to me like you guys are! if she and papa-in-law are the only ones who are unhappy with the whole situation then thats nothing to do with you and your family, thats their stuff. They gotta figure it out. Obviously you can tell them in a nicer way. But, yea… if they cant truly be happy for you [ and i mean truly! none of that fake shit for the holidays ] , then its probably time for them to step back unitl they can figure out with themselves why you and your fiance being together bring them so much distress. This would be a conversation to have with your fiance, of course. its okay to speak up for your right to peace. Nothing is set in stone. If they’re able to behave or at least have a talk to you about why they act the way they do, then maybe something can be worked out. But,  yea… I wouldn’t give mom-in-law that power on your big day.

 Or any day after. You’ll be a lovely fat bride! And to add extra salt just jiggle your belly as you walk by mom. [ sorry, the petty came out. ] - Mod Dom