#if you read the undertones of me telling you that your fav isn't that great

[avalonmoonshinesstuff]

I just realised Something about a portion of fandom I don't really engage with all that much. Because I don't want to, btw.

In all other shows, movies, books, etc, every single bad person is at least somewhat 'ugly' according to the narrative. The 'problematic' characters rarely get acknowledged because there are so many good looking characters who are good themselves (I remember Annabelle from the first book of Percy Jackson, I think, and there were more ofc).

However, Rowling's main idea about appearances was that it was an illusion. Every single good looking character is either reprehensible or ends up dying (Cedric) in the same book they were introduced*. The story wants to be relatable to how every teen feels, and no matter what, we all have insecurities.

However, they're just teens, and on top of that, at least one or more of our main teens have done something terrible or badwrong (Hermione with skeeter and Marietta). So, they aren't exceptionally beautiful and neither are they exceptionally good. Even the side characters who are popular come across as jerks to some of their family members, making their sibling cry.

This creates a problem for the people who don't have a sense of self yet, or are so scarred they can only look at life through black & white lenses.

The Halo effect playing greatly onto the above, we're presented with another set of teens, two of whom are described as extremely sought after by the opposite sex, one of whom is popular, and the final one who has endeared himself by showing ugly Snivellus his place (via map and the Verbal Sparring). They all, by the end of this introduction, understand that Snivellus is badwrong and doesn't deserve anything good.

'It's clear he's the villain, and has been since forever, see, these people agree with me and they're the Protagonist's parents.' Whether this is believed because of the Halo effect or taking Harry's perspective to mean a God pov, I can't tell. The point being, they are even more convinced.

They want an escape from how difficult it is to sort out their feeling about these people the author keeps throwing at their face so why not attach to the characters who are dead or strongly attached to the protagonist (so they can never be badwrong in later books). A safety blanket of sorts, if you will. And in doing so, they completely ignore the nuances of the scenes presented in the last book. Because they are attached, they'd rather call badwrong Snivellus' love impure than explore what the montage of all his memories implied. That beauty is skin deep.

The thing about people who like such black and white scenarios and people is: they will always fall prey to the Halo Effect. And it's extremely painful to be disillusioned about your favourites. So they may never get disillusioned.

All this to say, sometimes I wonder why that part of the fandom is like 'that'. And it's just that this is the safety net in this series, or this is just how vanilla people outside of fandom coming in can take.

And that's fine (coz I'm crazy for the marauders era as well, just with a slightly wider taste pallet).

TL Dr: The antis are attracted to wholesome ships and since Rowling made it so difficult to find such ships until much later where you are emotionally connected with each character, the antis attached to a bunch of (mostly) dead people who, by association to the Hero of the story, being pretty, popular, and clear on their behaviour with the badwrong confusing character, are all good. They were desperately looking for the safety net in the books and found some. Also, since antis are the way they are, maybe they believe the fictional character being dead means people would not criticise their wholesome ship? Idk.

A/N:

*The only properly handsome man - Bill - barely gets mentioned, marries a beautiful woman, and imo the only reason he doesn't die is because he didn't revel in his handsomeness or popularity (him liking Snape in school is so cute + that disqualifies him from being popular with the antis since he likes the badwrong character). Also, he was literally scarred on his once handsome face to show that his wife actually loved him and didn't just choose him to have beautiful babies. Her being a veela and owning her Frenchness were already flaws (in the narrative's opinion) so all she needed was a scarred husband. Now, they both don't have to die 🤣.

[g3tth3l00k]

[ ISSUE 2 ] [ LOLA CEP ]

And were backkkkk !!! If you haven't heard of this absolute fashion icon or the movie, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, go straight to disney plus and watch it ! Its cheesy, and I didn't know what to expect on my first watch but its quickly become one of my comfort movies and I watch it ALL THE TIMEE. And I mean that. SOOO without further a due, lets get into the analysis of Mary Elizabeth Cep (or better known as Lola Steppe)'s style :)

Lola is definitely unique, and her style isn't really for the more casual so even if you wouldn't wear any of these iconic fits in their entirety, these are great examples of places to borrow little pieces and add them to your every day to spice it up a little !

I should mention that this is the section where I normally do a bit of intro about the person whose style we're analyzing, but since this is a movie character, their personality is very accessible in the film/show they are in since it's self-contained anddd there is only enough background info that is necessary to the plot ! okayyy let's get started

Lola's style is eccentric, as is her personality, and her outfits follow my favorite formula which is whatever she thinks looks good. The writer of the film states that she is a Pisces, and every outfit shows depth and thought put into it and exemplifies good style knowledge that is essential to making good outfits (psst. need 2 know more abt that ? I have a post coming out ;)

Let's looks at some key details of Lola's outfits !

Accessories! One of the most important parts of these fits is the accessories ! Lola is a sucker for a good hat (as am I) and my favorite type of hat right now is the baker boy/newsboy hat we see here. The grommets make it even better (one of my personal fav details rn) She wears other types of hats too though, including baseball caps, beanies, and scarves tied around her head. Accessories normally make an outfit, but her use of hats, belts, outfit-appropriate necklaces, and jewelry, commonly seen in large silver hoops, and of course her signature bottlecap necklace (you can make it! see link below) totally make most of her outfits.

Layering (Jackets !!) Lola wears many types and builds of jackets in this movie, my favorites being her army green zip-up, feather-trimmed mesh duster, and don't even get me started on the amazing patchwork leather jacket ! The outfits without these layers are okay but often her jacket is a statement piece and totally makes the outfit She also employs layering in her earliest outfits, layering the fishnet top over the "I <3 NY" tee I'm sure you've already seen on Pinterest and her first day of school outfit that is topped off with a scarf-like shawl tied around her shoulders

Graphic tees/ Patterned tops Now if you hadn't seen the last image on Pinterest I'm 100% SURE you've seen this iconic photo. I love this outfit and the color story is dramatically made better by Lola's red and black simple graphic tee she wears with her green cargos that is dejavu to Freaky Friday (issue coming soon) This is the top she chooses from Stu Wolff's house nearing the end of the movie and colored metallic is so very early 2000's

Customization I absolutely LOVEE customization (issue coming soon, geez how many times have I said that now lol) and it is a big part of Lola's outfits. This handmade-looking NY Knicks jersey is to die for and I'd like to believe she made it herself, and you probably could recreate or do something inspired by with materials from the thrift ! As you can see in some of the previous photos as well she adds her own decorative flair to all of her things, like the pins on her bag in the bike pic and her customized name hat in the same image.

Dressing for the Occasion One of Lola's biggest fashions strengths, I think is dressing for the occasion/ situation she is put in. You can see this in her outfits for the "death" of her favorite band Sidarthur (not pictured, can't find for some reason), her audition for the school play (modern pygmalion), and this 80's workout fit she wore to dance practice. This makes her outfits seen on key and perfect for the event she is at, and she never seems out of place, just more dressed than the rest

Last Call !! Makeup and Hair !

Lola's hair is Lindsay Lohan's natural orangey-red, but more blonde on top making it seem a bit sun-bleached (doesn't make much sense in context but still very pretty). She doesn't do many hairstyles in this movie, instead opting for hats when there is detail missing on the top of her outfit. This being said her hair is down for 99% of the movie, which means it's in loose spiral curls (Let's be honest nobody's hair does that naturally) so a blowout is probably necessary.

Her makeup is veryy minimal, but you can tell she is wearing some. To me, her character seems like someone who would experiment a lot with her makeup looks, but if anything it lets the outfits shine even more. I would guess she is wearing nude or pinkish eyeshadow, maybe a bit of brown to darken right under her eyes and where eyeliner goes on top of the eye. I also see a pinkish blush (choose what's right for your skin and undertones :) and most likely mascara with black eyeliner on both waterlines. Highlight could be added to make the look more modern but make sure it's light !

Lola's character is very outgoing and I think we could all learn from her a bit. She wears all of her outfits with confidence, isn't afraid of what others think, and believes in herself and her abilities. She is eccentric, sure, but very fashionable and isn't afraid of failure. She always gives it her all and I think that is very admirable.

TL;DR of this article :) aka. Basics of how to look like Lola Cep <3

Accessories!! Hats (baker boy hats, baseball caps, beanies, scarves, you name it), statement chokers, big silver hoops, belts, and her signature bottlecap necklace are key

Layering! Jackets and statement jackets are key, and also fishnet shirts and big sheer shawls

Graphic tees :) simple and cute, stick to 2-3 colors for maximum wear potential

Personalize your shit ! buttons, patchs, pins, custom jerseys and tees are perf

Dress for the occasion ! Play audition = dress like the time period the play was written, Athletics ? 80's workout inspired ! Death ? PAINT IT BLACK (respectfully ofc)

Hair is not that important, as it is in loose curls and down in 99% of the movie, and the color is also not too crucial but the original Lola's was sunbleached orangey red

makeup is minimal, neutral eyeshadow, mascara, pinky blush, and black eyeliner in the waterlines, maybe highlight to modernize it but LIGHT !

Thanks so much for reading  !! dms are open for style analysis requests or just in general <3<3