#yes glinda white feminist

[sweetgladiatorking]

The ice cold Wicked takes from the newbies are very sweet actually

[princesssarisa]

I'll admit I've never been deep in the Wicked fandom – I've been exploring it more since the movie came out than I ever had before – but I do feel as if I've noticed the trend of "protect white femininity" in the fandom's defenses of Glinda.

I've seen an analysis of the show, at least in certain entries on TV Tropes and I think in some other places too, which argues that the whole thing is (in part) a deconstruction of a Not Like Other Girls/Real Women Don't Wear Dresses narrative. We're set up to think Elphaba is the completely heroic misfit heroine and to view Glinda as a silly, arrogant, dumb-blonde mean girl who will turn out to be "the real wicked witch" and betray Elphaba someday. But the show "subverts" that expectation, not only because Glinda turns out to be sympathetic and their friendship true, but because she turns out to be incredibly smart and savvy about the importance of popularity. Meanwhile, Elphaba turns out to be more flawed than we thought (her impulsiveness, to begin with, and her eventual mental breakdown and descent into genuine wickedness), and her "heroic" rebellion achieves nothing, while Glinda, thanks to the power she gains by working within the system, is ultimately the one to save Oz from the Wizard. And when the big "betrayal" does happen, they're both to blame (yes, Glinda does betray Elphaba by giving the silver shoes to Dorothy, but only because Elphaba betrays her first by getting together with Fiyero), and they reconcile in the end. So the point is that no one is the real wicked witch, there's good and bad on both sides, etc... and just maybe Glinda is the real heroine in the end, who proves that traditional girly girls deserve respect.

Now, of course some of this analysis is valid. But it seems to presume some things that aren't universally true for every audience member – personally, I never thought Glinda was going to be "the real wicked witch" or betray Elphaba.

More importantly, it seems to forget about a certain little book and movie called The Wizard of Oz.

Isn't the fact that Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, is a sympathetic outcast heroine fighting for social justice, and the victim of prejudice and propaganda, a more important subversion of expectations than "she has flaws and she loses in the end"? Especially because we know from the start that she's going to lose – even if you somehow don't know The Wizard of Oz, the musical opens with Oz celebrating her death!

And as for Glinda... without denying that she's sympathetic or that her friendship with Elphaba is true... isn't the fact that she is a deeply flawed character, whose morals do fall short compared to Elphaba's in key ways, and who only saves Oz in the end because she goes through massive growth and redemption thanks to Elphaba, a much bigger subversion of expectations than "she's not just a silly mean girl after all"? Her flaws and moral conflicts subvert the image of the all-benevolent, fairy-like Glinda the Good we grew up with, which turns out to be propaganda just like Elphaba's evil reputation!

Any reading of this show that implies "Glinda is ultimately a better person than Elphaba, which is a positive, feminist subversion of expectations" seems to be missing the whole point.

I've also seen fans discuss the "subversion of expectations" regarding Glinda's philosophy about popularity, e.g. "It's not aptitude, it's the way you're viewed." How we're set up to think it shows her shallowness and skewed morals, but in the end the narrative proves her totally right, since both she and the Wizard succeed by being popular while Elphaba crashes and burns. True, true, true: I agree that part of the musical's message is "People gain power and fame not because of real competence or morals, but because they're popular." Yet instead of drawing what I think is the obvious conclusion – "and that's a terrible fact that we should try to change, which Glinda realizes in the end" – some fans instead conclude "and Glinda is awesome and deserves tons of respect for realizing that fact and working it to her advantage." Really?

Glinda has the 'protect white femininity' syndrome in fandoms, a behavior that has sprung up in later years, in which 'traditional' female characters have a large 'counterculture' fans that, in an attempt to fight any misogynistic attacks their faves get, defend them and prop them to the point that they spout traditional regressive or sexist rhetoric against the nerdy / tomboyish main female character to prop up their trad fave. they did the same in the Little Women fandom and Les Mis fandom. i think it's often pushed by mediocre white women who wish to stand out and self insert in Glinda type characters, and see any attack on their queen as a personal attack.

I’ve seen it happen in the Twilight fandom and it’s become really infuriating. Especially when the fans try to argue that these female characters were done dirty by the narrative/the author…when, in most cases, they get a redemption arc or they get off scot free.

Rosalie literally becomes true friends/sisters with Bella by the end of Breaking Dawn. Glinda not only lives but helps Elphaba’s son and granddaughter in subsequent books, thus earning her redemption; the musical is basically her POV of the whole affair and at times privileges her throughout at the expense of Elphaba. As for Les Mis, Cosette was never vilified in the narrative, not even once (I’ve heard of Cameron MacKintosh hating her, but Kretzmer’s translation definitely makes her smarter/more sympathetic compared to the French. I’ve heard both and yeah, “There is a castle on a cloud”>>>>“My prince is already on his way”).

I understand that many people love to hate on ingénue characters, especially if they present as conventionally feminine (I hear Maria and Christine get hate as well in musical theater circles, very similarly to Cosette. All soprano roles, tellingly enough). It’s definitely based on a very nasty strain of misogyny, especially when the female characters don’t do anything morally egregious (pretty much only Rosalie and Glinda are problematic in some way). But this isn’t a competition. Cosette and Éponine are both victims, both “misérables.” Bella only disliked (really, feared) Rosalie because of the latter’s hostility, and was relieved to learn it didn’t really have anything to do with her personally. Musical Wicked is about both Elphaba and Glinda, their friendship and their differences, and in Book Wicked all of their good, bad, and ugly is well-conveyed and developed. You can prefer one over the other, but hating on one with unusual passion is…not on.

[straightouttagershwin]

Breaking Legs, Crushing Dreams

Witches, haunted opera houses, small-town diners, the founding fathers, and a magical Scottish town. These unusual topics are dazzling Broadway musicals loved by thousands. Musicals are a brilliant show of song, dance, and story that almost everyone can relate to. Every theatre kid has a role they would do anything to play. Unfortunately, casting bias based on race, gender, or sexuality, could make it difficult . In the past, most characters could be played by straight, white, cisgender actors. In today’s theatre world, that is being challenged. Why should there be a “basic” type of actor, and why should they get all of the parts? When people see themselves represented, it matters. It is especially important in youth development. Casting people of color, LGBTQ+ actors, and gender swapping, can change lives. A recent challenge to the status quo is the historical hip-hop musical, Hamilton. Casting a black man as George Washington, an Asian woman as Eliza Hamilton, and a Puerto Rican man as Alexander Hamilton himself, shocked audiences everywhere and opened up eyes to the possibilities of casting shows. 

Ten years ago, a black man playing George Washington was unheard of. Why did modern day genius, Lin-Manuel Miranda, decide to challenge that? To tell “...the story of America then, told by America now.” What exactly does that mean though? Miranda wanted to tell the almost unbelievable story of America’s creation. But he wanted to tell it through the mouths of the immigrants the country was built on (Quiñónez). The founding fathers were young, rebellious, and brave. They went against their king to fight for freedom and justice for all, but to them, “all” was all white men. Through Hamilton, the people left out of  “all men were created equal” get a chance to tell the story. The good, the bad, and everything inbewtween. Black men get to tell the story of soldiers fighting for the abolition of slavery, Latinx, Asian, and Black women have the opportunity to pay respects to some of the first feminists, and continue to spread the message of equality to the next generation. 

The characters in Hamilton are all based on real people. Because of this, there is debate about whether there should be a line between fantasy and reality in casting. A popular example is Wicked. The story takes place before the events in The Wizard of Oz and includes many of the same characters. Wicked has been on Broadway for 16 years. This year, the first woman of color portrayed the deuteragonist, Glinda. Why did it take so long for this to happen? It’s unlikely that is was malicious. The casting directors did not sit in their offices and throw every woman of color’s headshot in the garbage. It is also quite unlikely that it was completely by chance. The reason was most likely somewhere in the middle. In 2003, Kristin Chenoweth originated the role of Glinda. Chenoweth is tiny, blonde, and white. This description was used in casting every Glinda after her, and very rarely changed. As stated in the Wicked Wiki page, there have been 32 Glindas on Broadway. 32, and only one was a woman of color. So when it did change, people noticed. Brittney Johnson made history in January 2019. She became the first woman of color to play Glinda on Broadway. She made headlines in the theatre community, and made hearts swell, as she gushed about how much it meant to be playing the character. In an Instagram post, the actress told about her excitement, “My hope and prayer is that people see my story and have faith that they can achieve their dreams too. Nothing is impossible! And no dream is too big.” The dream she speaks of, is crashing through the stigma of a white woman playing a beloved character. Through this, she shows kids, adults, and everyone in between, that they too can bring a character to life. 

Aside from race, there are several other factors that could cause someone to not get a role in a show. Gender is a debated trait in modern theatre. Should characters be able to be gender swapped? Most argue that there are some roles that can be gender swapped, and some that cannot. And some believe that all characters should be cast as written. A recent example of gender swapping in a professional role is the character Old Joe in Waitress. Up until late 2018, the role was for a man, and played by one. In December 2018, the writers and directors decided to change that. When beloved actress June Squibb came to see the show, the creative team got an idea. They immediately decided to change the role to Old Josie, and cast Squibb in the part. “In this moment of time, it seems like a wonderful brush stroke to make the owner a woman-a strong, savvy business woman who is trying to help another woman find her footing.” says book writer, Jessie Nelson. Old Josie was loved by audiences and actors everywhere. But would the same love go to other characters?

 In the recent past, I acted in a production of  The Little Mermaid. A friend of mine tried out for Ursula, and had a shot at the role, except that this friend is a boy. He has the vocal range, the acting skills, and everything else necessary to play the character. But unfortunately, he wasn’t considered for the role. There are a lot of possible reasons for this. The conservative town, the young audience, or the views of the casting team, but it all comes down to the same reason. Our brains are trained to think that boys should play boys and girls should play girls. But is that even a factor here? The casting of mythical creatures has always been interesting to me. They’re fake, so there’s no reason for people to put any restrictions on who can play them. 

Religion is another casting factor in theatre. Most of the characters in the famous show, The Fiddler on the Roof are Jewish. Does this mean they should only be played by those of Jewish faith? In most cases, religion isn’t an issue in casting. But when it comes to religions that have been discriminated against, there are arguments. Religions such as Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism are the most argued about. Because the people of these religions have been treated so poorly and given so little chance to be represented, when a character identifies as one of them, it’s important. Some argue that a person not of these religions should not play characters that are, because the young people of the religion deserve to see someone like them, playing someone like them. This is especially important for hijabi characters. Women who wear the traditional headdresses are tormented in public, have their hijabs ripped off, and are mocked and laughed at for their choice. So to put a random actress in a hijab for a show, seems wrong to those who undergo the discrimination every day. 

Although America is supposed to be a haven for people of all backgrounds, racism is still a frequent issue. The iconic retelling of star crossed lovers, West Side Story, has been subject to a lot of whitewashing. To whitewash is to cast a white actor in a person of color’s role. In the 1961 film version of the show, the lead female character, Maria, a Puerto Rican girl, is played by Natalie Wood, a Russian woman. This casting, though common in it’s time, was offensive to the entire Latin community. Essentially telling them that their actresses were not good enough to play the character. However, the show is getting another chance. Set to be released in 2020, Steven Speilberg’s remake of West Side Story stars Rachel Zegler, a Colombian teenager, ready to take on the world as Maria. Zegler has spoken out several times about how important representation is. Millions of fans are awaiting seeing a true Latin Maria on the silver screen. 

Sexuality is becoming a more and more important factor in casting every day. Recently, the Tony winning show, The Prom, has been in talks to become a movie. The show centers around two girls who want to go to prom together as a couple, but the school administration shuts down the prom in retaliation. Young queer kids everywhere were thrilled when the movie was announced. They were less thrilled when the casting possibilities were announced. When it was announced that Ariana Grande would be playing the main character, Alyssa Greene, fans were not happy. In the Broadway show, Alyssa was played by a queer woman of color, and as far as we know, Grande is neither. Casting LGBTQ+ actors as LGBTQ+ characters is extremely important to the audience. If a character is “straight-washed” it takes away part of the identity the original actor brought to the stage. It also takes a role from an actor that could play it with more honesty, emotion, and feeling, because they have shared experiences with the character. 

Kelli Jolly has been involved in theatre for a long time. From growing up a dancer and actress, to choreographing shows, to becoming the president of a theatre organization, she pretty much lives and breathes it. When asked how casting has changed in her time in the theatre, Jolly said that it has changed a lot. “Directors are casting in creative ways to bring a story to life in a different way than the story has been portrayed in the past. It is exciting to watch different versions of the same play or musical with non-traditional casting.” Those like Jolly, who have theatre in every part of their lives, are excited to see change and creativity in shows. They are also excited to watch what the new generation of actors tell the same stories, in a whole new way. A group of 16 actors, directors, and stage managers were asked if (aside from characters that are written with a specific race, sexuality, or religious belief) casting should be blind, and 94% said yes. The world is changing, and theatre is changing with it. 

Casting should be based on talent first. Casting an actor that does not deserve the role is wrong, no matter their race, gender, or religion. Characters can and should morph as the times change. Aiming to be more inclusive and to better represent the world around them. But if a character is a certain way for a reason, the actor should reflect that. Seeing yourself represented in media is important. Having diverse actors can help make that a reality for more people.  

Works Cited

Fierberg, Ruthie. “Why Sara Bareilles, Diane Paulus, and Jessie Nelson Changed Waitress' Old Joe to Josie.” Playbill, PLAYBILL INC., 18 Nov. 2018, www.playbill.com/article/why-sara-bareilles-diane-paulus-and-jessie-nelson-changed-waitress-old-joe-to-josie.

Person, and ProfilePage. “Brittney Johnson on Instagram: ‘My Heart Is Bursting with Gratitude. Thank You, Thank You! God Is so Good! I Am so Humbled to Be the First Black Glinda and Honored to...".” Instagram, www.instagram.com/p/BsgWkRehCVo/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=dlfix.

Rogo, Paula. “This Actress Just Made History As First Black Woman To Play Glinda In Broadway's 'Wicked'.” Essence, Essence, 14 Jan. 2019, www.essence.com/entertainment/this-actress-just-made-history-as-first-black-woman-to-play-glinda-in-broadways-wicked/.

Samberg, Joel. “Fiddler on the Roof.” My Jewish Learning, My Jewish Learning, 6 Jan. 2004, www.myjewishlearning.com/article/fiddler-on-the-roof/.

[lafiametta]

IMO, Glinda is basically the epitome of everything that's wrong with White Feminism (I say this as a Caucasian feminist myself). No way she's going to rescue her "husband" this time. Hell, she couldn't even be bothered to fly to Nimbo and investigate his first disappearance (no way, she would have missed him hanging on the town sign). As for Knightgale, I really want them to work things out, but I better see Lucas groveling for forgiveness like there's no tomorrow. Dorothy deserves that much.

I hear you -- I also think she’s the epitome of everything that’s wrong with leaders of movements who prioritize ideas and ideologies over real people. It makes it easy to sacrifice anything and anybody in the name of your “cause” – and, of course, everyone but you pays the price. (And in Glinda’s case, that’s Lucas, and her acolytes, and the girls she trains whose minds become damaged, and all the people who will die in Emerald City in a war with the Wizard, etc. etc.)

I mean, I hate the Wizard, too, but his motives seem to be based more on personal power and self-aggrandizement (laid on a foundation of very fragile masculinity), and less on ideology. 

And, yes, there needs to be groveling. So much groveling.