#we need healthy and positive and casual and authentic representation for all

[gender-euphowrya]

🥺🥺😭🥺

[dappercritter]

She-Ra for the ask meme! (Maybe a bad time with the final season so close, you can save this until after if you like.)

(Based on this meme.)

Well, did I save this for later or what?

The first character I first fell in love with: Entrapta. Aside from her colour scheme—I do love a good purple girl, to say the least—I adore her for her enthusiastic, inquisitive, compassionate, and rather eccentric personality. Not to mention her design is an absolute joy to watch in action; from the goggles to the prehensile hair, is creative and adorable. She steals every scene she’s in with her loveably manic energy. The fact that she’s a scientist, who specializes in advanced technology no less, makes her an important character in a magic-driven fantasy setting—her design helps her stand out among the more traditional looking princesses, too! The fact that she’s some of the most effectively authentic examples of autistic representation in children’s fiction only enhances her likeability, in addition to the most interesting and sympathetic examples of morally grey characters that I’ve seen. Her wonderful chemistry with the rest of the Horde adds both to her charm, and really helped lighten things up on the villain’s side for the first 2-3 seasons, and her relationship with Hordak… Well, I’ll get to that shortly! 😉

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: Madame Razz. I figured Razz was going to be a fun mentor character, but I could have never suspected she’d be the best mentor I and Adora could ask for! I’m not familiar with her original counterpart, but whatever they had to work with, I applaud the crew for taking the silliest looking character in the original line-up and turning her into this charming little old lady whose equal parts Yoda and Ghibli grandma. (Or at least that’s how I describe her.) Her design gets special mention, too, for just how dang cute she is! The big glasses, the raggedy dress, big fluffy hair with moths flying around, and her witch broom all come together so well. Out of all Adora’s mentors, she’s the best— having no ulterior motives, agendas, or any manipulative or toxic behaviour laced into her teaching style, offers the best life advice she can to someone who clearly needs it out of kindness. And because she bears a certain resemblance to someone she once knew in a similar position.

The character everyone else loves that I don’t: Catra. Shocking right? Look, I know that she had an awful time growing up in the Fright Zone and by the end of the show she became more well-rounded and likeable. Any grief I have with her is pretty much over done with. Problem is though… it is pretty hard to forget everything she did. Now, I know it’s all in the past and a lot of people haven’t forgotten what she did either, and that some of it has to do with the ugliness of the Catradora vs. Entrapdak dynamic discourse and I don’t want to go into that. I really don’t. But put as simply as possible, she was a toxic friend, especially in regards to Adora (the Season 1 and 2/3 finales in particular) and Entrapta (who she betrayed, left to die after lying about her to her lover/best friend, and the offering the bare minimum of an apology), and escalated a war just to get back at Adora. After she tried to destroy REALITY to get back at her. I’m glad she changed but it still feels like too little too late.

The character I love that everyone else hates: Swift Wind. Sure, he’s a talking horse with a design that can wander a good ways into the uncanny valley, and who tries too hard too hard to be funny, but in spite of that I think he’s got a good heart behind that strange face of his. He does his best to be a good friend to Adora, supporting her both as herself and when she’s She-Ra, as well as doing his best to support Adora’s other friends as well (see “Boy’s Night Out”). Chiefly by trying to make light of Adora’s duties as She-Ra by trying help her find the fun and excitement in it. Of course, he doesn’t just try to keep the energy up, he shows genuine concern for Adora and all her friends, not hesitating to rush to their protection or point out when a situation seems especially dire. (see “Beast Island” and “Failsafe”). But I think my favourite example is from “Hero” where he casually reveals that he regularly checks in on Madame Razz because, as he says, “You gotta check up on old ladies alone in the woods.” What a horse!

The character I used to love but don’t any longer: Glimmer. I used to love her personality and her design. A peppy rebel who lived for adventure and a good friend to Adora and Bow. Even if she had her flaws like her impulsiveness and her stubbornness, she was still pretty likeable. But then she called her mom a coward for acting as a strategist and looking after Bright Moon, which ended up convincing her to sacrifice herself to close the rift at the end of S3. Alright, fair enough, some things can’t be avoided. Then she took over as queen, and I can understand there was A LOT of factors that were in play—namely grief and Double Trouble deliberately playing on her strained friendship with Adora and Bow as part of one of Catra’s plots—but boy howdy, did she start showing a pretty unsavory side what with her increasingly ruthless demeanor, trusting Adora’s abuser (hi Shadow Weaver, be with you in minute) over her, choosing to leave Entrapta in very real peril on Beast Island, and willingly using a weapon she knew could destroy all of Etheria to win a war. Perhaps I wouldn’t have minded as much if season 5 didn’t rush through her apologies and redemption so quickly, but the fact remains that Glimmer’s character took an awfully dark turn that’s not quite going to be so easily forgotten.

The character I would totally smooch: In a dark future where Entrapta never found love with Hordak, for one terrible reason or another, I would totally give her a smooch. I’ve said it before and say it again: Mad scientist princess is best princess! The character I’d want to be like: Bow. In some capacity I’m already like him, namely being super emotional and doing his damnedest to be a good friend even when things are tough, as well as being the voice of reason and a tinkerer (what? Tinkering with artsy stuff counts!). But I’d like to follow his example of being more level-headed, softer, optimistic, but also more assertive as opposed to my impulsive, harsher, cynical, and reserved current self.

The character I’d slap: Shadow Weaver. Need I explain? No, and anyway I can’t slap her anyways because she pulled the most manipulative heroic sacrifice I’ve ever seen. Dammit it, Shadow Weaver! (I really wanted to say Horde Prime but I feel like he wasn’t developed quite enough to be as hateable as he could be. Not to say that he isn’t an absolute piece of trash who deserved what he had coming already, but we didn’t get to spend three whole seasons getting to know the depths of his manipulative depravity while simultaneously weaseling his way into a twisted version of a redemption arc, unlike someone else I just talked about.)

A pairing that I love: Entrapdak. In case, it wasn’t already obvious. To summarize, in spite of all the drama that surrounds them and their actions, they honestly have the sweetest, most affectionate, and quite possibly the most healthy and engaging pair of the entire show (next to Spinnerella and Netossa, of course). Shoot, if it weren’t for these two and my hopes to see them reunite again, I would have left the fandom entirely at this point! (No seriously, I’m getting tired, folks.)

A pairing that I despise: Hordak X Horde Prime, but I think that’s the point, since most people use it to explore toxic relationships from a distance. Anyways, I really do not want to talk about abusive alien selfcest.

[latetotherant]

“Are you rich?” Is Shrill too Economically Idealistic for Its Own Good? ••• By Meredith Salisbury

“Oh My God. What’s happening? I’m afraid that I am feeling myself.” These are the words we here Annie (Aidy Bryant) say to her best friend and roommate Fran (Lolly Adefope) while she’s dancing in a new dress and enjoying some new found self-love towards the end of the first episode of Hulu’s comedy Shrill. The show, which is based off of Lindy West’s memoir Shrill: Notes from a Loud Women, follows Annie as she navigates life as a fat millennial woman living in Portland, Oregon. Shrill has been rightfully praised for its blunt and realistic depictions of everyday life as a fat woman and for its nonchalant handling of abortion. For all the care Shrill puts into authentic depictions of Annie’s everyday life, Shrill does so at the expense of showing the larger and more systemic issues fat women face. The omission of these larger cultural forces makes Annie’s transformation seem idealistic, unrealistic, and impossible for the women watching replicate.

Shrill is set in Portland, Oregon. It makes sense that one of the most accepting and liberal cities in the popular imagination is the setting for televisions first radically positive representation of fat women. Like Portlandia, another socially conscious television show set in Portland, Shrill uses comedy to point out where its liberal audience fails in their liberalness. In Shrill, radical self love, queerness, and anti-capitalist ideals are all casually accepted from the get go. Annie’s parents praise Fran’s, who is a lesbian’s, love life with her rotating door of queer partners and Annie’s ex-punk gen-x boss Gabe (John Cameron Mitchell) vilifies “the establishment” regularly. In a way Shrill feels like it teeters on the line between comedy and parody. It is unclear that the Portland represented in Shrill is different than the one created by the sketch comedy show Portlandia. Carrie Brownstein, the creator and star of Portlandia, even directed the Shrill episode “Date.” The similarities between the shows’ representation of Portland is not necessarily a bad thing—Portlandia did a great job at pointing out to liberal people where their liberal ideologies fell short—and Shrill picks up where Portlandia left off and continues this crusade. The issue is that Portlandia was satirical whereas Shrill is meant to be realistic. Shrill, like Portlandia, does not take into account Oregon’s white supremacist past or the fact that Portland is the whitest large city in America nor does it acknowledge how Oregon is one of the most expensive states to live in and that Portland is experiencing an affordable housing crisis.

The fact that Annie and Fran are never plagued with systemic issues leaves room for the show to explore interpersonal ones like Annie’s relationship with her boss Gabe. Gabe is Shrill’s villain. He is the editor-in-chief of The Weekly Throne, the alt-weekly newspaper Annie works for. At first he frustrates her by passively blowing off her pitches and asking her to keep working her way up, but by the fourth episode, the one titled “Pool” he begins a crusade against fatness. After learning The Weekly Thorn can save “a buttload of money” if the staff can “pry [their] cheese-thighs off the couch more than once a week” he gets rid of the vending machines and requires the staff to do “one heart healthy grouptivity once a month.” At the first “grouptivity” Gabe mutters “lazy bodies lazy minds” under is breath. He goes on to question whether Annie takes work seriously and tell her that “success is about an effort” and that “[she] didn’t [try] today.”

Through Gabe, the show pushes people who believe they are fighting against dominant culture to see that they still have biases they need to work on. Gabe is portrayed as a gen-x, ex-punk, and “feminist” through jokes about being the “original bassist in Bikini Kill,” by wearing band t-shirts for bands like Quasi (Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney fame’s band), and the fact that Gabe is played by John Cameron Mitchell who is an queer gen-x icon in his own right. We are led to believe that Gabe’s work was once gritty and boundary pushing. He claims when he was Annie’s age he was already “burnin’ shit down and fuckin shit up.” But, what we see now is someone who was on the right side of history, but lost his way as he became older and more financially stable. He is a former radical who is hindering Annie’s growth professionally and personally.

The way Gabe treats Annie at The Weekly Thorne is terrible. Shrill uses Annie and Gabe’s work relationship to drive Annie to find self confidence. The thing is for women work is not just another place for interpersonal relationships. It is a place that provides people with an income and (hopefully) benefits. Individuals need these to survive. In Shrill Annie never once thinks about the financial ramifications of her actions. At work she is not very professional. She is seen sitting on tables, hugging her boss when he gives her an assignment, pestering him about pitches, and posts an article to the paper’s site without permission. While some workplaces are significantly more informal than others, Annie’s behavior at work does not make it appear as though she values her job. Gabe is by no accounts a good boss and she has every right to be upset with the way he is treating her, but it is still fascinating to me that Annie never once seems concerned about the possibility of losing her job. She even quits in a fit of rage in the last episode. It is known that fat women face discrimination when they are applying for jobs and full time jobs in any media industry are nearly impossible to find these days. There is never a moment where Annie stops and worries about what the implications of leaving her job would be. Sure she stood up for herself, but at what cost? She walked away from an income and health insurance without batting an eyelash. What other millennial women who works in media could do that?  

Annie and Fran’s financial situation remains a mystery throughout the six episodes. How is it that two marginalized women in creative careers can have very little financial anxiety? The only inkling of concern comes from Fran when she asks Annie “Are you rich? That’s like $50 every time you have sex with Ryan” when she finds out Annie has been taking the morning after pill every time she has sex with Ryan. Annie never addresses this, she is rightfully preoccupied with the abortion she needs to have, but it still leaves the viewer wondering how she is finacially staying afloat.

Annie’s spending on the morning after pill is not the only unexplained expense in the show. A quick google search revealed that Annie and Fran live in a home that last sold in 2016 for $500,158 and rents for similar houses in the same neighborhood are around $2400 a month. It is unclear how they can afford to live there with Annie working for a small alt-weekly newspaper and Fran cutting people’s hair out of her house. It’s even more baffling when you add in the fact that Fran does not even require payment for her work. The only time we see her compinstated for her work she is paid in stolen clothes. How do these two afford a multi-bedroom house in Portland, Oregon, a place that is notorious for unaffordable housing, while working in independent publishing and freelance hair styling?

The walls of Annie and Fran’s home are adorned with art prints like this one that used to be sold at Otherwild and Fran is often spotted in Wildfang overalls and coveralls. Both brands have become trendy in recent years and are recognizable in queer urban circles as marker for a type of queer financial stability. Wildfang coveralls are the velour Juicy Couture track suit of lesbian culture. Rachel Syme explains that the “Juicy’s suit was just pricey enough to radiate status, but attainable enough to become a part of the everyday wardrobes of thousands of high-school girls.” Wildfang’s clothes do the same thing for queer women. Fran’s $188 coveralls signal to queer women watching that she is financially stable, yet still relatable, but it is never addressed how she got this way.

Annie quits her job in a fit of rage after Gabe writes a rebuttal to her article claiming her fatness. In this moment we see Annie stand up for herself. She calls Gabe a “bully” and tells him he is “stomp[ing] over an entire group of people.” We are supposed to cheer Annie on in this moment—she has finally began to believe in herself—but she just walks out of her job without any real concern about her future. This moment is the climax of the season. But what is she going to do now? Study after study has found that fat women face major discrimination when applying for jobs; especially in the media industry. I am proud of her for standing up for herself, but I do not see how any real person could do that without some type of financial safety net.

For fat women and queer women Annie and Fran appear to be wonderful role models. Annie is smart, and stylish, and finding her voice in a way many of us hope to and Fran is strong, and unwavering in her sexuality and standards. Shrill does a wonderful job creating inspiring role models, but Annie and Fran’s lives are impossible to replicate in everyday life. Throughout the season we see Annie strutting around Portland in a collection of adorable and perfectly tailored dresses. It turns out that almost all of Annie’s clothes were custom made for the show by costume designer Amanda Needham. Fran’s strength is a linchpin of the show and she is portrayed as the foil to Annie. In her review of Shrill Emily Nussbaum explains that Fran “specialize in brassy self-assertion, a bravado that doubles as a shield and as a weapon.”  and later explains that it’s Annie’s “niceness ... that fuels the show.” Fran’s self-assertion comes from her ability to opt-out of interacting with straight men, other than her brother or the occasional boy Annie brings home. Shrill leads us to believe that Fran’s lesbianism is what makes her that brash woman who refuses take shit and this is why she is able to empower Annie. Although all women are taught throughout their lives to seek the validation of men; coming out as a lesbian frees you from some of those expectations. Although male bosses, relatives, and friends still exist; there is no longer the expectation that one of the men in your life could be your future partner and this alleviates some of the compulsory need to please them. Annie on the other hand still believes she needs to placate a boy and win over a boss and those needs hinder her ability to stand up for herself. The thing is that queerness does not suddenly alleviate all of those pressures. As much as I would love to exist in a world without problematic straight men and the patriarchal nonsense they bring with them it is not possible. Fran has created a life where she only cuts cute girls’ hair and somehow still has a roof over her head a wardrobe full of $200 Wildfang overalls. Her queerness and lack of traditional employment may allow her to accept herself without pause, but the lack of hardship or pushback she receives is implausible and unlike the experiences of any queer women I have ever known or heard about.

Shrill represents a radical hope for fat women’s futures. It presents a nuanced depiction of the everyday struggles of fat women, but refuses to complicate its narrative with the broader and more systemic sexist and homophobic struggles fat women face. By diving deep into specificities it allows Annie to overcome her personal problems but misses the mark on addressing larger structural ones. In Shrill’s universe, Annie can quit her job without ever acknowledging how hard it is for fat women to get hired in the first place and Fran can live a blissful queer life in Portland without ever facing a racist or homophobic person. And both of them never have a financial care in the world while living in one of the most expensive cities and working in underpaying careers. I wish the lessons taught in Shrill were applicable to everyday life. I wish I could call out a fat-phobic boss on the internet without the fear of losing my employment and possibly my health insurance. I wish I could only cut cute girls’ hair and still have a roof over my head and some of the most stylish clothes in queer culture today. But alas I do not live in the world Shrill has created and I do not think I ever will.

[hookhumor67-blog]

The State of Bisexual Representation in Our Pop Culture: 2018 Edition

2018 has been a mixed year for bisexual representation. Shows like The Bisexual and Sally4Ever have focused on female characters exploring their sexuality, but film has mainly shied away from focusing on bi representation. As a medium, television has more storytelling room, so perhaps it is easier to fit in bisexual characters, but film needs to be making the push for more diversity in sexual experiences.

Representation is not arbitrary, and not just a box-ticking exercise, but helps shape and shift perceptions in the real world. This is important for people of any minority, and the statistics show the level of mental health problems that come with being bisexual. Studies have found that “approximately 40 percent of bisexual people have considered or attempted suicide, compared to just over a quarter of gay men and lesbians”. Although representation of gay and lesbian people needs to improve, it is clear that if progress is going to be made in regards to the mental health of bi people, it needs to happen quickly. Bisexual people are not just a small minority, but as a study by the Williams Institute found, in the US, “Among adults who identify as LGB, bisexuals comprise a slight majority (1.8% compared to 1.7% who identify as lesbian or gay)”. This highlights the need for more bisexual representation on screen, especially for men, as they are less likely to identify as such. That is why it is heartening that more shows are including positive depictions of bisexual people.

Bisexuality on screen is not always explicit, not always explained, and there are schools of thought on both sides of the fence. Some people think not uttering bisexuals bisexaul is progressive and others feel it is holding progress back. The same debate is being had in real life, with some bisexual and pansexual people choosing not to label their sexualities, whilst others feel the label is vital if progress is to be made. I personally feel that whatever someone wants to identify as is fine, as long as it is not actively harming anyone in the LGBTQ community. I personally don’t think it hurts the bi community for people to classify themselves as fluid in real life, but I don’t think there has been good enough representation on screen for the label to be discarded in the media. Two of the Main offenders who refuse to audibly call their characters bisexual over the years continued in this vain in 2018. The protagonists in How to Get Away with Murder and Orange is the New Black show bisexual characters but refrain from having them identified as such on screen. There have been many think-pieces about this over the years, but they haven’t forced the shows into making a change. It can be argued that this representation is normalizing bi identities by taking away the dramatic coming out, and by showing them living their lives authentically. It is a nice idea, but only works if enough good representation has already been shown in the media.

An example of not explicitly labelling a character was discussed recently by Tessa Thompson, who starred as bisexual character Valkyrie in last year’s Thor: Ragnarok. She defended her character not explicitly being shown as bi, stating, “I played her as a woman that’s queer. I hope that we get to a space, in terms of the stories that we tell, where that’s something that gets to exist, and it doesn’t have to be noteworthy”. Her defense is well-meaning but the operative phrase in her statement is, “I hope we get to that space”. Thompson is bi and was clear in the promotion for Thor that her character is too, but we are not at a place in society where representation on screen can all follow the progressive mold of not identifying. Although I hope sexualities do not have to be spelled out in the future on screen, for now, it needs to be explicit in order to educate and to normalize.

Looking back at the year of Bisexual film and TV it is best to review them on the representation shown. Does it fall into any of the negative traps laid above? Does it skirt around the issue? Or does it show a happy and healthy character or relationship? Below is the good and the bad of bisexuality in film and TV.

The Good

The Bisexual

Desiree Akhavan burst onto the scene with 2013’s wry Appropriate Behaviour. She finally directed her second feature, the heartwarming and vital gay conversion therapy film, The Miseducation of Cameron Post earlier this year. She followed the success of that film a few months later, with the aptly titled, The Bisexual. The show follows a 30-something American women, who after breaking up with her partner of 10 years (the masterful Maxine Peake) starts to experiment with her sexuality. Under a different showrunner the show could have perpetuated negative stereotypes, but identifying as Bisexual herself, Akhavan allows The Bisexual to upend all negative conventions. She sleeps with men and women, and does, as the show suggests, show the life of a bisexual woman. Funny, smartly-observed and as awkward as her debut feature, The Bisexual is the best example you will find this year, and maybe any year of a bisexual woman just figuring her life out.

Casual

The under watched and underappreciated Casual finished its run on Hulu earlier this year. It was A real gem of the past few years, sharing a tone with Bojack Horseman, with a tenth of the hype. This dramedy took the tired dysfunctional family setting and rejuvenated it bringing the will they/won’t they to the sibling relationship. I could talk about Casual for the rest of the article, but I’ll get focused on the sexuality of the daughter, Laura, played to perfection by Tara Lynne Barr. In previous seasons we witnessed Laura date both men and women, but there was always a sense she was still figuring out her attraction to the latter. That was no longer the case in the final season, as Laura happily dated women, showing no signs of doubt or internalized homophobia. Although she didn’t date a man in the final season, this was an important portrayal, as it busts the myth that being bisexual means you have to date men and women to an equal degree. You could go your whole life without dating either, but still be attracted to both, while still identifying as bisexual. Laura’s attraction to men and women was cemented in the first three seasons, making her happily dating women without renouncing her attraction to men a rarely seen but positive portrayal.

The Bi Life

Billed as a queer equivalent to Love Island, The Bi Life is a dating show where every contestant identifies as bisexual. Whilst not becoming the cultural megahit that Love Island has become in the UK, The Bi Life is a huge step forward in bisexual representation. Airing in the UK, and fronted by Queer drag icon, Courtney Act, the show both normalized and educated the idea of bisexuality. It showed the aching truth of dating when bi, but included 3 to 4 scenes in each episode where the contestants discussed the stereotypes surrounding bisexuality and the effect it can have on family and friends. The Bi Life entertained, educated and ultimately warmed the heart, making it a vital piece of television in 2018.

Dirty Computer

Highlighting the lack of bisexual representation in the film world, I am forced to stretch the definition of film for Dirty Computer, the film accompaniment to Janelle Monae’s album of the same name. Running over 40 minutes and so much more than an extended music video, Dirty Computer is a great piece of feminist, avant garde and importantly, queer film making. Bursting with invention, striking visuals, and a love story at its core, Monae didn’t just make one of the best albums of the year, but also one of the best films.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Although Stephanie Beatriz’s character, Rosa Diaz came out on Brooklyn Nine-Nine in 2017, Diaz and Beatriz herself continued spreading positivity this year. Near the end of season five, Diaz found a love interest played by Jane the Virgin’s Gina Rodriguez, and the show continued to treat her sexuality the way it has always treated queer characters; perfectly. The positivity didn’t just end with the show though, and Beatriz has continued to be an advocate for her bisexual identity. After she was accused of picking a side when she married a man, Beatriz explained her sexuality in the most direct way possible, stating, “I’m bi till the day I die”.

Jane the Virgin

Fans of Jane the Virgin had long speculated (and in some cases hoped) that the character Petra was bisexual. The show confirmed this in 2018 when it gave her a love interest in the form of a new character Jane (not the virgin), played by the always brilliant Rosario Dawson. Because Petra dreamt of romancing Jane for so long, the romance was teased over a few episodes. However, once it was confirmed, the couple became a pitch-perfect example of bisexual representation. The show is campy, so the relationship was not without its highs and lows, and going into the next season, it is not clear whether they will continue dating. However, in the time that they were, it was not presented stereotypically in the slightest. Jane the Virgin (which has always been great on queer stories) got this one right.

Crazy-Ex Girlfriend

The underappreciated tour de force that is, Crazy-Ex Girlfriend introduced its third bisexual character in 2018. That’s right, 3 bisexual characters on one show. To show three bisexual characters on one program, without falling into any negative tropes, is really going the extra mile. This normalizes bisexuality and is exactly the kind of representation the community needs. There is not much more to say about this, except for, we love you Rachel Bloom.

Sally4Ever

Sally4Ever, which is still in the middle of its first season is a heightened, absurd story of a woman married to a man, falling for another woman. At times the show plays into stereotypes, but it is nice to see a show that isn’t obsessed with the dramatics of it all, and instead allows the relationship to work in a bizarre world. It plays like an absurd The Bisexual, and is a reminder that representation doesn’t always have to be stale and factual, it can be great fun too.

The Bad

Alex Strangelove

Alex Strangelove is an interesting addition to the bad category, because for the most part, the film is similar to the better-known, Love Simon. It follows a high-school student who comes to grips with his sexuality, finally realizing and accepting that he is gay. The film is funny, sweet, but ultimately standard, diverting romcom fare. The problem, however, is how it shows Alex coming to grips with his sexuality. The film presents bisexuality as a stepping stone, and whether accidentally or not implies that it is a safe middle ground. It can often take many gay people time to truly come to terms with their sexuality, and pondering the idea of their bisexuality is a legitimate step on many people’s journey. Some gay people ultimately suppress their same-sex desires and come out as bisexual before accepting their homosexuality. But the idea that it is a stepping stone can be toxic, as it can imply it is a phase. So, for that reason it is in the bad category, but it hopefully highlights that representation is not always good or bad, but sometimes there is just more that needs to be done.

Bohemian Rhapsody

In the recently released Bohemian Rhapsody, Freddie Mercury, as played by the magnetic Rami Malek, tells his female partner that he is bisexual. She responds, “Freddie you’re gay”. Her response is authentic and a painful reminder to any bisexual man that we are coded as gay if we have any same-sex attraction. For many, getting past the binary straight/gay divide is too much, as they believe bi people must choose. The film does nothing to dissuade the audience that Mercury is in fact gay, and like what often happens, our specific identity is erased. This film did nothing to counter this, and is a continuation of how the film world treats male bisexuality.

Riverdale

Riverdale has not shied away from sexuality and queer storylines in its three seasons on the air, and even included a bisexual character in the first season. Although that character, Moose, is now peripheral as the show continues onto season 3, in the past year audiences were baited, but ultimately let down by a bisexual storyline. Head cheerleader, and all-round ice queen, Cheryl Blossom had shown interest in men early on in the shows run, but started to engage in a same-sex romance in season 2. At its infancy, Madelaine Petsch, who portrays Cheryl stated, “I would say she is bisexual”. Hopes were raised, but after her romance with Toni Topaz was cemented, Petsch changed her tune, confirming that after talks with the showrunner, “Cheryl is a lesbian”. This is a hard blow for bi representation. Not because Cheryl had previously shown interest in men, but because her bisexuality had been publicly confirmed. Stating it publicly, then denouncing it is painful, and stings harder considering Cheryl is dating a great representation of bisexuality on the show, Toni Topaz. The flip-flopping perpetuates the stereotype that bi people need to choose a side, and damages the great representation Riverdale had established with Moose and Topaz.

Bi representation is getting better and despite its flaws, 2018 has been a great year and a great step forward. TV is embracing queer identities more every year, and is finally starting to allow queer characters to live happy lives. Film is failing all queer identities, but its lack of bi representation is shocking, and its lack of meaningful positive representation of queer identities in general is disgraceful. 2018 has been a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to highlight different voices, and make more people in 2019 comfortable to proclaim, “I’m bi till I die”.

Source: https://filmschoolrejects.com/bisexual-representation-pop-culture-2018/

[paintmeyourbluesky]

Trigger warning – This review may contain spoilers that might make those of you who haven’t seen the show to throw a fit at me for revealing some of them, so therefore of course, read at your own risk.

This series has taken such a huge portion of time in my life, by all means, I really couldn’t stop myself from watching it. So instead of a casual ramble talking about the things I want to say regarding on how much I might have somehow both like and dislike this TV series, I’ve carefully accumulated upon 8 pros and 5 cons that I may have which come across to personally, so that’s 13 points in total, which is by far the iconic amount for a number of reasons, no? (See what I did there? No? Okay, moving on.)

Let us hop in with a friendly discussion upon the pros.

This show had really chosen their casts accordingly. One thing’s for sure about this particular series, is that they have such an amazing array of casts enrolling such authentic roles that fit so perfectly. Their acting was what I would automatically picture a typical teenager would react to whenever faced through those of significant trials in life. In a way, I can somehow connect to some of the characters that played along this series quite well, which is very much appreciated.

The cinematography for each episode was surprisingly on point. For a TV show, handing out the audience with a good screenplay motion is one thing, but throwing out a great one is definitely another. The angles were brought down super nicely, and I appreciated the fact that they put so much effort and dedication into delivering the visual focus that needed to be seen by the audience, which made it super easy to not only understand what was going on at the present point, but also to grab ahold of where the situation was partly taking them next.

There were several episodes that provided specific trigger warnings. It is extremely important for a show to bring down trigger warnings of what may seem to appear toxic in the eyes of children, or anyone in particular who may have issues of viewing things like this beforehand. It was nice to see that they had warnings regarding the topics such as, rape, abusive content, etc that are going to be shown in a certain episode which indirectly gave the audience a mere choice to take in consideration of whether or not they should continue watching it. Which in a way, I think is a very responsible and respectful feature that ended up not being forgotten.

The plot of this story = one heck of a ride. I have to say, just from the very beginning I was a little skeptic of going into this with all the hype surrounding it, but I ended up watching 5 episodes in one sitting which was really something I don’t normally do on a regular basis when it comes to marathoning a series. I was quite surprised, that this show had succeeded into keeping me on the edge of my seat, as I was always, always, wondering of what might happen next, or when Clay is going to listen to his own tape, etc etc. One word: in-trigue-ing.

It had a very appealing message. The show taught us to never treat others badly, for they may be the reason behind the sufferings of another. It approached massive focus regarding one of the most fundamental topics in this series, aside from suicide, in a way which, was appealing, and it was rape. People may or may not look at the message being sent across similarly, and I too was not a big fan of the initial raw moral that this story had portrayed, which thoughts you may find when reading ahead in the con section down below.

It is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. I love the idea that this was a very interesting concept to begin with. Having 13 reasons why Hannah Baker killed herself being recorded on tape, and with each containing a story inside of it had really killed the job. It was intense, outstanding, and very intricate in a way that it really deserved all the positive hype its been getting from the media lately. It promotes an ideal format that involved a jungle of series of topics that may have consciously raised awareness and representation towards the people who might suffer from it. Very well intended, indeed.

Nominated as the one of the best book-to-TV-show-adaptation so far. I have seen other reviews online saying that this was a one of a million book inspired TV show that stood out better than the book itself. I may not have a say to this, for I haven’t exactly read the book, but I can might as well say that I have heard the actual brief outline of it, and that it ended up sounding a bit dull for me to the point where I lost interest towards reading it after. So yeah. I’m sorry.

There was so much diversity being brought to the table. The high level of diversity being put to play in this story was surely unimaginable. Its fine elements are what makes the show whole. I’m not going to say too much at this point, for I personally think that it’s fairer for me to not do so, but to those of you who managed to have seen  this series yourselves, I hope you get my point. (:

Disclaimer: For those of you who merrily agreed along to all my positive thoughts on this show from above, please bear with the few more that will soon be written down below as of course, this is a very controversial series, and that hearing from different sides can never be wrong to avoid. Therefore to remind, I’d like it better if you guys respect the issues I have for this show as much as you did for the love I have for it. No hate, please. Thank you.

And with no further ado, here are the cons to bear with that comes after:

It supports a harmful message. Some people may view it this way because of the mere raw plot of this story is how Hannah reacted to the people that hurt and ruined her as a person by cutting her own wrists that enabled her to bleed to death. This was not a healthy message to promote through a television series that is to be seen by millions of people worldwide, especially teenagers. As great as it sounds, that the producers created this plotline in means of spreading suicide awareness, the bare truth still lies on Hannah choosing the only worst possible decision to “solve” all her problems in which was cruel, as well as ironic as it is: committing suicide. 

There was an episode in which they did not provide a trigger warning. Trigger warnings are a crucial element to consider beginnings with, there was an episode where Clay hallucinates Hannah Baker’s wrists bleeding unexpectedly which ended up her lying on the ground with her blood spreading all over the floor. This was indeed, very disturbing to view for a number of certain people, and that they should have put a warning on this in advance to prevent triggering, unwanted actions to likely happen.

No mental health related matter was mentioned in this story. There should have been an explanation through all the stakes Hannah and her friends were battling at the moment being related to mentally unstable issues at the very least, to properly educate the viewers instead of only plucking upon the generally assumed suicidal aspects of it.

The characters of this story often refused to talk to their parents and/or authority about their problems and chose to deal with it on their own. I apologize, but this was another harmful thing that might have been the core issue for me that I have for this series, as it is very important to be open to those around you who can actually distribute help. Teenagers should acknowledge the adults who obviously knew better to assist them getting through horrible things in the most well-mannered way possible.

Dangerously triggering to suicidal people. As a result of the release itself, we still can’t neglect the fact that its intense content is triggering many teenagers out there to commit suicides after watching this show every now and then. Some even got downright inspired by the show that they copied the awful turn Hannah made by recording reasons of their own as to why they ended up committing on tape. Let’s hope the good will outweigh the bad on this one.

Aaaand yep, that finishes off all my thoughts, feelings, and opinions being successfully planted on this post. I’ve actually finished this series quite a long while ago, so this was actually a long overdue post. I’m super glad that I’ve finally come around to writing it, feels good to let my inner thoughts yet flow like river once again. Thank you so much for your time reading this!

What are your thoughts after watching 13 Reasons Why? Did you like/dislike it? Or both? Drop your comments down below, as it would be nice to hear from you.

brb as I go along writing more articles to post on my blog,

13 Reasons Why | Pros & Cons Trigger warning - This review may contain spoilers that might make those of you who haven't seen the show…