Advertisement
Internet Culture

The new She-Ra cartoon isn’t sexy enough for some men

Male complaints spark online counter-protest.

Photo of Joseph Knoop

Joseph Knoop

she-ra controversy 2

Leave it to a small group of angry men to try and ruin a good thing.

Featured Video

She-Ra, the ’80s cartoon heroine and offshoot of He-Man, is getting a Netflix reboot helmed by the cartoonist behind the popular and feminist Lumberjanes and Nimona. The character of She-Ra has also gotten a huge redesign, something a bit younger, less sexualized, and more akin to Steven Universe’s large, exaggerated shapes or Voltron’s clean, anime-like angular shapes. This has upset some dudes concerned about cartoons not meant for them, saying the new designs look too “boyish” and have lost the sexuality of She-Ra’s original incarnation.

Backlash against women-led pop culture reboots has been common in the age of Twitter. But this time, She-Ra fans have had plenty of fun ragging on these guys for their sexist tweets and weird YouTube lectures.

Advertisement

Some YouTube creators have also taken to posting videos comparing the modern She-Ra to a man, swapping out the character’s hair to supposedly make a point that without curly blonde locks, she could look like a generic male warrior. She-Ra fans of all backgrounds were quick to push back.

“We promise the Care Bear reboot will have tons of boobs,” storyboard artist Kristen Gish wrote on Twitter.

Advertisement

Advertisement

https://twitter.com/jamesmarsh83/status/1019484635733118976

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Besides the backlash against the backlash, some of the She-Ra fan art has just been downright astounding.

Advertisement

https://twitter.com/SheRaUpdates/status/1019335805490352129

Showrunner Noelle Stevenson has been well aware of the love being shown to She-Ra, and she’s thankful for the counter-protest.

“So overwhelmed by the outpouring of love today for She-Ra! Thank you so much for the fanart and kind words. I hope you love the show when it comes out!” she wrote on Twitter this week.

The She-Ra reboot returns to Netflix on Nov. 16.

Advertisement

READ MORE:

 
The Daily Dot