I see queer media as an adult and it constantly reaffirms my queerness to a degree that I wonder if I’d just had examples like that in front of me growing up maybe I would’ve figured it out sooner. Maybe, maybe not. But then I watch She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and there is just no way I could’ve gotten through this series without having an epiphany (there’s no other reasonable explanation for how into it I am when Catra says “Hey, Adora”). I have ephipanys now and I’ve been out for years.
This post is a brief interruption in the middle of a marathon of the final season that dropped on Netflix today, in which I have big emotions. This show is fire. And same as I felt when I saw Wonder Woman for the first time (saw a female superhero truly for the first time), She-Ra feels like it’s filling a part of me I didn’t know was empty. But seeing a basically all-women cast, open queer relationships, and princesses portrayed as the powerful fighters and protectors all in a masterful story . . . I need it. And probably needed it, but it gives me hope for young people watching this kind of content today. She-Ra will be some people’s Avatar: The Last Airbender (and bless, Avatar, it aged perfectly because no mistakes were made with that show except one glaringly obvious exception that we have fanfiction for . . . but that’s for another day).
This is clearly a plug to go watch She-Ra (again) (on Netflix, all seasons now available), but it is also a plug for how good shows and good stories (there is nothing guilty about this pleasure) light me up. No mindless watching over here. Pure engagement and empathy and wow am I going to have an emotional night finishing this (four episodes to go) but I am here for it.
See you on the other side.
With Love,
Natalie