She-Ra and The Lesbians of Power
By DANIELA MEJIA & AARIN ARORA
“We’re on the edge of greatness,” sings Aaliyah Rose, “turning darkness to light.” A killer soundtrack paired with amazing animation compliment Noelle Stevenson’s epic story about the importance of friendship and fighting for what is right, bringing the diverse and LGBTQ-positive Netflix original She-Ra and the Princesses of Power to life.
Stranded in the dimension of Despondos, the planet Etheria is ravaged by an ongoing conflict between two central powers, the Horde and the Rebellion, who are neck and neck for full control over the territory.
Adora, who on occasion is an eight-foot-tall warrior princess nicknamed She-Ra, grows up in a tense atmosphere, being from the Horde. She has been taught from birth that the Rebellion is evil and therefore is set on destroying it. However, she comes into contact with the other side and, in a subtle message about ignorance and acceptance, realizes they’re not as bad as the Horde make them out to be.
Those belonging to the Rebellion are your classic good guys, trying to save the world from the invasion of those trying to destroy their planet’s magic. Those belonging to the Horde are your classic bad guys, run by the all-powerful Hordak.
Although everyone loves a classic hero-villain story, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power brings so much more to the table. Over the course of five seasons, Stevenson writes a beautiful tale highlighting the importance of character development and growth. This theme is introduced early on and can be seen in the first few episodes, in which Adora refuses to return to the Horde army and instead sides with, and begins fighting for the Rebellion.
In large contrast to the original 1980’s version of She-Ra, the modern-day version features more people of color, LGBTQ representation, and neurodiversity, with characters who come in all shapes and sizes.
In the original She-Ra, nearly all the characters were voiced by white actors and portrayed as white. However, in the remake, not only are the characters diverse, many of the actual voice actors themselves are people of color. This is a huge step in the right direction for proper POC representation in the media.
Stevenson also created a character on the autism spectrum. Entrapta, the tech-obsessed princess, tends to be the brains of the bunch. In response to a fan wondering whether or not Entrapta is autistic, Stevenson replied, “Yes, we wrote her that way. One of our crew members was on the spectrum and related to her specifically, and had a huge part in shaping her story and character!”
On Etheria, it isn’t uncommon to see queer people existing in peace. After all, what’s really wrong with loving who you love and being who you are? Gay couple Netossa and Spinerella are happily wed throughout the show.
The show is trans-inclusive as well. As Tracy Brown, a digital editor and writer for The Los Angeles Times said, “Not even the most ruthless villain around has trouble remembering anybody’s pronouns.”
Although it might not seem like a big deal to some, this cartoon inclusivity can mean the world to queer children growing up in non-accepting households. Representation in the media is something that the LGBTQ community has been starved of for the longest time. Not only is this a form of positive queer representation in the media, but it’s also in a children’s show!
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power has paved the way for other studios to soften up to the idea of including characters that reflect the true diversity of humanity in their own shows. And it has also paved its way into our hearts.