Why We Can't Fix the Makeover Movie

[@verilybitchie]

This video is part of a much longer video available now over on Patreon! "How to Build a Feminist" www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-build-113138906

[@RockismyAir]

Please put it on here too. I just got into it and cannot afford Patreon. I am not a feminist, but interested anyway.

[@jarrellfamily1422]

I'm a feminist but I don't think child abuse is ok

[@jarrellfamily1422]

This was about Ms trunchbull by the way

[@cooltunacan]

will you publish for free on KZbin another part of the full video? I don't think I'll be able to afford the Patreon subscription any time soon but this piece was amazing! thank you for making it and showing us

[@LeviAuren]

It's unhinged cause the door's right open to it

[@Rathdrgnknight]

Mia's glasses being snapped was literally my worst nightmare. That's a goddamned expensive disability aid, and I can't wear contacts, they hurt my eyes.

[@klg9549]

I winced seeing that clip. Eurgh! (Also, Ahiru/Duck!!)

[@kaitlyn__L]

I winced as well. Especially as I had bullies at school do that. Being presented as an action by a character “helping” the protagonist is always… yuchk. Thankfully the glasses shop (Specsavers) grabbed a new frame off the shelf and transferred my lenses into them for free when I brought the two halves into the shop. Dunno what I would’ve done if the bullies (abusers) had kept them. Waited weeks with no vision I suppose. All that said, glasses are much cheaper than my wheelchair 😅 the ways airlines have destroyed some friends’ chairs has me pretty feart of flying for the sake of my own.

[@IdrilSilmarien]

Yeah, I always hated that with a fiery vengeance.

[@Frogface91]

I'm so glad Specsavers did that for you for free, what a nightmare situation ​@@kaitlyn__L

[@meyervisser3027]

Those glasses honestly complemented her appearance like she looked memorable

[@angelthedemon666]

As a butch, whenever I try to talk to people about how bad mainstream representation of butches is, I'll use Ms trenchbol as an example and people will be like "no she's not a butch! She's just an evil strict woman who dresses and acts masculine to seem scarier!" And I'm like yeah,,, that's exactly my point

[@cuttlefishonfire7502]

The play version of Matilda I saw had her played by a man in drag like 😬 the actor was amazing, but the implications made me so uncomfortable. Like okay yeah the villain is this evil, mean, and manly woman who's played by literally a man in a dress, and we're just supposed to act like this is normal and not sexist or transphobic at all.

[@user-yd4tm3gl8s]

As a lesbian Ms trenchbol is an icon 😅 I love her and think she is amazing and totally based

[@cesarionoexisto2848]

this is similar to how i mentioned that 'man in a dress' is transmisogynistic cause its very much making fun of trans women and the idea that any 'man' would want to be feminine is made out to be a joke, and the person i mentioned it to just said 'noooo its not making fun of trans women its making fun of men in dresses!!' people do nottt wanna listen to women lmao

[@kylegonewild]

@@user-yd4tm3gl8s She's literally a child abuser. I would try to find another butch icon that doesn't play into homophobic stereotypes about less-femme lesbians.

[@minngael]

And a very feminine woman can be scary too- think Miss Umbridge in Harry Potter.

[@FurTheWorkers]

"They're rarely women of color but they do often have racially-coded features like curly hair." As someone with curly hair (and subsequent self-esteem issues around it), I never really thought about how much my negative feelings about my hair were caused by media.

[@tortoiseoflegends4466]

I'm trying to think of female protagonists with naturally curly hair (who keep it that way by the end,) and I really can't think of many. Merida from Brave, Ms Frizzle from Magic School bus, Nadia in russian Doll, Mirabel in Encanto, Ripley in Alien.... And of those, the only ones who have the characters self expression as part of the story are Russian Doll and Brave. Sucks since full curly hair looks awesome. Mine just half asses it and goes curly near the ends, like I gave up halfway through curling it.

[@FurTheWorkers]

@@tortoiseoflegends4466 The only I can think of was Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, but as is stated in the video, she was going the other direction towards the "plainer" end of the spectrum, and started out with the straight, blonde wig

[@dickottel]

curly hair is so pretty 😭 I want it

[@MrsRimavelle]

I'm so tired of curly hair always being portrayed as "racial coded" when it's shown on white women. It's our feature, literally?? People like "orderly" things so they often gravitate more towards straight hair, but we gonna pretend there wasn't entire generation of women curling and perming their hair like crazy? They like curly hair, just that natural curly hair has more tendency to look like it's messy if you're not taking care of it.

[@idab9958]

@@tortoiseoflegends4466 the main character in Dirty Dancing too. I found that really validating, to see someone with my hair type who didn't have to straighten her hair to be beautiful.

[@Oryx7000]

If someone broke my glasses during a “makeover” I’d lose my sht.

[@mememefinally]

Literally misdemeanor criminal mischief. I would love to see a movie when someone did that to girls glasses and the girl would call the police and they were arrested and had to pay for new glasses. THAT'S a makeover movie I would like to see.

[@windws7137]

Makeover: know the civilian code

[@smrndalodz7182]

I hate how makeover stuff treats glasses like they're just some 'bad fashion choice' and not like, a necessary thing that people need to function. Like let's not trivialize the fact that without glasses the world is just a blur to a bunch of people. It's a very ableist view of 'attractive'.

[@Drowned-Hubris]

Real, those things cost like 200 bucks

[@Drowned-Hubris]

@@smrndalodz7182yeah, it’s like taking someone cane away because it’s “not attractive/aesthetic”

[@ragcat3732]

If only makeovers were just about dressing in your favorite clothes and going all out in a style you like

[@alyssapinon9670]

I'm trying to write a story with a subversion of the makeover trope. Where the "fashionable" friend helps her "unfashionable" friend find her personal style rather than make her dress like a mini version of her. And the significance of this being that the “unfashionable” friend previously wasn’t able to figure out her style due to financial and social reasons. So naturally her view towards fashion is pretty tainted at first. I also want to do a Miss Honey spectrum subversion by having the two extremes being 1) her wearing “safe” clothes that she doesn’t love but she feels are her only options (body image issues also come into play) 2) when she was in a toxic relationship with someone who treated her as a dress up doll And the middle ground being 3) having guidance and support in experimenting with clothes that make her happy without having someone else’s taste imposed on her

[@NJGuy1973]

If only it was just 1) take off glasses 2) let down ponytail

[@ann-gt4hh]

@@alyssapinon9670that sounds so cool! I feel like I lived this progression just without a fashionable friend to help me figure out what I like. Instead it was lots of money wasted on clothes that ended up being itchy or cute in my mind but not what I would enjoy wearing. Eventually I figured out what things feel bad & good, what I like to look like, and how much energy I need to wear things. (certain clothes are easier than others) And as a funny twist, I recently got glasses and feel like they make me so pretty! I love how I look in them.

[@LunaStardust666]

as a trans women, THIS. need me a movie where someone like me finds beauty and comfort in hooded cowls, striped shirts, deck shoes, dumb t shirts with loud designs, and any other thing my autisticy brain craves wearing. >:( my gender envy is Dark Link, and my version of a makeover wouldnt be anything like these movies

[@AngryTheatreMaker]

@@alyssapinon9670 Write it! We'll read it.

[@shimmerence]

it is SO strange when movies tell girls to embrace your “true self” but it’s like Dove Cameron with purple hair 😭

[@emiliapawny4746]

Embrace your true self, as long as your true self is what appeals to men

[@Eosinophyllis]

Embrace your true self, unless you’re masculine or feminine or not a WASP or not straight or don’t want kids or aren’t blonde with blue eyes or too tall or too short or dress too funny or

[@dayadyday]

and lip filler

[@caoisekamay1175]

The Descendants movies were a mess. 'Accept yourself and your marginalized background then integrate into the privileged society' is way too ambitious a concept for a disney trilogy that still wants to hold up conventional beauty/behavioral standards (and maintain that most villains are still pure evil and deserve being imprisoned on an island). The High school musical movies weren't perfect but they settled for a more feasible theme of pursuing what you love regardless of expectations.

[@deliri0um]

Egen she still changed her outfit and looks shes not wearing her leather

[@trinaq]

As a child, I hated that they straightened Mia's hair during her makeover, as if they were saying that you can't be pretty AND have curly hair. She looked pretty either way, in my opinion.

[@jospinner1183]

As a woman with straight hair who always wanted curly hair: Yep, it was a crime to straighten Mia's hair.

[@kateb2643]

My best friend growing up had hair just like Mia and glasses and I felt so so bad for her about that portrayal. Curly hair in general was considered abhorrent back then as well. I'm so glad we've evolved on that point at least

[@LLivLLaffLLuv]

This always got me too. My hair was just as frizzy and difficult to deal with, and my mom would constantly tell me the only way to make it nice was to straighten it. So glad there’s more curly hair information out there these days!

[@kathylennerds750]

Hey I just felt the need to say that I see you in basically every comment section ever whenever I watch a video and there is a strange comfort to that agshfi

[@zanettilla]

anne hathaway can't phisically look bad you're right tho

[@AnnInWonderland.]

I once curled up my hair just to try how it would feel. A flatmate told me I looked like "the girl in the The Princess Diaries before they made her pretty". I enthusiastically thanked him for the compliment because I loved her hair before the makeover and it took me a couple minutes to realise that he didn't mean it as a compliment, lol

[@deathby1kslimes945]

honestly that's the best way to respond, total power move even if it wasn't intentional 😭😭😭

[@raapyna8544]

To be fair that could have been said sarcastically, because "they made her pretty" was the point of the movie, even though she was already pretty before

[@floralfox]

LMAO when i worked at a summer camp last year one of the kids said that exact thing to me😭😭i took it as a compliment tho because she absolutely looked better before the makeover lmao

[@aj7952]

The things men have told me to make me feel bad have often FUELED me more than compliment. The one I live by was a former friend comparing me to a younger, less jaded girl by saying “she goes for the soul, you go for the throat”. I tell myself that when I feel weak or worthless, I make men think “she goes for the throat”.

[@Ricky.Z]

OH MY GOSH 😂 I was working in retail and a middle age guy told me I look like Mia Thermopolis at the *Beginning* of the movie and that "one day a guy'll sweep me off my feet" but he had NO IDEA that he was basically insulting me... It was so wild I actually found it hilarious but geeeeez 😂 (and I love my dark hair and big statement glasses so I'm not really bothered) People don't think through the implications sometimes... 😅

[@fluorescentgreys]

I always hate it when goth characters are portrayed as miserable and if they achieved happiness, they’d be nice and normal and tastefully feminine. Whereas irl it was the opposite for myself. The more I’m comfortable with myself, the more expressive and eccentric I dress lol

[@kwowka]

Literally like you have to be confident in your own identity to dress alternatively. In all my worst stages of life, I have dressed in the least noticeable ways- jeans, straight blond hair, a blue or black sweater. Happiness was being able to dye hair and mess with gender and get stares and still go outside because stares don’t matter when your skin has finally stopped itching

[@Rutanachan]

I always, ALWAYS, hated the Makeover trope, but especially the "omg she's beautiful WITHOUT THE GLASSES!" trope. I love my glasses. I love glasses in general. Glasses are pretty.

[@alyssapinon9670]

@@Rutanachan I only have reading glasses but I feel hot with and without them.

[@NJGuy1973]

That's why it's funny on Arrested Development, Judy Greer plays someone who looks worse without her glasses.

[@saafiiiraa]

Nah, there's a difference. People wearing glasses in movies are wearing non prescription glasses, which always looks cute. There's nothing cute about my glasses that make my eyes look tiny - or those that transform eyes to teacups. 🤣😂😂

[@novelle.27]

I love glasses and think people generally look more attractive with them - I think I look *worse* without my glasses. Was always confused by that trope, though I will say some kinds of glasses are more flattering on people’s faces than others.

[@deusex9731]

and they can be styled like anything else too. Obviously if you have glasses that just dont fit your faceshape you look worse, like i look really bad with bold frames because my features are already really strong and dark

[@mikaylaholland5536]

I hate that you brought Matilda and Barbie into this because you are right

[@jdk2535]

puts a whole new spin on Trunchbull finding out it was Matilda who snuck around her house by finding her hair ribbon

[@ealusaid]

Right? SUCH good points but also. NOT MISS HONEY.

[@idab9958]

To quote the most infamous art critic of the 21st century, "It's both possible and even necessary to simultaneously enjoy media while also being critical of its more problematic or pernicious aspects."

[@bonnieparker1725]

@@jdk2535Wait, how so?

[@spruce73]

@@bonnieparker1725 I think the "new spin" is about how a hair ribbon - a very feminine object in its origin (or at least its most common usage) - "betrays" Matilda and turns her into Trunchbull's target (not sure if I've worded this correctly, I haven't seen Matilda in years)

[@elina3016]

I think Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997 anime) had one of the best takes on the "makeover" that I've seen so far. Utena is tomboyish from the start, and the men/boys in the series hate that. One of the earliest episodes has them put her in a dress, which she hates, but everyone else compliments her on it. When she loses her sense of identity, she starts wearing the girly school uniform, when she regains it, she goes back to the boyish one. Later on (and spoiler warning from now on) as she's groomed by Akio, he also gifts her jewelry, and encourages her to wear more feminine outfits, which STILL makes her miserable but she does it, begrudgingly, because he likes it! This is all to show how he is forcing Utena into the ideal princess he wants her to be, showcased in the end by literally dressing her up as the Rose Bride. She breaks free of it in the end, back to her tomboyish outfit, back to her actual genuine self. This is an oversimplification of a 39 episode long narrative, but I think it gets the point across. Even though she initially chose to be tomboyish due to misguided reasons, that's still the authentic her, and the attempts to feminize her go hand in hand with manipulation and abuse.

[@A7160A]

Utena mention!

[@terezavajs4486]

Utena is such a good tomboy example to me as well because she is pretty, has her long pink hair but she just likes to dress up like a guy and sees herself as a prince. Tomboys usually get that has to look certain way to classify but Utena tomboys harder than most with her long hair and a sword. Like I like me a androgynous looking girl but it really feels like media has literally one mold for the tomboy trope.

[@cinny1313]

Utena is one of my favorite animes

[@EliseGray-rx5dl]

I have vague memories of Utena... What was that show's *deal*? Like, it was romance, and also action, and also drama, and it took place in a school but also like a fantasy world or something? I never understood what the setting or premise of the show was supposed to be, beyond things happening and girls wanting to smooch each other.

[@cinny1313]

@@EliseGray-rx5dl the entire plot was buried in several layers of metaphor. If you wanna understand it, you gotta bring all your brainpower while watching. Or just do what i did and read an analysis after each episode. The show's whole point is that it's not supposed to be normal

[@grahamblue61]

So glad you actually brought up Sasha in Barbie because (particularly as a teenager) I absolutely loathed her character, they did her so extremely dirty. They could've actually done something and made her genuinely interesting and entertaining but no, just get her to call Barbie a fascist and then get pink-ified, as you say, becoming a background character with little more development than that. I recognise that it's a bit strange I'm so passionate about such a minor thing but it was a huge pet peeve of mine coming out of the film. Anyway, great video, thanks for the watch!

[@kelpo6304]

kinda hurt for me personally due to projection lol. I was a lot like Sasha when I was her age, kinda sucks to see her androgyny and lack of interest in stereotypical femininity dismissed as immaturity. gender-nonconforming girls constantly deal with that prejudice, the assumption that we'll "grow up" and start acting like Real Girls (Real Girls are feminine). but for a lot of us, that never happens, because not all women are feminine or like performing femininity!

[@zenpie5093]

@@kelpo6304I remember my sister saying „oh, look who’s finally growing up to be a pretty woman?“ when I was 15 and had girly shoes. I felt so bad and uncomfortable and told her I never will. I am nonbinary, 31 years old and still feel the same way. I love seing other people embrace femininity and sometimes can too but overall it’s just not for me.

[@finland4ever55]

also why the hell is she comparing Barbie to a Nazi? Because she's blonde? Based on a German doll? It's out of place, just rude, and has some weird bigotry implications

[@omorinintendoswitchedition]

honestly her calling barbie a fascist felt incredibly forced as well

[@kalisworl]

i cringe at that scene she’s incredibly one dimensional and just a “distant edgy teen” the whole speech felt incredibly unrealistic.

[@happybat1977]

I've always quite enjoyed the Hunger Games makeovers - the grotesque spectacle of doomed children trying desperately to trade their 'look' into survival.

[@iantaakalla8180]

That is fair, but that is not these sorts of makeovers. Or rather, it is, but the need to be appealing to a discriminatory audience who may wish to canoodle with some of the more attractive people is the point since the Hunger Games is inherently unfair and is half pageantry.

[@happybat1977]

@@iantaakalla8180 Yes! Exactly! The makeover as a tactic for the almost powerless to scrape for the chance to be ruthlessly exploited by the powerful for their pleasure. Which... I mean... not a million miles away from its normal purposes.

[@jeffreystewart9809]

Hmm, sounds like todays tik tok culture. 🤔

[@hvnterly8388]

Hunger Games is a criticism of how portraying things in media can manipulate people. How did a society come together to watch children kill each other? Media spectacle. The makeovers, the night time talk show interviews, generating audience participation (capital gifts and gambling). After that it also criticizes the two party system~

[@joeywisedrums]

@@jeffreystewart9809what about todays TikTok culture is doomed? 🤣

[@stellasdoesstuff]

I'd like to present a deviation from the trope presented: Legally Blonde. Elle Woods starts on the Barbie side of the spectrum -- very feminized and pink -- and while at Harvard she learns to dress more subdued. She even considers going brunette, but that would be too far the other direction. She ends up being in the middle, perfectly following what you have presented. However, just before the climax of the movie, she realizes that she does not have to sacrifice her style and her femininity to be a good lawyer, and she shows up to defend Brooke in an all-pink suit. In fact, she is able to use some of her hyper-feminine expertise to win the case!

[@EmonEconomist]

That's one of my all-time favourite movies. I love that Elle doesn't really change throughout the movie (she has a bit of an arc but ultimately ends up still as herself at the end) but in the process she lifts up everyone around her, and they help lift her up in turn.

[@3kxi761]

Yes!! Fundamentally she was perfectly fine but she did learn how to apply her already existing smarts and skills to other scenarios and learned how to work hard among other things.

[@morrisginzburg1978]

I was exactly thinking of that. Even in the musical, Emmet's "transformation" is not about sexyness or appeal, but about looking professional to be taken seriously (another whole bag of worms). "That's the best part, the outside is new, but now it reflects what's already in you" it's more about bringing outside what's inside than changing the outside for the rest to see

[@moimoimoi9659]

@@morrisginzburg1978 honestly i didnt like emmets transformation bc they just made him look like a boring suit guy

[@HeiressofWater]

Yes!! And her allies include a dumb bimbo and a gender studies lesbian! Definitely a subversion of what this video talks aboutr

[@Allison_Hart]

i never noticed that about Miss Congeniality. in the end speech she's like "i used to think pageants were misogynistic, but then when i participated i realized all the contestants were really smart and nice." um, yes, great. but that wasn't what was on trial to begin with. tbh it's how systemic issues are often handwaved in general, and you can be like "see, problem fixed, because here are some individuals that are thriving"

[@a-s-greig]

Ohhh, good notes. That's devious. They switched topics to address the _participants_ rather than the systemic problem. Have we learned _nothing_ from Vietnam?

[@baintreachas]

Yeah it kinda sucks bc yea it is misogynistic when ppl assume traditional beauty pageant contestants are bimbos bc of the way a beauty pageant necessitates they look and present themselves… what isn’t misogynistic is criticising the way a traditional beauty pageant necessitates they look and present themselves. It’s a trap that a lot of feminists fall into, sure, but it’s also a trap that plenty of them crawl out of… would be pretty cool if that sort of change were represented as, idk, a character arc?…

[@BinahWolf]

I'm having weird Harry Potter flashbacks...

[@v0id_d3m0n]

If she said " _I_ was misogynistic", it would make sense

[@v0id_d3m0n]

People in power (people in general tbh) are either incapable or unwilling to understand systemic critiques...

[@Jellyfish146]

I've always been a tomboy and although I tried to be feminine when I was little it never really stuck, which is what irks me about the makeover scenes. There's never any resistance to the change others are imposing on the women. It's this feeling of "oh I'm being perceived this is good time to do a little feminine hair tuck" where some of us grow up and start growing beards at 30

[@agilemind6241]

100%, Miss Congeniality is the closest to rejecting the makeover at the end, but it's almost an after thought.

[@manuproulx2764]

@Jellyfish146 That's exactly why I hate movies like Mean Girls.

[@featherflight3493]

That's a really good point! As someone who lies on the weird geek side of the spectrum, attempts at makeovers and wardrobe changes always come with a sense of betrayal. Like, not only are you telling me my worth is linked to my attempts to enhance my appearance, but you're also making me jumpscared every time I see the nail polish on my hands. The bad feeling of not being myself is only amplified by the insistence that it is the best option. We'll see the makeoverees tug at their collars or fiddle with hair, but never cry in the bathroom about how wrong the aesthetic makes them feel, or run their hand compulsively over a part of themself that was painted, shaved or straightened.

[@grandkhan9261]

@@featherflight3493 thisss omg I remember when some girls a sumer camp when I was a teen tried to do a makover on me one time and put me in makeup, I hated it so much it felt like I was in costume. And after every time someone complimented me like "oh you put on makeup, it looks nice on you" it made me feel worse lmao

[@Hi_Im_Akward]

Yeah, the hate on tomboys makes me cringe when I'm not in my 30s and realizing I'm trans. Makeover movies in general never did anything for me and honestly made me outraged. The video puts it in a light I couldn't fully express.

[@amethyst034]

The irony of Gloria’s speech (in the Barbie movie) explaining the patriarchal standard of women having to exist as ‘imperfectly perfect’ Whilst having the two other central female characters (who don’t fit in the ideal) end up in that very ideal.

[@katerynasirko1832]

Not to mention the speech itself is very reminiscent of a speech in the short film "Leading Lady Part" from a few years before. It's kinda weird to me that no one is talking about it. And the speech has, to me, zero context in the Barbie movie and comes out of nowhere, there was no build up to this particular speech with this particular wording.

[@gemstone108]

I always kind of got the impression from Sasha that the dress was just a one day thing and that she’d go back to being herself at the end of the movie (which it seemed like she did in the ending scene!) and it was more of a symbolic “let me show you my world for a bit” thing re: Barbie. Like finally playing “dolls” and dress up with her mom again. That’s just me though 🤷‍♀️

[@RaspBerryPies]

@@gemstone108At the end of the movie though she is wearing pink. Like after Barbie land. Sure it’s not a dress but it’s still more bright and feminine to show she has changed

[@pinokosthewife]

​​@@katerynasirko1832But it has build-up, all of Barbie's problems came from Gloria keeping all of this stuff inside or only projecting them on Barbie in her art, affecting Barbie until she becomes "real." EDIT: sorry about confusing Sasha and Gloria.

[@gemstone108]

@@RaspBerryPies I think it’s still pretty up for interpretation. Like, maybe she’s still a tomboy but doesn’t consider pink a truly “girly” color anymore? There was this other commenter who brought up a good point about how she can be seen as a teen breaking away from hating everything she used to love the way a lot of kids do at that age. Not saying the makeover interpretation isn’t valid but it seems like different viewers caught different things!

[@hongkongatonn]

Also hate the connotation that unfeminine and butch characters hate femininity? I love it just not on myself! Edit: Holy cow ma I'm famous! Just to clarify, it is alright to also just dislike feminine things in general, just as long as you're not being callous about it👍

[@jaredmcdaris7370]

“You look like that cause you hate other women!” “Ohhh… sweetie…”

[@alyssapinon9670]

exactly, I'm feminine presenting and my masc friends and I hype each other's aesthetics up all the time.

[@caitlyn1983]

i used to dress super duper femme when i was closeted and now that im butch I realize i was dressing as my type!!!

[@CamelDance]

It's like assuming a trans guy who gets top surgery hates tits- no, I love them! Just not on *my* body!

[@alinachrist8416]

True! Im not super masc in my dressing style but I def do not dress as feminine as most of my mates. And I love that on them!

[@mdstevens0612]

Snapping the frame of someone's glasses ought to be considered a crime. Finding a frame you like in a shop takes time and is a personal decision because it usually defines how you'll look for the next two years. It's personal and a part of your style. Glasses are disability aids, sure, but they also say something about their wearer. Thin gold frames? Chunky plastic? Sleek thin rectangles? Big coke bottle bottoms? Sharp cat eye? You wouldn't just breaking my disability aid, I picked these, I like them, you're breaking my favourite accessory.

[@jasperpretzle]

finally someone who gets it

[@vixxcelacea2778]

Also, from a functionality standpoint, unless they're totally out of prescription, breaking a back up seeing aid is just stupid. Even if you get contacts, glasses are a great back up if they get scratched, lost or are dirty. And if it is purely for fashion later, you can just pop the lenses out and wear the frames. Glasses also have a literal monopoly as to why the frames in particular are so freaking expensive. One company makes something like 80% of all of them. Specsavers and a few others don't work with this company and it's why they are "affordable" at all. But everyone else? Bow down to Luxottica.

[@estarinezephaloid1680]

Pretty sure it is, indeed, a crime

[@cepheid-variable]

"As much as people like to say that this film celebrates girls, the truth is it only celebrates a femininity which complements the Barbie brand." Thank you!! As a butch lesbian the Barbie movie and the entire cultural conversation around it when it first came out were SO deeply alienating to me, and I hated being treated like my dislike for it must stem from "internalized misogyny." I think often, women who do womanhood "wrong" are the ones who get unfairly scapegoated for internalized misogyny, and we almost never acknowledge how enforced femininity can be its own form of insidious internalized misogyny.

[@kwowka]

If it really celebrated girls, then everyone who doesn’t fit the acceptable woman mould wouldn’t end up identifying more with Allen than anything else

[@DeathnoteBB]

It kind of reminds me of how people started fighting against the merch of Weird Barbie and were starting to say bad things about people just buying a Weird Barbie instead of making one. Which like… isn’t the whole point of Weird Barbie to do what you want? If you want to pay for one that’s part of it. Not everyone feels comfortable destroying their things (like me). Shaming people for “just buying one” is wildly out of touch with the entire point!

[@RenaissanceFairy]

Ugh yes thank you for saying this! women who criticize the norms of femininity, and the fact that it's forced on them, often get mocked as NLOGs when you can certainly criticize the cultural hallmarks of feminity without disparaging the women who like these things? Like yeah I think leg shaving is a toxic standard made by men who prefer us to look prepubescent, but if a girl wants to shave her legs I won't judge her. We can judge culture/society without necessarily judging thr ppl that participate in it. :(

[@AmandaDavis6130]

Somehow I had never clocked that the un-bimbofication end of the spectrum existed, despite seeing it in multiple movies. Maybe because it feels like the personality shift is centered more? But it totally makes sense. Side note, I always hated the “take away glasses” part of the makeover in particular because I like how my face looks with my glasses.

[@gemstone108]

Shoutout to Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs for fully reversing the glasses trope. It’s probably a cliche joke now but in 2009 it fucking HIT

[@Erminence]

But in Barbie the entire reason for it was to show how she was transitioning from literal doll to human. I understand how it could thematically look like it means you have to "dress down" to be acceptable but if feels like a case of willful misinterpretation. There were still plenty of Barbie s and Ken's at the end of the movie that were "Bimbo" without it being a bad thing. The clothing was just yo show her change throughout the movie without saying it outright?

[@DeathnoteBB]

I hated it because I *need* glasses. Contacts are a pain and risk getting stuff in your eye when you put them on. Meanwhile shows (even Steven Universe!) keep taking characters with glasses away from me. Thank god for Encanto, they never have her eyesight healed, she continues to wear glasses the whole time

[@pppotatoes]

The way I’ve genuinely in my own life always imagined Ms. Honey as my “ideal” concept of femininity and never unpacked that… this video grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me LOL. Really enjoyed this and I’m always excited to see a new video from you!

[@starburrow]

You can still want to be like Miss Honey though, nothing wrong with that just do it in a way that feels nice to you

[@cosmodusty]

no literally same

[@CelesteLunaRael]

This video is really great in pointing out the subtle issues in 90s Matilda. That doesn't stop it from being still a good film and story. I also quite enjoyed that musical film Matilda adaptation, where the focus for familial love and children empowerment are honed in.

[@tumblingartist]

Well said!

[@DeathnoteBB]

@@starburrow that’s not what they said…

[@lisreads4872]

Oh do I despise the “normal beauty standards” I recently cut my hair short. I really like it, it suits my face and I feel a lot more comfortable now. I’ve always worn “boyish” clothes since I was a kid. However, I am very comfortable and happy in my own femininity. It’s something that frequently comes up when I get into arguments with my mom. She’ll ask: “Did anyone compliment you on your hair yet?” “No man is going to date you if you look like this?” My sister asked me the other day if I want to be a boy. And I become frustrated. Because no. I am a girl. I don’t want to date anyone. And I like how I look. I feel pretty. Edit: The little girl living next door came to hang out with me today because all her friends had playdates already. The first thing she said to me was “Wow, I love your new hair” I think I just ascended from happiness. 😭 Edit 2: My gay uncle and two best friends approve of it as well. That’s all the validation I need tbh. Now I feel like an absolute hottie. ✨

[@klg9549]

Your mother is emotionally abusive. I hope you manage to get away from her someday - you don't deserve that in your life, and you don't owe her anything.

[@rinishan]

Aww, you know it's honest too. The kid hadn't learned the messed up gender expectations yet and just liked your hair 😊❤️ glad to hear you're happy with being yourself, even when going against the grain. True confidence!

[@lisreads4872]

@@rinishanThank you 🥰 I hope you have a lovely day too!

[@nvexe8822]

Yeah, I love having short hair too but usually just cut it short every few years, letting it grow until it bothers me, and I have noticed that girls are WAY more friendly to me when my hair is cut short, as if I'm no longer a "rival". It's weird. Girl, even with long hair I was already a lesbian, I wasn't going to steal your man.

[@ittybittykraken1963]

Ooh I cut all my hair off for headache reasons then found I absolutely loved it and feel it really suits me. It's been three years and that hasn't changed just the range of my hair lengths that bounces between buzzcut and three inches long In clothes I dress super feminine all the time except for my sunhat I stole from my dad and the fact I desperately want a good ol' waistcoat like I had as a child but like that one I want it in bright colours and embroidery So absolutely glad you like your new hair and also that you're happy in your own choice of style and all of that!

[@Elias-zg7jv]

I've seen people defend Uglies and say that it doesn't matter the actors are super hot because the point of the film is that they're meant to be average (not ugly) and that beauty ideals make everyone feel ugly... But they're not average either! I'm tired of the sanitised instagram faces, I want to see some normal people! And I want Hollywood to start casting based on talent not looks

[@lkmcd98]

This was the point the author was trying to make in the books - there's literally one part where the main character is looking at magazines from The Before Times and marveling at how "ugly" she perceives the hottest celebrities of those days to be, and how there's only a few "natural pretties." Her internal monologue at this point is her wrestling with the preconceived notion she was raised with that there is one way to be pretty and that way is through the dystopian surgeries that make everyone look more or less the same. If those people were considered beautiful, then could she also be beautiful as she is? The issue with bringing this book series to the screen is that the visual medium doesn't really allow for this point to come across, for the same reason Verity brings up about the ending of My Fair Lady being changed - what audience wants to see a "won't-they" ending to a will-they-won't-they dynamic? What audience wants to see "average" people on the screen? Certainly not any audience that studio execs are interested in courting.

[@ememem2952]

i think with uglies the pretties are supposed to have a rlly extreme form of beauty and look sort of inhumanly ‘beautiful’ so that even if ur attractive by our standards it doesn’t matter bc no one looks insane as them

[@busy_raccooon]

@@ememem2952 it would be so much better animated. you just can't do enough with makeup. i laughed so hard when they showed the last shot of (lol already forgot her name) and it's the most assymetrical face i've ever seen. why did they do that?! they could've just show her from angle or something. (there is nothing wrong with assymetrical we all are you are beautifulllll) "it's the same person but with makeup, bleached hair and contacts" just doesn't do it

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@lkmcd98 I remember when I was still dealing with body dysmorphia, my prettiest friend was gushing about them being her favourite book series and how I should totally read them. Just the names were enough to tell me I wasn’t ready. Honestly I’m still not sure if I am, this video alone was kind of a lot. But if I ever am, it’d certainly be through the books and not some Netflix adaptation.

[@RAFMnBgaming]

​As someone not from the US I've always seen the "we only put pretty people on TV" problem as being a very US thing, wheras in the UK, y'know, the we really don't have an obsession with hiring someone stunningly beautiful to play a slob or a loser. Hell, a lot of our stars just look like "some bird/bloke from the pub". I find it varies by country though.

[@sapphic.flower]

I connected with androgynous or tomboy characters as a gender queer kid so seeing them feminized and it also being treated like an “improvement” always upset me. It’s just compulsory heterosexuality.

[@Its.Shining.Studios]

You can be straight and a tomboy tho, not being a stereotype doesn't make you gay

[@lizzie31]

@@Its.Shining.Studios i'd recommend looking into compulsory heterosexuality theory, it's all part of the wider 'grooming' of women into 'ideal wives' (even though, as you say, it shouldn't correlate)

[@Its.Shining.Studios]

@@lizzie31 for what? Not all tomboys are gay and I'm tired of the narrative that if you're not all pink and dresses you're either gay or trans

[@sapphic.flower]

@@Its.Shining.Studios I didn’t say you can’t be straight and a tomboy?? I’m talking as a gender queer person who connected with tomboy characters. And heteronormativity still applies because why force even straight girls to conform to femininity?

[@Its.Shining.Studios]

@@sapphic.flower that's why I'm asking you what your point is

[@lyrasfsfsfsfsfs]

oh my god finally someone else puts together exactly why i hated the barbie movie. i remember watching it and just going... huh? this is the movie people have been celebrating as peak queer feminism? that conservatives have been complaining about as too woke and feminist? i had expected that there would be a few places where it would fall short but i didn't expect the whole entire premise of the movie to be... like this!

[@lenan5913]

As someone that was obsessed with the Barbie movie when it first came out, but now don't really care for it. I was fully blinded by the nostalgia and the callbacks to my childhood. Watching it now, it's very VERY middle ground. It says more about existentialism than it does about feminism. I wonder how many people who either really hated or really liked it feel now that the Barbie craze is over.

[@lucyl697]

ikr, I went in knowing nothing about the plot and was pretty disappointed at how shallow its attempt at a message felt, I was super shocked to see what a positive reception it had especially online!

[@legendswarble2845]

As someone who still loves the Barbie Movie, I would never consider it peak queer feminism. It's fairly milquetoast in its politics, but I didn't go for politics. I went for a campy femme film about Barbie.

[@lilaniloxi]

As someone who did actually like the movie, i haven't seen anybody actually call it or consider it "peak queer feminism". Like i've only ever seen people call it "feminism 101" and saying it was at least good in that regard - it's a good movie, just not a good politics movie, u know? Frankly it says alot about (american) reactionnary conservatives that *this* was enough to incorporate it into their narratives; even the bare, most basic, most "middle ground" feminism pisses them off.

[@clownbaby89]

so true!! I had somewhat high expectations of this movie and it felt so empty and barely said anything of worth.... I was confused when so many people praised it. I liked the fits (except for the HM beige blazer) and the decorations and the Ken. what's more to it idk

[@nomisunrider6472]

"Makeover" where acceptably feminine woman ditches all the things she secretly hated in favor of her true aesthetic: pirate cottagecore.

[@bruna8778]

Idk why this makes me think of treat yourself in parks and recreation where they convince ben to buy something he has always wanted, and instead of it being expensive shades or jewelry or a 3 piece suit, he gets a batman costume

[@nomisunrider6472]

@@bruna8778 The world would be a far more colorful place if we all embraced the weird things in our secret hearts. As long as it's not hurting anyone, why not?

[@sambeawesome]

I echo the other comments, growing up with big poofy curly hair and glasses, it was heartbreaking to see Mia get all of that taken away and only THEN be seen as beautiful. I wish there wasn't so much focus on drastic makeovers and just love for who we are. We can dress up and wear make-up without fundamentally changing so much about ourselves to be accepted and beautiful.

[@agilemind6241]

As a fellow glasses wearer, I share your frustration that merely wearing glasses is sufficient for female characters to be deemed worthless. But beyond that, we shouldn't need to be "beautiful" to be accepted regardless of what that word means. I hate the "you're beautiful on the inside" of 2000s "feminism" - No I'm not "beautiful", I'm smart, talented, and hardworking, and should be respected because of that.

[@Charlotte_Sometimes836]

I could absolutely never understand why curly hair was ever supposed to be "ugly" in those movies. I have naturally super straight hair and growing up I always wished it was curly/wavy cause I thought it would be so much nicer then. The grass is always greener I suppose

[@gemstone108]

I want a redo of that scene where she’s instead taken to warby parker and gets some new conditioner

[@LogarAcc]

Then HOW would some misogynistic old wrinkly men keep being billionaires??😂 It's all a marketing ploy, and an attempt to keep women insecure and docile.

[@ProcrastinationQueen]

They should’ve just given her a good hair and skin care routine and a pair of new glasses that she picked out herself (I imagine that she’s wearing the ones she has, because they’re cheaper and it’s convenient) Maybe even take her shopping for clothes she herself would like to try and wear, and let her know that she looks beautiful no matter what. Giving someone more agency over their own makeover, would make it so much better. Then the makeover isn’t someone else’s little dress-up project, but the person themselves wanting to try something different that they might’ve never had the chance to before now (because of financial issues, the nature of their job, stress, low self esteem etc.)

[@BryonyClaire]

I love the fact you created the Miss Honey spectrum of femininity - perfectly encapsulates "acceptable femininity" . Meanwhile I'll happily stay over here in the bimbo zone when it comes to how I present, it's more amusing when people find out how left leaning and feminist I am when I talk 😂

[@AnnikaVictoria24]

🙌

[@witherschat]

Yeah I was like "the two ends aren't even mutually exclusive"

[@AnEmu404]

Bryony! Holy moly good to see you here!

[@idontneedachannelthanksyou7292]

Yeah, the whole matilda example was perfect! I think the video would have been less… digestible if there wasn’t an example of the “goal” of a makeover.

[@thesupremecatlord3188]

It's the de-bimbofication meme parody of the nerd girl and bimbo being lovers. The butches and the bimbos are not opposites. They are fucking.

[@ArtichokeHunter]

This is making me appreciate how our favorite queer movie about losers, Bottoms, doesn't have a makeover. It does a lot of the tropes and makes a point of the idea that they dress badly (not that I necessarily agree) but they look and dress the same when they're turning the tides and getting things they want.

[@ArtichokeHunter]

I appreciate that this does mention the makeover in Do Revenge; I'd be curious about the ways that other queer movies do and don't follow this approach. (Actually I guess Do Revenge has an onscreen and an offscreen makeover of the same character, if I remember right? There's the makeover scene but also the whole premise is that Maya Hawke has had such a makeover that Camila Mendez doesn't recognize her.)

[@minisarge2619]

I saw this movie! It was really good!

[@Ensitrious1]

ayo edebiri's outfits were eating the entire film

[@ArtichokeHunter]

@@haileys5224 you can if you want. I only mentioned bottoms and do revenge but BIAC is definitely interesting because the makeover is a tool of repression but still at the end, they get together with Megan in a makeover state

[@haileys5224]

@@ArtichokeHunter lol I get it now, for some reason I read your comment as “movie about losers and bottoms” I see the comma now and feel silly.

[@artofmisi]

I really appreciate you mentioning Sasha because it's one of the most glaring things to me in the Barbie movie and hardly anyone addresses this. It truly had a very specific (cis, straight, white, normative feminine, neurotypical) target audience.

[@featheredcloak]

Barbie was extremely white cis straight corporate girlboss feminism that doesn't understand gender parity or solidarity and I deeply hate how if you say this, people will dogpile on you

[@serenegenerally]

@@featheredcloaktbh I was just uncomfortable throughout Barbie because it was constantly shoving down their message

[@serenegenerally]

@@featheredcloakespecially at the ending where the Kens were “in the process of getting their power” like do you know how icky that is? Swap the positions and it’s suddenly problematic

[@exhaustedpunk1477]

It always really baffled me how much people were praising the ending, it very blatantly follows the same pattern mentioned on the video of "hey this trope and ideas are being criticized and fought against so we are gonna act like we are on your side and throw some tomatoes at it too, but by the end of it all we're just gonna come full circle and simply bring back that same sentiment just in a different package so it looks prettier and easier to swallow, you see it doesn't sound so bad now does it?"

[@artofmisi]

@@exhaustedpunk1477 absolutely. and at the end it also took such a weird turn towards motherhood, because god forbid we don't mention it ._.

[@jonimitchellneverlies]

Sorry this is kind of unrelated, but the actress who played miss trunchbull (Pam Ferris), said in an interview that she imagined a closeted lesbian backstory for her, so I'd say it's 100% more than just vibes (maybe you knew this info already). I found this info from a video by 'The Back Focus' on YT (it is a rlly interesting video), but since I found this out I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Like all these things suddenly clicked into place of how lesbian coded Miss Trunchbull always was as a character in the film and I'm kind of obsessed! And like even more reinforces how the character represents one of the ends of the dichotomy of like unacceptable femininity . Such an insightful video and I am only like 4 minutes in! x

[@jonimitchellneverlies]

also the 'why are all these women married' line is actually so funny and cracks me up every time I hear it

[@claclarolo1]

@@jonimitchellneverlies i love that line 😂 and its so something i would say

[@gwennorthcutt421]

i vividly remmeber how matilda looked at trenchbull's olympic portrait and said the artist must've hade a "Very strong stomach" and i was so confused as a kid bc i was like. its just her posing? what's so weird about it? i mean now i understand its the Dykery but yknow

[@RaspBerryPies]

Thank you for sharing this I went to go watch that wonderful video after this one!

[@DeathnoteBB]

@@gwennorthcutt421I think the joke there was she was so ugly the artist had to hurl. Classic “body-shaming is okay if I’m the hero and they’re the villain!”

[@lenan5913]

As someone who's still figuring out their style and has been on all parts of this spectrum, I love that this video is making me think about my relationship to gender and self expression. I've given up my femininity to be seen as a respectable adult, it didn't work. I ramped up the sexiness to get attention, I felt super uncomfortable. Now I walk around in discount Barbie merch and Nirvana T shirts and still feel dissatisfied. None of it is entirely authentic. I'm starting to wonder if authenticity even exists in fashion. We're always influenced by others' opinions, physical environment, income bracket, jobs, physical abilities, size, the fashion industry itself, etc. Who would I be if I had all the clothes and hairstyles options in the world?

[@aielianna]

Are you me? Oh my god. I’ve never really felt “pretty” even at my most feminine in presentation so I cut off my hair and wore baggy clothes when going out just to see how it felt. Although white women could do the same and still possibly be seen as feminine, since i’m black i’m sure I was seen as masculine by some people cause I even perceived myself as such. I think my Ms.Honey era was in HS where I tried to walk the line between feminine but not sexed up. But since I have never seen myself as sexy now I have this urge to show more skin and really lean into it (kinda like video vixens). Anyway, like in your case none of it feels authentic. I’m mostly just chasing trying to feel beautiful or justified in my body. I don’t think i’ll ever feel that no matter what I look like though.

[@rhythmandblues_alibi]

It'll come in time. You can't dress as authentically yourself if you don't know who you are inside. Experiment and enjoy the journey 💜

[@feltfrog]

@@aieliannanah i’m white, tall and a tomboy and i’m seen as masculine, clocked as queer or mistaken for a trans woman a lot of the time, not that that’s a problem. People assume stuff about women all the time but that’s ramped up if you’re not petite and hyper feminine

[@aielianna]

@feltfrog Even though I am queer, I don’t want people just assuming i’m masc automatically cause i’m not 😭. Even other queer people might assume that which I don’t want as well. Like you said if you’re not petite or hyper feminine people just stereotype you.

[@feltfrog]

@@aielianna yeah fr, I'm a queer woman but still don't like people making assumptions when they don't know me :')

[@Idontwannabemeanymore1]

Omg it’s crazy how this contrast so much for movies where the “normal” basic male character who’s clumsy, but instead of him having a makeover the love interest will realise to love him besides his flaws!!

[@Josh-vc2ul]

Good point: the men don't have to be changed to be loved: the women just have to realize how wonderful they were all along, by changing their point of view. In the reverse case, the women have to change themselves in order to be seen differently. So it's a power imbalance in agency where men are innately deserving but women must be changed. Not great.

[@SeasDund]

watching barbie as a more masc lesbian with my very straight very traditionally feminine sister was... something. i instantly noticed what they were doing with sasha and felt uncomfortable with it by the end... i also think its insane how the barbieworld seemed to still rotate around heterosexuality despite being matriarchal in nature. its also aesthetically colonialist with the barbie mt rushmore in the background and the barbie version of us congress which is... a choice. was there a barbie manifest destiny? was there a barbie cold war? is there a barbie un where they vote on barbie political embargos? barbie banana republics? thinking about it in hindsight, it becomes more clear to me that despite the barbie movie marketing itself as a broad catch-all diverse feminist utopia-concept, it really only seeks to cater to a very narrow demographic of woman. im still not sure if barbie isnt ironic or not tbh because it just seems like such a mid 10's buzzfeed white feminist movie and its insane to see something that feels so outdated produced in 2023

[@alxndria1]

I agree with you 100%. I also hated the weird joke about not letting the kens have government representation, I felt like it undermined itself.

[@digestivecookie7026]

i’m not sure, i feel like the whole bit that points out Mattel creates this idealized feminine form and product sort of lends itself to the idea that Barbieland reflects our world in these ways because Mattel *is* a fucked up org that reaffirms heteropatriarchal standards; the kind that glorifies whiteness and Modern America while ignoring the bloody history about why there’s actually a Mt. Barbiemore. Like, of course there would be a Mt. Barbiemore in the Barbieland created by the room of rich suited white men. all that said yeah, this was all approved by Mattel, who probably did not see it as a criticism and maybe the white audience would take it as genuine endorsement of our colonialist pictures and like… maybe it’s contrived, maybe it’s the same as it just being that. it couldn’t go much further without being approved by Mattel, but it’s hard to say “the director wanted to say this and it’s actually hinting at it” because it assumes someone with the power and authority this benefits has the interests of those it doesn’t in mind, and uhhh, they don’t lol.

[@SeasDund]

@@digestivecookie7026 @KC-2049 big agree with both of these takes, it makes me wonder if an actual critique/exploration of mattel and barbie is even possible working in the current entertainment industry that exists rn. you can definitely see the seeds of something deeper in the barbie movie but the material conditions of its existence just cant let it explore itself fully. its a shame

[@EmonEconomist]

@@SeasDund I think it's not possible in a world where Mattel needs to give permission to make a movie featuring them. Because of course they won't permit a movie that provides a genuine critique. To properly critique it, I guess you'd have to create a movie with a doll-making company that is Definitely Not Mattel™. Similarly it's hard to find movies that properly critique the film industry (although we get some, because those stories are currently relatively popular, but it's usually in a "this is what the film industry _used_ to be like but we fixed it by convicting Weinstein, and now Hollywood has no more problems, hashtag me too!" kind of way).

[@starrykev]

great points! also makes me wonder about how weird barbie is treated by the other characters, specifically jessie gender's video on barbie

[@anthophyllite]

As a big fan of the books, Uglies is so interesting. They translated the story pretty well, closer than many book adaptations do, but they failed at the most crucial part. Iirc, that's also why it took so long to make this book series into a movie - because the movie doesn't work with Hollywood. In the books, the pretties don't look like todwy's models, they look like children with really big eyes and pouty mouths etc. Tally even finds a magazin with today's models and is shocked how people could live like that or even find beauty in those asymmetrical faces with small eyes and thin lips that all look different. That's another big thing here that the movie misses: The pretties look way too individual when the surgery is supposed to make everyone look the same. But the uglies looking like today's models very much is the point (showing that beauty ideals strongly change our perspectivecand make us unablevto see real beauty), that point just doesn't come across at all when the pretties also look like today's models. I can't remember the holographic doctor in a makeover scenario, by the way

[@Pyonkotcchi]

yeah and unfortunately i dont think its something that could easily be conveyed with live action to begin with since they'd otherwise probably need to alter and edit the post-surge actors to a degree that would be uncomfortable and also probably unfeasible with a direct to netflix budget lmao >.< even though Tally says the pretties still look like themselves they still look majorly same-y. at one point while playing with morphos tally slightly lightens shay's skin to be "closer to the baseline" and we know the surge also makes their noses thinner and shaves down jaws etc. the pretties already look a bit uncanny valley because of all the filters added in but to be 100% accurate they'd have to entirely strip almost all their individuality and effectively white wash people. and it might not be the best idea, i could see people taking it entirely the wrong way, and tbh I just don't think i really want to see real peoples features stripped away like that anyways

[@klg9549]

​@@PyonkotcchiI could imagine it'd be amazing with a big budget and prosthetic makeup. Reminds me of the classic Twilight Zone episode.

[@juniawetmann1311]

Yes, the failure of the movie is that they didn't go far away enough with the post surgery look not who they cast, even applying that "golden ratio" thing over everyone's faces to make them look uncanny would be closer to the message of the book than this airbrushed golden eye thing

[@shieldmaiden3791]

Iirc, the holographic doctor does a makeover on 7 of 9. It's really creepy watching him "teach" her how to present as a "normal" human woman.

[@anthophyllite]

@@shieldmaiden3791 Right, that makes sense. Probably when he first removed her borg features and added hair and the like?

[@crankycat3026]

As a forty-something with ADHD, depression and a bunch of other stuff including sensory hypersensitivities, it really pisses me off how much effort (and/or money) it takes to maintain your appearance according to the cultural norms for femininity. I hate how makeup feels on my face and eyes, and just the thought of having to remove it in the evening makes me feel tired. The products are expensive and I'm not able to work at the moment, so I'm poor. So I've given up on makeup, and I've learned to like how I look without makeup. I've learned to wear clothes that feel comfortable and don't bother me during the day. Most of them are black or grey because those colours feel comfortable to me. I used to wear big earrings but these days I don't like the way they weigh on my earlobes or touch my neck or get stuck in my hair. I have long hair that tends to get a bit curly, and I like it. I just brush my hair, because I hate the feel and smell of hair products. I can't stand the sound and heat of hair dryers. I can't afford to go to hair salons, so I just cut my own hair when it gets too long. I've stopped shaving my body hair because it was just too much effort for a thing that I realised I didn't really need to do to feel good about myself. I enjoy the feeling the wind on my leg hair. I realise I've returned to the state I was as a kid - pragmatic, comfortable, low-effort. I conserve my energy so I can do things that bring me joy, like art or taking care of my plants, or playing video games. I love seeing people who have found their aesthetic and take the time and effort to display it with pride. I love to look at people with cool makeup and hair and fashion. But it's just not for me. Finally, the thing that really pisses me off is that I know that appearance has an impact on how potential employers might see me, regardless of my other qualities.

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

The effort, time and cost *is the point* It not being accessible to everyone *is the point* So many people argue the opposite and it amazes me that people don’t see that it’s the point.

[@deusex9731]

@@ultravioletpisces3666 people see that its the point, but it doesnt change that it shouldnt. If you cant wear makeup because it makes you want to peel your skin off, your employer shouldnt assume you are unprofessional. For someone with sensory issues, it is very much work to find clothing that doesnt drive them nuts, but that isnt seen as professional, only what is within this rigid standard of feminity is.

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

@@deusex9731 I don’t disagree at all

[@AurinneA]

So relatable. You are amazing, it's very challenging to be that comfortable with my completely natural state. But I'd really love it if we saw so much more completely natural women/people represented. Not to disdain those who have a more manicured aesthetic, but to get people used to and comfortable with the genuine range of of how people can really look. I feel like not everyone who is scared to be completely natural is scared because they're worried people won't find them attractive; it's because, as you say, there is conscious or subconscious judgement of your character or personal attributes (such as professionalism or capability) based on appearance. That's what I'd really like society to let go of...

[@AmeeliaK]

@crankycat3026 I'm a software developer from Germany, and I look exactly like you. 99% of my female colleagues look like you. I feel feminine. They are feminine, we don't need any commercial products to assert our feminity or womanhood. We are women, even if we wear black hoodies and jeans, just like our male colleagues.

[@steampunk-llama]

My personal favourite take on the ‘makeover scene’ genre is probably Sam Sparks in the first Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs movie. The whole point of it is to help Sam get over her internalised fear of being visibly ‘nerdy’ and hiding her interests and personal preferred presentation by being a ‘respectable looking woman who Doesn’t Know Science tm’ by letting her tie her hair up in a scrunchie (an accessory she’s mentioned enjoying multiple times that she was bullied out of wearing), putting on her glasses and just being able to freely open up about her own fixation on meteorology with Flint (the other protag of the film who’s also a nerdy outcast and failed inventor) The entire scene frames her as being beautiful *because* she break out of the mask and lets herself be her true self regardless of what others think, and it goes out of its way to show how much better she’s able to navigate after being able to see properly with her glasses, and her specific knowledge in meteorology is fundamental to having the plot work out. It was pretty much the first time I’d really seen that trope done in a way that genuinely resonated with me as a kid who was also very interested in science (specifically zoology, though now I’m also quite interested in mycology!!) and it’s still one of the sweetest scenes I’ve seen in p much any movie

[@teriyaki_chick]

as much as i like the barbie movie, there’s something to be said about how Sasha and her grungy and “radically feminist” friends are all credited as Chloe, Yasmin, and Jade…iykyk

[@ume_bume]

Like the Bratz dolls?

[@teriyaki_chick]

@@ume_bume yeah. there’s something to be said about the barbie movie presenting 4 women all named after the Bratz dolls, barbie’s main competitor, as “radical” child feminist.

[@whatcolorjunebug]

​@@teriyaki_chick Whoa, that's weird! I remember when bratz dolls came out and everyone was so upset about how hypersexualized and unrealistic they looked, with heavy makeup and skimpy outfits. I was a kid, so my memory is limited, but I know a lot of my peers weren't allowed to have them because of how scandalous they were considered. They were considered even less feminist than Barbie was, almost like the Bratz dolls were the Julia Roberts at the beginning of the movie and Barbie had now become more like Miss Honey by comparison. People would say someone looked like a Bratz doll as a way to indirectly call them a slut. But of course a lot of time has passed since 2001. It sounds like they're now perceived very differently? I certainly would never think of them as grungy social justice dolls, because I haven't heard anything about them since I was a child when they were super clingy and just as much about consumerism as Barbie, so I'm curious what's changed about them (or the perception of them) to the point that it would make any sense to represent them this way in the movie.

[@EJ_2091]

From everything I can see, they're just credited as "junior high friends"

[@jasperpretzle]

@@whatcolorjunebug they're considered the edgier twin of barbie and nostalgic.

[@ladygrey4113]

Related to another essay but I really don’t like how it’s considered not being a “girls girl” to dislike makeup or think some feminine pursuits are frivolous. Like beauty pageants are frivolous, most only do them for the chance for scholarship money

[@jackcade8790]

@@ladygrey4113 welcome to "choice" feminism. Well some women choose to do those things therefore we can't critically examine why that might be, and any greater societal influence and impact. Obviously it's important not to just go "well girls who like makeup are just shallow and dumb." But, just because some women embrace makeup doesn't suddenly mean the societal pressure on women to adhere to beauty standards that include the correct amount of makeup are not still fucking garbage.

[@emilybixler3166]

Same thing about pink! I felt a lot of pressure from peers as I got into my early 20s to start liking pink, or at least to be okay with wearing a little bit of it. Because to *them*, hating pink represented hating femininity, something they were trained to hate in themselves by society, and this is something they grew out of. I remember how annoyed my friend seemed when I said I didn't have anything pink to wear to the Barbie Movie. I absolutely respect everyone's right to wear whatever they want but I'm not doing it. For me, pink isn't about femininity, it's about choice. When I was a kid, my mother bought exclusively pink clothing for me and I *hated* it. When I was old enough to pick my own clothes, pink was out.

[@feltfrog]

being Gen Z and a tomboy is a struggle lol no other girls want to be my friend because they either think I’m a lesbian or I’m insecure and make them uncomfortable because I “don’t seem confident in my appearance” and they’re worried about having a friend that will say stuff like “Oh you’re so pretty, I don’t like makeup myself but you look great”. I blame tiktok for making young people think that you can just sort people into different boxes/types/“aesthetics” or label everyone, making female friends nowadays is a minefield

[@zlis4536]

@@feltfrog why would you even want to be friends with some dumbass homophobes?

[@ph5.484]

@@emilybixler3166 I have a bone to pick with how the phrase 'not like other girls' has been weaponized against situations like these. Sometimes people reject feminine things because they think femininity is bad, sure. But sometimes people reject feminine things because they were forced on us. I don't see how it could possibly be feminist to pressure women into conforming to gender roles.

[@agirlwithdreams15]

i can't believe legally blonde, for all its problems, actually didn't fall into the bimbo trope and had Elle go back to bright pink clothes

[@mememefinally]

I was just thinking of that movie when i was watching this. She never changed.

[@lljkgktudjlrsmygilug]

I got a 20-minute-long ad on this video at 7:18 titled "What if Harley Quinn never loved the Joker" and I thought it was just a snippet of another video being made to substantiate the contents of this video. It actually kind of fitted in for a brief moment, but the length of the ad became a bit too noticeable, so I looked back at the screen.

[@RoboticYeti]

Just a note Uglies is originally book series from 2005! I remember enjoying it but it’s been a minute. Helps that in a book you can picture the people as ugly as you want (though IIRC they just mostly looked normal. The beauty standards from the surgery were just so high that in comparison regular people looked ugly in comparison)

[@ringinn7880]

I always got the impression that plastic surgery gave you anime sized eyes. Which is why models in our magazines couldn't keep up with it.

[@sarahr8311]

Yeah, in the book "Ugly" was just normal. Acne, crooked teeth, a funky nose, etc. It was ugly in comparison to the surgically perfected "pretties". Would've been nice for the movie to cast some normal looking people as their uglies

[@idontneedachannelthanksyou7292]

And most ‘uglies’ wanted to become ‘pretty’ via the surgeries. They were waiting with bated breath (except for one and then the mc followed her-repeat for 2 more books as mc follows her friend.) Guess that’s the point, that you were young and othered and lived across the river from the new pretties (who were partying all the time) and Ugly-so you wanted to be pretty.

[@williamevans1708]

Not lost on me that the Ms. Honey center is basically just business casual, the acceptable dress for most corporate jobs.

[@TheBookofBeasts]

11:30 “Award winning toy commercial”, thank you! People get upset when I point this out.

[@mordcore]

thank you for acknowledging sasha getting quietly made pink in the background. as a melodramatic leftist transmasc, it smelled of conversion therapy to me.

[@ealusaid]

I think a huge aspect of the makeover is disavowal. It makes a more masculine woman feminine without her giving into what men traditionally viewed as vanity and dissipation. The person being made over doesn't WANT to spend a ton of money on clothing and makeup and haircare, or devote tons of time to perfecting those skills. It's giving no makeup makeup, madonna-whore complex. It is a bit interesting when it's men, because to quote Warner from the Legally Blonde musical, "guys who wear that get beat up on my street." I long for a "makeover" whose subject has agency-it's not imposed on them, but a person making deliberate choices and using their skills to change their presentation.

[@AngryTheatreMaker]

One of the best self-directed makeovers I've seen to date is the one from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Nobody's putting pressure on the protagonist to dress in nice clothes, put on makeup, or slap some curlers on her hair; this is portrayed as something she genuinely wants to do. My only nitpick: She ditches her glasses for contacts. But otherwise it's so good.

[@ealusaid]

@@AngryTheatreMaker Oh! You're totally right. I haven't seen that movie since it came out, but now I want to again

[@AngryTheatreMaker]

​@@ealusaidI love that film. I watched it last year with my fiance and it was a blast.

[@casin0circus]

it's such a shame that I never see any makeover scenes where the woman dresses in a campier, less conventional personal style, and that being a celebration of her embracing confidence and whimsy and maybe even love for herself for who she is as a person in a marginalized identity. For example, embracing a style regardless of if it's "too niche" or regardless of your body type, or gender presentation. I personally have grown more confident and am happier dressing how I want even though it's unconventional, and I'm so glad that i finally allowed myself to break the mold, as it were. but these movies seem to be about sanding down our rough edges rather than celebrating us. I'd love to see a movie about a woman going from hiding behind what is deemed "acceptable" for her, something that doesn't stand out, to actually learning to love herself and how experimentation with self expression can be a part of that, especially if she's queer or disabled or plus sized.

[@Bookytowel]

If you're okay with novels, you should read Radio Silence by Alice Oseman! It has a poc queer main character who slowly starts to openly dress in a more niche and colourful manner, stops doing things to keep up an image for her peers, and just generally learns to be herself. It's my favourite book and I really recommend it :)

[@casin0circus]

@@Bookytowel oh that sounds lovely! tysm for the rec!

[@09philj]

I think the heart of what's really missing is the element of collaboration. The other week I had to get a new suit, the first suit I'd bought for myself. I got it at a Slater's which is a high street menswear store in the UK. I'm happy to say the name of the shop because it was a great experience. The assistant helped me find suits that would fit, but I obviously got to choose the one I liked best. I ended up with something I really liked, which I probably wouldn't have been able to do by myself because I know nothing about men's tailoring. so the final suit was a synthesis of my tastes and the knowledge of the assistant. Makeovers in films are almost always something foisted on the characters, even when they are willing participants the rules are entirely set by the person they have trusted to perform the makeover. They're not looking like the best version of how they want to look, they're looking like how someone else wants them to look, the possibility space for how they could look is contracted instead of being expanded.

[@johanna9845]

Yes!!!

[@KyleRayner12]

I will say that Matilda specifically never bothered me because it's pretty clearly told from Matilda's perspective. Like most Dahl stories, it's a thinly-veiled childhood revenge fantasy, so her parents are unfeeling brutes who care about her brother more than her, her principal's a violent domineering force, and her teacher (AKA the one adult who pays attention to her) is an endlessly-kind, patient, beautiful young woman. (It's like when five-year-olds insist their mother or teacher is the "prettiest," because they care about/like them and know that "pretty" is a compliment.)

[@alyssapinon9670]

@@KyleRayner12 I work in childcare and it’s kind of sad how kids learn to conflate beauty and goodness at such a young age. They definitely will trust an adult more if the adult is Miss Honey pretty. And I love kids but the endlessly kind, patient teacher trope is so unrealistic. Even the most even tempered teacher has their limits. And it’s not fair to expect them to be perfectly soft and sweet all the time. You don’t have to yell at the kids but eventually you have to set some boundaries that will make you appear like the “bad guy”.

[@KyleRayner12]

@@alyssapinon9670 Oh, absolutely. I've both taught in schools and worked in pediatrics, so I'm used to the idea that kids will only like me about 70% of the time at best. I think it also relates to the perfect dead mom character in popular media. She doesn't have to be flawed or complex because she's dead, so the orphan main character can just project this fantasy onto her.

[@alyssapinon9670]

@@KyleRayner12 that’s why I love Abbott Elementary. The teachers love the kids and their job, but we still get to see them getting flustered or annoyed with students. And even though I still have to set boundaries with the kids, I am able to have the patience I do because I know I can send them home at the end of the day. And kids are generally better behaved in public so I’m only experiencing a fraction of what parents do.

[@KyleRayner12]

@@alyssapinon9670 That one's been on my list for forever. True. I like to compare my job to being a grandparent because you can often just hand them back.

[@Paroex]

Whether or not you you're okay with this interpretation and feel that it makes the film less-than-problematic I feel is a parallel to whether or not you feel that the racism/ableism/homophobia in 300 is less-than-problematic because "it's shown from the perspective of the Spartans", as a lot of the film's fans more "measured" fans argue. (Others, of course, either deny these aspects of the film or are openly okay with them.)

[@halburke2947]

They make Mia’s friend act like such a jerk when she has some good points! 1 designer bag COULD feed a small country and as a princess she DOES have real power to make change

[@jackcade8790]

Shaw is definitely turning over in his grave. Its amazing how the play from the 1900s is probably the most progressive version (and about class not femininity) It even has Eliza be the one who pushers for her transformation rather than it being fully forced on her.

[@sarahwatts7152]

"Probably showers in her underwear" I have to start using this regularly

[@alyssapinon9670]

@@sarahwatts7152 made me think of the never nudes from arrested development 🤣

[@rampion1228]

THE MOST frustrating thing about the uglies movie adaptation is that i feel like its the perfect story to have a main cast of normal looking actors playing the role of "ugly people" without the uncomfortable undertones of body shaming the people playing them. Its the best possible concept for a movie to explore disturbing beauty standards if they had stayed true to the book and had the uglies look like regular people and the pretties look like people with an extremely carefully maintained level of conventional attractiveness.

[@PrincessLioness]

I feel who the casted besides the guys were average for Hollywood. Joey king is not the beauty standard for Hollywood and neither is the girl who played her friend.

[@rampion1228]

@PrincessLioness in hindsight i didnt communicate this well, but when i talked about "normal looking actors" it's less about how they naturally look and more about them clearly have a professional hair and make up team. Although they are all mostly one body type which is an issue in of itself. She might be slightly less conventionally attractive than typical Hollywood actresses but she is a very specific body type filmed only in flatterning angles and styled in a very specific way.

[@OctopusOwl]

As a neurodivergent person raised as a girl, the absolute chokehold the concept of “fitting in” and makeovers had on me. Thank you for bringing so much awareness to the genre, origins and fallacies baked into it.

[@lavendermenace8078]

11:39 sasha is also suppose to be inspired by the bratz brand which was a major competitor for a time with the barbie brand because it offered a more edgy, sometimes grungy, maximalist dolls that were more with the current trends so kids loved them. Her name is even one of the names of one of their main line Bratz dolls.

[@EarlyOwOwl]

I'm gonna be real here the start of the video made me cry a little. Because I feel like in my generation of feminists raised on makeover movies people around me always try to sell me the idea that REAL feminism is about embracing the consumerism and the pink and the makeup because "deep down you like it you just THINK you don't because you have internalized misogyny". And I love being a woman, but I'm very masculine as well. That's who I am. And at times it feels like everyone and everything around me is trying to convince me that that's ugly, it's wasting my potential, it's making me *unlovable*. I started to believe that I NEEDED to fake femininity and feel uncomfortable in my own skin to ever have a chance at being happy. I think I needed someone to tell me I'm not broken, that it's just a system designed to make me feel that way until I fit nicely in their boxes. So yeah. Fuck 2000's films aimed at teenage girls. 12 year old me was right.

[@greatjob.8702]

I’m so proud you know who you are and are staying true to yourself

[@gemstone108]

You’d probably enjoy the podcast This Ends At Prom. They take those teen girl movies and critique them while also looking back lovingly on them. Very nuanced and entertaining!

[@pilotlee4463]

This is the kinda of video that i click on while saying "oh i think i already know this" and then i really expand my knowledge through your examples! You do such a good job of not only introducing topics but deepening and solidifying learning!

[@nessisok]

I will say that the point of Uglies (the original novel, at the very least) is that none of the Uglies are actually ugly, and are just regular teenagers. The 'Pretties' in the novel are not just people with a shitty tiktok filter, they're meant to be so overdone they look unnatural and scary - huge eyes and that type of deal - and that is what the beauty standard became. The movie majorly fumbles this premise and I don't think the book is adaptable in that sense because you're supposed to apply the regular beauty standard to the pretties, then it is revealed what their actual appearance is like. Hopefully that makes sense.

[@gemstone108]

It could’ve been a great animated adaptation!

[@minisarge2619]

I remember watching a review for my favorite movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". The makeover happens after the akward first meeting; its an inciding incident, but more like the straw that broke the camel's back. She does the makeover for herself, and the man goes after her and initially doesn't recognize her. But he didn't even think she was ugly the first time. Either way she makes over herself FOR herself. Love the film

[@genevieve7676]

Also love that she didn't straighten her hair, instead going for big curls instead.

[@a-s-greig]

And on Toula? It's _excellent._

[@NevermoreEvermore_1300]

Do you remember when the mom got upset at her daughter for wearing a black wedding dress I always thought it was so stupid

[@CalamariCanary]

0:49 this whole line is my new catchphrase

[@Dioxazine_Stars]

I would love a makeover scene where the point is the stylist helping the makeoveree to find the clothes they love but maybe weren’t confident enough to wear before or didn’t have access to. Like, it’s still making them look better… but it’s better to them and only them. It’s *for* them. I don’t think makeover scenes can’t be fixed. I think a makeover is just a point of physical and usually mental shift. It doesn’t have to be learning to use eyelash curlers or finding more modest blouses, it could be dyeing their hair blue or helping them find clothes that fit their body type well or teaching them how to care for and enhance their curls or helping them get into a subculture they’ve always wanted to try, it could be so many things. A character physically changing doesn’t have to be a bad thing, it’s just about what the motivation is. Is the makeover to help them win over a love interest or gain popularity, does it erase or hide parts of them, are they doing that thing where they pull at their collar and frown at the mirror when it’s done, do the people around them comment on how they’re finally beautiful? If yes then yeah that’s a bad change. But what about a makeover that’s to help the makeoveree feel at home in their own skin, feel more confident in themself, doesn’t flatten aspects of their personhood, they’re actually happy and untense afterwards, the people around them just comment on how much more comfortable and them they look? That’s what I would like to see. :)

[@emmeline-tyler]

Dawn O’Porter had a show like this about introducing people to vintage clothes

[@sassysimonetheprincess1996]

This!! I love this!!

[@johanna9845]

Yeah🖤

[@gemstone108]

Emmet in the Legally Blonde musical comes to mind!

[@catbear5200]

thing to note about uglies: its based off a YA book, by scott westerfeld. there’s a lot of discussion but i think a movie adaptation of that story is destined to fall short bc the nature of the story relies on the reader having their own interpretation of what “pretty” means; capturing it in a movie is nigh impossible, it won’t ever acheive the intended ideas the story is getting at

[@oliviadsouza3471]

I found the points made about the Barbie movie really interesting! I never thought about Barbie and Sasha's transformations in that way before

[@alyssapinon9670]

@@oliviadsouza3471 kind of feeds into the “pick me girl” trope that thinks all gender non conforming women and nbs hate feminine people.

[@JonathanMandrake]

part of the problem is that the outside is often written as a reflection of the inside, and while it may hurt to be seen as or called ugly, it typically hurts much more when your personality is being called into question. making something completely normal a flaw of that characters personality that needs to get fixed is demeaning. for example, if you give a shy introverted nerdy girl some confidence, she will still be introverted and nerdy, just with more assurance in who she is. not only that, even the underlying idea that there is some way you can be fixed to be picture perfect is problematic at best. Sure, there are areas where you need to learn, and there are things you can't stop doing even though they are unhealthy, but a makeover is unlikely to help unless it is the catalyser for some other change. the only reason it works so well is the fantasy many people have of someone coming into their life, snipping their fingers and changing that persons life for the better, fixing all the things they have a problem with or are insecure about. and i get that that idea is really attractive, but instead of indulging those peoples unhealthy fantasies, these stories should help them heal and learn to live with who they are instead of trying to change that, show them how to stay themself while also learning to work with that aspect of themself instead of against it

[@Rubydog71]

I agree! I feel that these stories only bother to tack on a “ur beautiful in and out” at the very end to dodge criticism, rather then meaningfully engage with the implications of the makeover narrative that drives the plot 😫 Its entirely possible to write a good story that indulges in that fantasy of someone giving you a glow up and fixing your life without the sexism, but few of these stories seem to really want to try

[@JonathanMandrake]

@@Rubydog71 it doesn't even need to engage with the sexism too much, it would be a start if they even tried to grapple that just because the makeover fixes things, who you are is not one of these things to be fixed. om the other hand, that seems to be interlocked with the sexism for the most part, since the "you as a person need to be fixed" trope is all about how to be a women (or, as rarely happens, a man, not to even mention enbys) the correct way. also the way basically all of them don't even consider to question that the characters are cis and straight, and probably for that matter white too. it feels like they're taking all kind of different crystals, and then cut all of them into what basically ampunts to the same shape without using the natural shape of the gem, except that instead of thereby insulting the gems uniqueness, they insult everyone remotely similar to that character for not putting into the one box they have fof that demographic

[@emilybixler3166]

I would argue that there are better ways to show growth in character through appearance. Violet in the Incredibles gains confidence and stops hiding behind her hair, but otherwise I don't remember her having a particularly dramatic makeover

[@aubreewithaextrae]

to start this off i'm american (and white) but a few years ago i watched this film from thailand called a little thing called love. it's pretty similar in concept to the movies discussed in this video, the main character is nerdy and has glasses and bad teeth etc (her skin is also pretty tan as well i wouldn't mention this if it doesn't come back later) but she gets the whole makeover etc and by the end she discovers the guy who she had a crush on the whole movie liked her the entire time... *shocked face* also by the end when she has her "glow up" i guess you could call it (even though i'm not sure if that was even a term yet when the movie came out) she completely loses her tan and her skin is much lighter than before. this movie always stuck with me, especially when watching videos like this. i don't know exactly what the purpose of this comment is to be honest but i was hoping someone else is familiar with the movie and feels a similar way. i'm also curious to how this trope looks outside of western media and would like to hear more about that.

[@ElrichWangjongle]

Broadly speaking, in Asian countries, colorism is tied with classism. The people who worked the fields had darker skin from getting tanned, while the nobles and royalty of centuries past were able to pay people to shade them or stay inside all day. The impact of “lighter people are prettier/more refined” has stayed. In various countries there are skin lightening treatments that are sold to the public. But I am East Asian specifically, so this isn’t a definite answer for every East Asian/Southeast Asian country, and there are more nuances to this that I can’t cover in a single KZbin comment.

[@aubreewithaextrae]

@@ElrichWangjongle thank you for your response it was really insightful. i know a little bit about colorism within asian countries but it's still really interesting to hear another perspective on it. it's honestly sad how this makeover trope has been so persistent in media and even media across the world. what type of message does that send? that glasses curly hair and darker skin is ugly and everyone should just confirm to the (mostly white) beauty standard? not all media with this trope but still alot. and also do they ever talk about how *expensive* it would be to get a complete makeover if you don't have a rich best friend or a grandmother who is a queen a another country? i don't think they do. sorry if this comment is super long but this trope both interests me and infuriates me a little bit too lol. again thank you for your response

[@janeyannachicken9053]

I gave myself a makeover in 9th grade for carnival. Borrowed a hip class mate's clothes, wore make-up, my hair all nice, the whole shebang. An my classmates were like, literally enchanted. Suddenly they were nice to me, gave me compliments, tried to befriend me. Next day I came in my normal clothes again, to reveal what I'd suspected and now proven: If they ever actually gave a shit about who I am as a person, they were still so so SO scared of being friends with someone who's different, that they'd rather return to bullying me. And that's a makeover movie I'd watch. Where the girl returns to her old style of dress and behaviour, because that's been her authentic self all along, and she realises that the assholes for whom she tried to change herself never actually cared about who she is. She makes peace with that, finds love along the way (another outcast, maybe?) and lives more-or-less-happily ever after.

[@mahimahsan6059]

i saw a comment speaking about how magical girl utena does somewhat what you said here!! she's a tomboy who gets forcibly feminised whenever shes abused in the show, showing that its not her authentic self, and she returns to being a tomboy when shes comfortable and happy. maybe give that a shot?

[@Ireallywouldrathernot]

The point of Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw though is that they really fucked Eliza over and now she's stuck in a form that has no place in society unless it's as Higgins' wife-slave which she REFUSES to be (looking at you, My Fair Lady). Luckily she finds whatshisface an acceptable option and is able to make a live for herself where she still has agency but that was pure blind luck really and not really much of a choice as such. In this essay I will--

[@jackcade8790]

@@Ireallywouldrathernot Just post the essay Shaw wrote and then added to later prints of the play. The best bit is definitely where he goes "would Eliza prefer a man she'll have to fetch slippers for, or the hot guy who's 20 years younger and will fetch her slippers? The choice is obvious*if you're not a fucking moron.*" (He didn't phrase it quite like that but pretty close)

[@shaneking5246]

Genius video! I've watched so many movies but never realized that it's not about "feminist becoming domesticated barbie" but "feminist becoming Ms Honey". That makes so much more sense

[@jenniferch3ck]

Ok but the way Dove Cameron says "inside and out" with that condescending face.......

[@Elias-zg7jv]

for realllllll

[@KatsRule690]

The final outfits for Barbie and Sasha always pissed me off so bad, you explained it so well

[@dodopido2423]

I'm always very grateful for the captions that verilybitchie puts on all her videos!

[@MutualMischief]

I have Mia's hair and straightened the shit out of it for 20 years because of all this. Literally every piece of media says curly/frizzy hair = ugly. Also I hated how everyone seemed to say Barbie was such a good feminist movie but anyone who's done the slightest bit of thinking can see its absolutely not. It's skin deep at best. It feels like taking a tour round Mattels PR team meetings

[@ittixen]

Absolutely spot on! And just letting those segments play and entirely tell on themselves is *chef's kiss*

[@ryn2844]

One of my highschool classmates graciously offered to give me a makeover. She was very surprised and disappointed when I said no. But well, I am transmasc, I wasn't going to let her put makeup on my face or take off my dysphoria hoodie.

[@The.o.k]

I can't express how many times people have pulled me glasses off and said I just needed a makeover. The reason I never felt 'cool' at parties growing up wasn't because of the way I dressed or even my confidence. It was because I was autistic and hadn't found friends who cared about my genuine wellbeing yet. These movies sure did make that realisation difficult though, and continually convinced me that there was something wrong with my body and how it was presented.

[@lasseehrenreich5502]

oh I'm sorry and hope you gonna find a real friend

[@whitewolf1743]

The deeply sad part of this is we have yet to witness a film where all three women types are allowed to coexist and be respected by there peers, and even be friends with one another without changing. Instead, they all have to change or not be accepted by sociality to get a romantic partners.

[@by.joanne]

Can't wait for a movie about trans woman who has to go through makeover to pass or be at least partially accepted by society. This shit goes very deep.

[@mossball3129]

I love when the entire message of a story is undercut by the entertainment industry’s need to only cast attractive actors. I was watching this movie Hit Man with my family, which is about a nerdy unattractive teacher who starts going undercover as a fake hit man for the cops, and learns how to be confident and sexy through his hit man alter ego. Sounds cool! Who plays him? Glen Powell. They cast a man who is handsome to the point of being unnerving as an “ugly” character. You can’t have your cake and eat it too! The movie would have honestly been 10 times better if they actually cast a mid-looking dude who becomes attractive through self-confidence. But nah.

[@dodopido2423]

I found this femininity meter that accompanied us at the top of the video very funny and clever, the terms "freak" "plastic" and "Human bean" exemplified these tropes very well lol. And Miss Honey must be one of the most boring characters of all time!

[@lorenzoraak]

As someone who’s read Matilda many times, the adult characters are somewhat written as forces rather than deep characters. Miss Honey is the presence of nurturing in the story, through the perspective of young Matilda-she’s completely perfect to Matilda. Her as a standalone character doesn’t have much foundation or depth

[@Jessamineann]

@@lorenzoraakI’d disagree, a bit at least. In the scene in the movie where Miss Honey is telling her story, the actress who played Miss Honey said a LOT about her experience of trauma without saying much of anything to Matilda. Her voice quivers in an absolutely perfect way when saying Trunchbull’s name, and she sniffles and wipes her nose with a hankie as if she’s actively holding my back tears and staying strong for Matilda. Her voice when she talks about achieving her freedom and her determination when she tells Matilda someday things will get better. There are other moments, when Trunchbull grabs her and Miss Honey yells at her with a quaver in her voice - ostensibly standing up for herself for the first time. It’s all very “holy shit there’s a whole story here we’re not seeing and this lady is a fucking powder keg of trauma.” If you think about it, the only reason why we as the audience know as much as we do about Miss Honeys’s story is we’re getting the visuals: Trunchbull grabbing her hard, looming over her, patting her back *too* hard. What Miss Honey says is completely appropriate for a kid; *we* get the depth of the abuse. Idk, maybe it’s because I was an abused kid and I’m projecting, but I always thought her characterization was the deeper of any of the adult characters. Trunchbull and Matilda’s family were almost caricatures of villains. Meanwhile, Miss Honey had *depth* behind her choices, and *pathos*… like, why stay in the same town as your abusive aunt when you’re a teacher? Why teach at the same school she was headmistress? She was afraid, but not a coward when it came to standing up to Trunchbull, but she never corroborated the kids’ story about the chokie to their parents so they could pull them from the school. Her motivations were in character, but in a massive time of transition… one I would later go through myself in my own recovery. And yes, as a child, I desperately wanted the Miss Honey… but I wanted a more assertive mother. Who wouldn’t just gently unbraid my hair when the principal tossed me into a field by them, but who would defend me from the abuser and protect me from them in the future. She was imperfect, but she was learning and growing into her own power, too. As I grew up I wound up using her as a kind of model: what kind of Miss Honey did I want to be on my recovery journey. My own destination is a bit “meaner” than Miss Honey. I’m not as gentle, or as soft-spoken. But, I’m just as kind, and I have a huge capacity for justice and standing up for kids and against abuse. Idk… I really admire Miss Honey.

[@francescafrancesca3554]

​@@Jessamineann I love your take :) thank you for sharing it. I think softness IS strength, and kindness comes in all shapes and volumes. Thank you for being who you are (: we need that in the world. Diversity is wonderful, natural and vital, I believe.

[@myfriendscallmemarble]

The Barbie movie made Sasha's "rant" look like it was just a teenager brooding for no reason when her critiques were actually really good. The movie ignored all of the criticism on itself and said,"Look at this super pink, girly, feminist movie that is definitely not shallow at all." I also hate makeover movies as a curly haired person because when the main character has curly hair, they just straighten it to make her look "pretty"

[@maitrayeepan3801]

This is why I unconsciously loved Janis so much in mean girls She gets no makeover, gets a boyfriend, revenge and was badass throughout

[@zenosAnalytic]

Great video! The point about why these movies INSIST on removing glasses is so well made and something I never considered.

[@jasperpretzle]

pretty sure it's a quote from someone else, as i've heard it in a similar context already, but it sure is a good one nonetheless.

[@CasualShinji]

Remember how in The Breakfast Club Ally Sheedy's character had to be suddenly girly-fied so that Emilio Estevez could have a girlfriend by the end (because Molly Ringwald was already with Judd Nelson)? When the entire movie is about not fitting in in high school and the ending message being that that's okay. When you're a freaky girl all in black not so much I guess.

[@strayorion2031]

This is one of the best video essays I've ever seen on youtube, a lot of creators on this website fall into dividing their essays into "chapters" and making pauses to divide them; they can connect a few ideas but not the essay as a whole, and they spent either too much time on the background of the topic or in the main topic, but you were straight to the point, the essay flowed greatly and you provided enough information as a background and when you landed the topic on barbie it clicked like a punchline. I really wish more video essays on this website would take a lesson or two from you, since I've seen the video essay quality on youtube slowly drop over the years. (I'm sorry I'm not adding nothing to the conversation of the topic of the essay, but the decline on video essay quality has been something that has started to bother me for a while)

[@nvwest]

After watching this video, I noticed how in wicked Galinda put the glasses back on and was like oh actually, you don’t need any changes, just this flower. But the glasses still went away!

[@sophspice32]

this ironically represents what movies tell us about beauty

[@keinkanal7382]

Speaking as a man, i find it quite interesting that makeover movies used to bother me as teen a lot when it was about turning the nerd, the tomboy, the activist into a "real woman". Likely because i empathised with their social position, but never had issues with the 'bimbo' getting turned into a real woman. I guess the patriarchal socialisation was not strong enough to overwrite the alienation i felt from my peers, but the whole "women are supposed to be modest" i used to believe in wholeheartedly.

[@iluvsakuraandsyaoran]

everything you said was valid and true but i love the joke barbie says after sasha's critique where she goes 'she says im a fascist? but i dont control the railways or the flow of commerce!'

[@khaliaward1771]

One of the many reasons why I love Romi and Michelle’s High School Reunion is that they completely throw out this formula. Both of the main characters would be squarely on the tacky “bimbo” side. When they want to be taken more seriously as “respectable” women, they try dressing in all black and pretending to have “serious” jobs. The mean girls/antagonists are women who fit in the middle and are the ideal of “wives and mothers” who wear pastels, don’t show “too much” skin, and only talk about their husbands and babies. Its when they bump into them that they realize they have no reason to be impressing a group of people so lame and pull out their most elaborate, gaudy brightly colored outfits. Even the more edgy butch character, while being tough around the edges, is their FRIEND and gets her own happy ending as a millionaire and helps them out. It completely subverts that standard while teaching the same message of individuality, self esteem, and friendship.

[@atlantictiger]

“And now, his heart has opened…to a super hot girlfriend” 😂😂😂 lol hit the nail on the head as to why I constantly broke the fourth wall when seeing this trope. Not to be all “pick-me,” but young girls idolizing over Miss Honey growing up sat strange with me and I’ve never really related to the movie - this video essay helped me finally word WHY (I grew up AFAB but now identify as GNC). I thought everyone just automatically had to love Matilda. VERY IMPORTANT DISCOURSE! ❤❤❤

[@kjarakravik4837]

When I was little I was an abused kid who always dreamed that the perfect angel would come along and save me from my home life, whether that be a boyfriend like the prince from Cinderella or a mother figure like Miss Honey. I think that's Miss Honey's main appeal. Your own mom might deeply regret ever having kids but Miss Honey's so perfect and motherly she's even willing to adopt you, unlike most people

[@lenan5913]

@@kjarakravik4837 This was her appeal to me too. As a kid you want the perfect mother figure and she genuinely is that but not because of her physical appearance but her patience, kindness, and understanding. Moms who are butch or bimbo can also be those things just not in movies written by men lol.

[@alyssapinon9670]

Also the demonization of women/afab people who don’t like or want kids. As a disclaimer: There are plenty of awful parents who should never had children and childcare workers who shouldn’t be around kids. And people who hate kids just for existing and wish harm on them are weird. But it rubs me the wrong way that a “good woman” has to be motherly. There are plenty of kind women and afab people who don’t want kids or don’t particularly enjoy being around them.

[@alyssapinon9670]

@@lenan5913exactly! I don’t know if I want to be a mom, but I’ve done a lot of childcare jobs and eventually want to be a teacher. In my field I’ve met masculine and feminine individuals (some who are queer) who love kids. And the more we work in the field, the more kids we meet who have unhappy homes and see us as parental stand-ins.

[@kjarakravik4837]

@@lenan5913 I think you put it perfectly ❤️

[@blehblehbleh5886]

Hollywood has stayed skibbidi with times is one of the funniest things I've heard in a long time, thank you!!!

[@Verkrekt]

PLEAse NOT THE DOCTOR. I totally forgot about the seven of nine makeover episode where she breaks someone's arm and destroys a crustacean.

[@agilemind6241]

Same, and I'm still mad she ends up with Chacotay, when Harry was the only one who respected her as she was when she first joined the crew. Harry Kim == best man in Star Trek.

[@missmangopudding]

​@@agilemind6241In Picard, she's dating a woman named Raffi and they have good chemistry. Way better match than Chakotay, who I barely saw as a friend to her (more like a work aquaintance). 😅

[@genevieve7676]

​@@agilemind6241Seven/Chakotay and Bashir/Ezri are the worst canon Star Trek ships in my opinion.

[@Tacom4ster]

Huh no mention of the Breakfast Club ending?

[@darthtepes]

yaaas, this should be touched upon! They took Ally Sheedy and made her look hedious with that micro-tutu (or whatever that was) in her hair🤮🤮🤮 and my childhood crush a.k.a. Emilio Estevez liked it? Ouch!

[@OscarSimansky]

Look how they massacred my schizoid queen.

[@eugeniabukhman8533]

Allison baby I'm so sorry they did that to you 😭

[@genuineinterest]

Ooh ooh i remembered the example I just remembered!! Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked!!! Not in the same narrative, exactly, but Fiyero's "you've been... Galinda-fied" to Elphaba evokes the same thing after she goes through the 'Popular' makeover, and she meets the middle by losing the glasses/braid while retaining her personality and embracing the black clothing. Meanwhile Glinda is still Pretty, but goes from being the flouncy bimbo archetype to holding herself more 'elegantly', pinning her hair back, and picking up Elphaba's book at the end and promising to study it and learn from it (iirc). Then they sing about how they've been "changed for good" by meeting each other holy shit

[@sophspice32]

i´ve never seen wicked but this is so interesting to hear

[@WitchLunaEstrella]

This reminds me so much of the "natural beauty" campaigns of the 2000s, the idea that you had to wear makeup in a way that made it seem like you weren't and that anything remotely bold or dramatic was instantly bad. I remember this one makeover show (though not its name) that was all about this, judging people based on this same sort of scale. I got put off by the whole thing when they had a goth girl on the show and I thought she looked really cool, but they dismissed her tastes and the makeover was just the Miss Honey part of the scale. That moment kinda helped disillusion me to the whole "natural beauty" concept since it came off as just as restricting as the beauty standards they were complaining about.

[@gabriellelagachatuber]

Kind of ironic that this is coming back in this decade lol, like not only the fashion is making a comeback but also the natural beauty stuff and eating dis0rd3rs, idk if Iam the only one that have noticed but the whole makeover thing reminds me a lot of our nowdays "glowups" that are suposse to be the best version of yourself physically and mentally but just ends up being about beaty standars lol.

[@eiqhties1140]

I remember being ten years old and passionately defending Anne Hathaway's appearance at the beginning of The Princess Diaries as suiting her and being more attractive, because it felt more authentic to who the character was and the reality of Mia's life... and I had several people (including adults) dismiss me because "she was happier post makeover". Anyway, now my partner has thick curly hair and big glasses and I'm grateful for those features every day.

[@BadAstra]

I love everything about this video as it PERFECTLY summarizes the acceptable, "natural" feminity as the narrow, impossible ideal we've been taught to conform to. Very mindful, very demure. Perfect outfit for the office when we want to be taken seriously but not threaten our male coworkers. And of course it's always basic, fast-fashion looks, because any loud patterns/colors or interesting cuts can't be genuine. I'd love to see a makeover movie mroe like my own personal style journey. My then best-friend (now wife) described my fashion sense as "clothed" (mostly free T-shirts or cheap solid basics) and "purple" (I do have a favorite color). She helped me experiment with more patterns, different cuts, and colors outside my usual. My wardrobe is still mostly purple, but I now have tons of flannel, sun dresses, and patterns. Turns out I even like bell-bottom jeans. The "Mrs. Honey" muted blazer outfits you kept comparing are exactly what I would have worn in 2017--forgettable, basic, boring, "clothed".

[@rachelwharton4245]

Instant sub!! Pointing it out in Matilda and Barbie is so fascinating because they’re both movies I love for other reasons, but it’s so interesting to see them framed in different and more critical ways than I considered, and makes little moments I didn’t care for but didn’t understand why make so much more sense. I can’t wait to dive into your channel, looks like you have many more fantastic videos 😊