MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

She-Ra: Princess of Power was a spin-off series of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe written by Larry DiTillio in 1985, designed to appeal to young girls. She-Ra was intended to be a strong woman whom girls could idolize; however, folklorist and social critic Peggy A. Bulger argues in “The Princess of Power: Socializing our Daughters Through TV, Toys, and Tradition” that She-Ra appropriates western folklore and tradition and re-sells it in a format that places new pressures on young girls, telling them that women may be strong and competent, but they must still be feminine.

In 2018, graphic novelist Noelle Stevenson created a Netflix reboot of She-Ra that has received various accolades and positive reviews from critics. The heroine in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power fights alongside other “Princesses” and presents an image of multi-faceted girlhood rather than a reproduction of ideal womanhood. Unlike the solitary, mature, and voluptuous She-Ra from the 1980s, Stevenson’s She-Ra is a true adolescent who discovers herself over the course of the series, while developing friendships with other girls. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power offers a nuanced portrayal of characters that rectifies the original’s dichotomous representation of good and evil while also reflecting our changing perception of appropriate role models for young girls. Although She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is still problematic in its reliance on western myth and tradition, and focus on elite “princesses,” the series conveys a healthier representation of girlhood, demonstrating the way that children’s cartoons can be employed to counter society’s most harmfully gendered messages. By employing feminist theory and history, I will explore the use of the She-Ra character by third-wave and millennial feminists, and discuss how the development of a concept of girlhood that is distinct from womanhood is empowering a new generation.