Release the Panda
What should I say about Turning Red that hasn’t already been said by many other women who saw their awkward 13 year old selves in Meilin? I’m amused by the negative reviews of the film which have said, among other things, that her fanart is inappropriate, as if no other young teen girl has ever drawn cringy fanart or written self-insert fanfic. As someone who was once a young, Asian, awkward, teen girl with secret obsessions I’d never tell my mom about, I found this film all too real.
I mean, I had created an entire alternate universe in my head by the time I was in 6th grade, an amalgamation of pop music and action-adventure. I concocted a band that was a cross of Kids Incorporated and future dystopia and time travel and somehow Spy Kids before Spy Kids was a thing. I was also obsessed with the Beatles at the time, and loathe as I was to write actual self-insert Beatles fic, I wrote scriptfic (before I knew the term, I just wrote whatever dialogue I wanted the characters to say, as if writing a play) where my original characters met and had adventures with the Beatles. Terribly unoriginal, but man I was obsessed with this idea. The kid band was obviously the best, most talented, and greatest group ever. Better than the Beatles because the Beatles wanted to play with THEM. Ugh, so wonderfully cringe.
I did write basically a self-insert fic inspired by Elfquest, however, where my friends and I ended up in the World of Two Moons. And it was for some silly English exercise for school. THe point is, I’m shocked that some grown adults have never accepted the fact that their teen selves were so damn awkward with their messy feelings and emotions.
I do have to laugh at this one Twitter meme I saw though. Ouch. Seriously. Ouch. LOL OUCH.