Hey about what you said about lana what happened? what did she say?:
eshusplayground:
deemnfic:
So hello there, barbie-shoes, I’ve thought about this response of yours as well as some other comments you’ve made and posts you’ve reblogged, likely signifying you agree with the sentiment behind them, for a few days.
So here we are.
What’d I first like to discuss, which has been addressed elsewhere as well, is the pretty violent reaction by you and some others to the way Ms. Parrilla answered the question. I’ve seen you reblog and seemingly agree with words like ‘intimidated’, making a young woman feel like a ‘piece of shit’ because of the eye contact given to the young woman in question. I watched the video myself after seeing the way you responded and was confused. I see Ms. Parrilla holding eye-contact and responding directly to an audience member, which is generally seen as a respectful gesture not actually given by many in media today. So I, like others, am confused (well, no, I’m not actually) at the vitriol being spewed towards Ms. Parrilla in this most recent incident (sadly, it is not an uncommon occurrence whenever matters such as these are broached).
More importantly, however, I can’t help but think you have to be aware of the historical and problematic nature behind ascribing words like ‘intimidating’ and actions like ‘made my friend feel like shit’, words and phrases which suggest someone is being aggressive, to a woman of color when they’re not assigned to white women like us. I recall you defending a cast member last year, one who had made some comments that you felt were taken out of context and which you tried to clarify on their behalf. You told the person who asked not to ‘make up things’ to ‘be upset about’ that ‘aren’t real’ and ‘target people who don’t deserve it’.
Yet these past few days I wonder why you agree so quickly and eagerly with those words towards Ms. Parrilla. I wonder why your first response was “fuck her”, and to act as if Ms. Parrilla somehow made your friend feel like a piece of garbage for this response. I anticipate you will say, as you did elsewhere, that you defend your friends and your friends are more important to you over a celebrity you have never met. Yet it does not explain why you felt so adamant and chose the words you did, or held the same sentiments as the words expressed in the reply you reblogged, in this particular instance.
With a historical precedence of saying women of color are ‘intimidating’ and suggesting they’re behaving with aggression for acting the exact same way as white women do, and the history of racism within this fandom, I cannot help but think this violent response at large towards Ms. Parrilla is NOT just sheer coincidence or happenstance.
Next I’d like to address your reblog of these particular comments, again suggesting you share the sentiment:
”No, actually. No it’s not ‘ridiculous’. It’s not ridiculous because Lana literally said yesterday that she had a fight with the producers about Regina and Henry scenes. Which means that she does have a say. She is not mute.
At the end of the day she and JMo are essential to the show. And if she really wanted to do something. She could.”
These were also partially addressed elsewhere, but I wanted to bring it up again and perhaps delve a bit further.
You’re right. Ms. Parrilla DID say she had to fight for the relationship and scenes between Regina and Henry. She said, if I recall, she had adoptive mothers come up and speak with her and how this affected them. Yet, if we watch the show, we see both how little they seem to have listened to her and how long it has taken them to give that relationship so little. So, how much say does Ms. Parrilla have? Furthermore, why is it we’ve only heard of Ms. Parrilla being the one to fight against something problematic on the show? Because from this it sounds like Ms. Parrilla does fight, has fought from the start, and yet it is only now being told. So who are we to say she hasn’t fought for more? Also, why are we expecting her to fight this battle alone?
Ms. Parrilla is a woman of color on show which has an other wise entirely white main cast. Ms. Parrilla is a woman of color in an industry that is predominantly white and male. Ms. Parrilla is a woman of color on a show which is primarily produced, directed and written by white men. Ms. Parrilla by being a woman of color in a world which is run by white men, in a world still rampant with racism and sexism (and please understand how that is multiplied since she is a woman of color), has the least amount of power of the principal players on Once Upon a Time, yet by the Swan Queen fandom she is held to the highest standard, she is expected to fight the most for us, she is expected to ‘understand’ - all of this to much more a degree than her white co-stars who hold much more currency and sway in terms of demands and influence on this show.
You say Ms. Parrilla is set upon a pedestal by her fans and I have to disagree. I think Ms. Parrilla is held to the highest of expectations by those within this fandom when she has the least amount of power and ability to change things behind-the-scenes. I think it is expected of Ms. Parrilla to be an ‘ally’ to us first and foremost, while we - you, me and the other white people in fandom - conveniently ignore that Ms. Parrilla is a woman of color cast as a main character of color on a prime-time television show, a rare opportunity in today’s media climate. I think we conveniently ignore what Ms. Parrilla means to both Queer People of Color and straight People of Color, we ignore that she is so many actual things to people along with her character potentially being so many things to other people.
We in white fandom like to overlook the representation her being on television brings to People of Color who do not get to see themselves in diverse roles. We like to overlook this very important fact so we can go on bemoaning and demonizing her for not being the ‘right kind’ of ‘ally’. Because we in white fandom prioritize queer representation over the representation of People of Color, and that is so incredibly harmful - most of all to People of Color who are also our queer brothers and sisters, as they are erased within the LGBTQ community so easily and so often.
We put this on the shoulders of Lana Parrilla, we demand it of her, we criticize her for not doing enough, we expect of her to fight for us. Yet we do not fight for her as a woman of color. We do not fight for multiple characters of color. We do not fight for multiple characters of color with depth on this show. We do not fight for multiple characters of color to live, to have important roles in which they aren’t just ‘evil’, to have meaningful dialogue and storylines. We in white fandom do not acknowledge how important Lana Parrilla’s being Latin@ is or how important it is she insisted Regina is Latin@. We expect the world from her, we expect her to be an ally, yet we are no ally of hers or People of Color on this show or in this fandom. We expect so little from the white main cast (who like to try to turn criticism of their responses around on us by saying they feel insulted at their support being questioned), yet for her to go beyond.
You seem to hold the sentiment that Lana Parrilla has a voice because she fought for one thing. I agree, she does have a voice, but it is not as powerful as her cast mates or the producers/writers/directors. Yet, with this being said, I would say to you:
You have a voice, barbie-shoes. You are a popular author within this very fandom. You have made multiple posts on the number of followers you have, exceeding 2800 at last call, wasn’t it? You are seen as one of the more prominent voices of the Swan Queen fandom.
What do you do with your voice, barbie-shoes? I’ve never seen you discuss those of us in white fandom and how we exoticize and fetishize Regina Mills (and thus Lana Parrilla as well) as a Latin@ woman. I’ve never seen you call out people individually or this fandom as a whole for its tendency to white-wash Regina Mills, and thus Lana Parrilla, into a white woman and completely ignore she is Latin@. I’ve not seen you discuss the racism that so many of us in white fandom exhibit towards Regina/Lana and other characters of color on this show. I’ve not once seen you talk about the problematic nature in this fandom to constantly cast Emma as the White Savior to Regina Mills, a woman of color. I’ve not seen you discuss or even acknowledge exceptionally problematic fanfics which play off racial stereotypes, belittle the experiences of People of Color or don’t even acknowledge that these hurtful experiences exist at all. The list goes on, but I will stop as I hope you get the point.
I ask you this because to end this I have one last series of questions.
We in white fandom expect so much of Lana Parrilla, we expect her to fight for us, to go to bat for us as queer people, to fight against people who hold power over her, to risk her career for us - because bringing up these topics and fighting for marginalized people does endanger careers for actors of color in a straight, white cis-gender male majority in Hollywood - we expect her to do all of this for us and excuse all the harsh words and violent overreactions we have towards her because she’ll ‘never see them’ (I wouldn’t be so sure of that).
We in white fandom demand all of that of her to be a better ally, to be an ally at all. But we won’t even challenge each other, educate each other or call each other out for blatant, overt racism or subtle acts of microaggressive racism among ourselves. And what do you and I and others of us in white fandom risk, barbie-shoes? Popularity? Followers lost? Reviews lost?
We expect so much of her, yet look at how little we give.
You know who needs to work at being a better ally, barbie-shoes? White fandom like you and me.
This is how you be an ally to POC. This is how you use white privilege for good.
bowtiejarvis: thank you.
*slow clap GIF*