Change Your Image
moran-bjo
Reviews
Sailor Moon: Slim City (1995)
Hello horrible body ideals
Sailor moon is great, but no one should see this specific episode, especially young girls but really anyone who isn't used to viewing very problematic media critically.
Fat-shaming, thin-shaming, overall body shaming of all kinds. In the episode Usagi starves herself because she thinks she's too fat, when she hasn't eaten for 1,5 days she faints on her crush (an older guy). He gives her something to drink, and then he tells her when she wakes up that she shouldn't starve herself because HE likes chubby girls. Not because she should accept and love her body just the way it is. That if she was fat, there is nothing wrong with that. That any healthy body is a good body. Or that she shouldn't stave herself because it's really dangerous and not god for her health. No she is trying to alter her body to an ideal that is another than what he finds attractive, implying and supportive of the idea that women and their bodies are valued by how attractive men find them. That what a man thinks about a woman's body is more important then what she thinks herself. And giving that massage in a TV-show for young girls is problematic in so many ways.
Through out the episode from start to finish being thin is talked by all characters (expect mr. older crush guy) like thin=attractive and fat=unattractive, being thin should be strived for, at any cost. Sailor moon even begins her fight with the demon stating that she is fighting for all girls right to try and lose weight. It's great that they want to deal with the complex subjects of body image and exercise/dieting, but the way they did it. They basically did all the things you aren't supposed to do because they are harmful, and non of the positive stuff. (Review of Japanese audio, English subs)
Camp Takota (2014)
The guilty pleasure without the guilt
6/10 +2 stars for being progressive It's a feel good movie about finding love at camp. Which cling a bit Disney teen movie. What you get is a really progressive movie. It's a heart warming comedy, a bitter-sweet storytold through believable dialogue, which contain massages with surprising depth for this genre.
It manages to achieve the feel-good wibe with a sweet massage without losing to much realness or depth and I admire that. The movies most striking characteristic is the mixture of realness and over the top exactly what you would expect to happen but times two. Conventional storyline, told in an unconventional way.
As quite the social justice tumblr activist I have trouble finding comedies that I enjoy, with out feeling like it's a guilty pleasure, but I really liked this one. It earned two extra star because it did so many things right. In many areas and in ways you wouldn't expect.
There were segments I didn't enjoy, some of the storyline and the editing (like the opening scene). The movie is a bit like a rough diamond, some polishing wouldn't hurt, but it's still a freaking diamond.
This is the kind of movie you can watch at a movie night and be sure that it puts everyone in a good mood.