When the 2018 She-Ra and the Princesses of Power reboot was announced, fans of the original were excited—finally, a modern update to a beloved, iconic heroine. But when the first character designs leaked, that excitement turned to confusion, frustration, and for many, disappointment.
And when those fans voiced their concerns? They weren’t met with answers. They were met with labels. This post isn’t about hate. It’s about what went wrong, why people were afraid to talk about it, and why it matters that we do now.
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The Redesign That Sparked a Firestorm
Let’s be blunt: the new Adora didn’t look like She-Ra.
She looked like a gender-neutral athlete, stripped of all femininity, grace, or heroic appeal. Gone was the strong, regal warrior—replaced with a boxy, flat, indistinct figure that, to many, resembled a young boy or a transitioning teen more than a 14-year-old girl with destiny on her shoulders.
People asked:
“Why does she look so masculine?”
“Why erase her femininity?”
“Is this even She-Ra anymore?”
And rather than engage with those questions… the creators and defenders shut them down.
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The Wall of Defense
The response from the show’s team and parts of the media was swift—and condescending.
“You’re just mad she’s not sexualized.”
“You must be sexist.”
“You just can’t handle progress.”
No acknowledgment of legacy. No engagement with the actual critique. Just political shielding. As if to say:
> “If you don’t like it, you’re the problem.”
With that being said and we look at the artistic integrity and ideological arrogance.
Why So Many Fans Stayed Silent
So why didn’t more people speak up?
Because they were afraid. In a time where disagreeing with a design choice could get you branded a bigot, sexist, or worse, many fans chose to stay quiet. Others watched the trailer, enjoyed the animation, and convinced themselves it was "fine." Even if the design still felt off, they let it slide to avoid the online mob.
But Now There’s a Shift
Videos like:
Jayne Theory’s takedown of the Netflix reboot
Analysis of why people actually hated the design
Fans are cheering the Amazon reboot for not following 2018’s direction
…are showing that fans are ready to speak the truth.
The Amazon live-action reboot is confirmed to be a clean slate—it won’t follow the 2018 version—and fans are relieved. Because finally, someone’s listening.
What About Catra?
Let’s not forget Catra’s arc. A character who:
Tried to destroy the world
Betrayed everyone she cared about
Emotionally abused allies
Was complicit in war crimes but she gets a redemption arc with no real consequences, and ends up kissing the protagonist. So was this about storytelling? Or about pushing a symbolic queer romance?
It felt less like justice and more like agenda-driven immunity.
The Real Message
This isn't about being anti-progress. It's about fair storytelling. If a character does wrong, they should face the consequences—no matter their gender, race, or sexuality. If a redesign removes everything iconic about a character, it should be open to critique. And if studios can’t handle feedback, they shouldn’t be making reboots.
Final Thought.
The She-Ra 2018 reboot didn’t fail because fans were hateful. It failed because the creators refused to listen—and shielded weak design behind politics. Art thrives with accountability. And that’s why the Amazon reboot has a chance to get it right. Let’s hope they do. In other news i got one post coming soon of a tale how a bad design got backlash and managed to fixed it while the other is the opposite.
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