Hey everyone! It’s been 5 years since I posted on here last, and I feel really nostalgic writing this post. I don’t know if anyone is still here to see this, but I couldn’t resist coming back on here to write about my thoughts on Netflix’s new Winx Club live action. In short, I’m sorely disappointed. But I was never one for being short, so that’s what this post is for!
What ruined Fate for me right off the bat was the blatant whitewashing. When I first heard news of a live action starting its production, I was ecstatic. I had just started college and everything was starting to feel too serious in my life. News of a Winx live action really lifted my spirits and had me anticipating a little bit of magic that would bring me back to my childhood. Alas, Fate brought me the opposite of that magic. When the casting for the show was first announced, I was appalled. The incredibly diverse cast of Winx, with 3/6 girls of color, had been whitewashed. The only girl of color left was Layla. Musa (who is Asian) was to be played by a white actress who was racially ambiguous at best. Flora (who is Latina) was also to be played by a white actress. Yes, the character’s name is Terra, and the show claims that she is Flora’s cousin. However, I did some digging, and the actress’s acting resume clearly stated that her role in Fate was “Flora”. Name changing to justify whitewashing. Thanks, Netflix.
I want to focus on Musa specifically because the whitewashing was the most obvious with her, as opposed to Flora, who at least had her name changed to Terra. As a child, Winx was one of the few cartoons that made me feel represented. As an Asian American, seeing Musa on screen meant so much to me. Back then (and even now), Asian characters were often stereotypical. Musa was different. She wasn’t your typical Asian stereotype, and that was inspiring to me. My greatest passion has to be the performing arts—specifically, singing and acting. But the entertainment industry is white-dominated. All my life, I have been told that I would never be able to make it in the industry because I was Asian. Musa gave me strength, especially because she was associated with singing. I was devastated when I saw who they picked to be her actress. I am not joking when I say my heart aches every time I see that actress’s face associated with Musa’s name. Every time I search up something about Musa and I see her instead. Elisha Applebaum’s casting as Musa felt like a huge step backwards for representation in the entertainment industry. Netflix either couldn’t bother or didn’t want to cast a racially accurate actress for the character. They could find a real redhead for Bloom, but couldn’t bother to find an Asian actress for Musa. Again, thanks a lot, Netflix. This could just be me, but there’s something about the way they do the actress’s makeup in every scene that makes me feel like they’re attempting to make her look more Asian. Especially the winged eyeliner—she’s the only one out of all of them with her makeup done that way. I have seen speculation that she could possibly have some Asian blood in her, that her grandpa is somewhat Asian. That doesn’t matter. Her official casting page clearly acknowledges that her ethnic type is white. Just because she might be 10% Asian doesn’t mean she can accurately represent an Asian character. If people watching can’t even identify her as Asian, what’s the point of calling it representation? That’s like saying it’s okay for the singer Halsey, who is half black, to play Layla. That is NOT okay. The truth of it is, Elisha is white/white-passing, and cannot accurately represent a person of color. This point is the main reason why, as the title suggests, I wish Fate: The Winx Saga didn’t exist. It has permanently tainted Musa’s character. This whitewashed version of Musa will always be officially attached to Winx, and I hate it. The show I loved for its diversity has been permanently linked to this blatant case of whitewashing.
Besides the whitewashing, I just thought the show as a whole did absolutely no justice to Winx. If they didn’t have the same names as the Winx, I would never have realized this show’s source material was Winx Club. Winx was lighthearted and heavily centered around friendship. Fate is unnecessarily dark and the “Winx” seem to hate each other. Friendship where? I forced myself to watch the whole show, and all 5 girls acted like they couldn’t stand being near one another. It would have been refreshing to see a fun, bright show that stayed true to what Winx Club was. At this point, I feel like they just tacked on the Winx name to get more views. The writing was also…questionable. There was this weird love triangle between Bloom, Stella, and Sky that made me feel extremely uncomfortable. Dane, a new character, also made no sense to me. His personality change was very abrupt, and his obsession with the villainess was never explained. And do not get me started on the fashion. Winx Club’s outfits are iconic, but for some reason, Fate chose to style their actresses in what looked to me like something middle-aged women would wear.
Overall, if Fate was in no way connected to Winx Club, I would’ve been content to watch it as a way to pass time. Taking its affiliation with Winx into account, however, changes everything. I really hope this show gets cancelled after its next season. I don’t want it trampling all over Winx’s name more than it already has. Also, where the heck is Tecna?
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