Slayerette89

Yeah, it is probably the budget. But I’m especially sorry Smackle was excluded from Girl Meets the Great Lady of New York though. I read somewhere on tumblr that Ceci is Filipino by background (haven’t fact checked, so dunno if it’s true), so her exploring her heritage could have been interesting. Then again maybe. It’s not like this show would ever acknowledge colonialism and imperialism exist and touching upon the Philippines without that could potentially be very annoying.

I see what you guys mean about the importance of change and Smackle still remaining unique in her style. It’s just that framing girls/women adopting more feminine style as part of character growth is such a common and imo terrible trope. Plus, the audience responses along the lines “so awesome this female character can be smart/tough AND feminine.” Like there is an abundance of gender non conforming girls/women in media. Plus, it almost never goes the other way round, most typically feminine female characters don’t renounce make-up, high heels, fashionable clothes, etc. by the end of the story as part of change/growth.

Awesome Nerds

Well okay... for my part, I have never worn makeup, I have never felt I needed to or wanted to. And I never wore dresses and skirts. But then recently I have gotten into wearing dresses. It's not that I felt pressured in any way, but I found something that made me feel good, and I ran with it. Maybe for Smackle it was something like that, too. She found something she liked and she let it guide her into a discovery of another side of herself she liked. We know Smackle understands where she stands, so that change may have come out of a very natural place that said 'hey, I like this, I'm going to explore this.'

Slayerette89

Sorry if that felt like a personal attack. I get what you’re saying. I’ve had a shifting relationship with feminine style my entire life so far. I too can definitely see some aspects of myself in pop culture stories about girls who are similar to me in that sense.

But I still dislike how mass media bombards us with images of beauty-saloned, photo-shopped women, which make a lot of us feel inadequate because we compare ourselves to these non-existent women. Not to mention, feminine style is often time&money-consuming, impractical and uncomfortable, but women are so used to putting up with it for the sake of beauty. TV shows and movies in particular reinforce feminine style as natural for women when they give us narratives about women “growing” into it. The few female characters who slightly question and/or reject feminine style at the beginning of the story tend to change their mind by the end of it. I don’t expect any better from the entertainment industry, but it still annoys me.

Awesome Nerds

I didn't see it as an attack at all And I totally know what you mean there, believe me, although in Smackle's case, it doesn't feel like an exaggeration at all, it's something right in the lines of what I explained, of finding something that you liked and going with it

rocky845

Hi, friends! I'm so glad that TPTB have created such a unique character. I like that she started out as Farkle's nemesis, and how that rivalry slowly softened where she decided to leave Einstein Academy to become part of our gang.


^ I agree. I think Smackle has been hanging around Riley and Maya enough that she has started to slowly branch out of her little bubble when it comes to the clothes that she's wearing. At this point, her style is probably the result of experimentation to see what she feels comfortable in.

Awesome Nerds

Welcome!

And well said!

rocky845

^ Thanks. I'm happy to be here.

I like how Smackle says things that we are thinking but that we would never say. I find her refreshing.

Slayerette89

Lol, true. She has no filter.

I love Riley and Maya, but Smacke is probably my favorite female character. I fell in love with her from the moment she was introduced. She was so non-conformist, self-confident and outsmarted everyone. I loved it. I mostly love how she was written from then on too. The only thing I object to are the insinuations she has a crush on Lucas that started around the New Year ep. It's my headcanon she sees nothing special in him either look-wise or personality-wise. And that was actually canon before that episode.

Awesome Nerds

Her confidence shines so brightly I love that about here...

Like I said in the other thread, I think it might be something like "he's the hot guy, and she thinks it's what she should be doing."

rocky845

^ I know! I wish I was as confident as she is.


I identify most with Smackle, even though I'm not half as smart as she is. I think that I'm socially awkward at times, and it seems like Smackle doesn't know how to act or what to say sometimes. The only difference between us is that she tends to just say whatever thought floats into her head, and I tend to keep my thoughts to myself. At this point, I'm just trying not to be bothered too much by her crush on Lucas. I think it's mostly to get laughs and break up tense moments.

Awesome Nerds

So happy to see more Smackle fans!

rocky845

^ Aw, does Smackle not get a lot of love?

Awesome Nerds

I just mean the thread was a little lonelier before

starryeyesxx

I can definitely see both sides of the debate about her style. On the one hands, it's as if the writers are trying to make it seem like because Smackle has grown now & is a more confident & happier character that she'll dress in a way that is more convetionally pretty. Which obviously isn't really a good message. On the other hand, it shows her embracing things that she looked down on before & becoming more comfortable in her skin.

Not really sure where I stand on this.....I kinda wish that she did stick with her old style, just because you don't see enough (or any) female characters who don't dress in the conventionally 'pretty' and feminine way, & it would give a lot of girls someonw to relate to....

Awesome Nerds

I don't know about 'any girls', there are some out there

As for Smackle, I definitely see her as showing confidence and growth and just finding something that she liked and that worked for her.