As the Guardians of the Galaxy inch closer to the end of a trilogy, there’s a lot of excitement and trepidation about the final movie in a solid series. In the trailer, we see Rocket Raccoon facing past trauma, Gamora learning who she was/is pre-Avengers: End Game, Groot growing into his NFL era, and much more about each character. With the newest trailer, Marvel released a new poster and while I don’t love it by any means, it does capture the comedy-about-your-family tone.
Also, it prompts more questions about the importance of the new furry creature joining the Guardians. While one would think a good dog would be the focus, one Twitter user was actually appalled by something else and decided to body-shame instead of leaving the room to go touch grass.
Not only is this gross and WEIRD to freak out about the size and shape of a character’s breast because it doesn’t cater to your fantasy, but this is very reminiscent of that person upset that Huntress in Birds of Prey had a slim physique (though the same crowd hated a lot about that movie) and the others crying about Horizon Zero Dawn’s main character having hair on her face. Additionally, this is not unlike Hollywood’s attitude towards Kiera Knightly’s body the first few years of her career. You know, when they made her breasts bigger on the poster for no reason but to satiate the male gaze? Nebula has faced torture and major body modifications by Thanos, but this person is really mad at some missing metal.
Like airbrushing abs on men, women have long had their bodies modified for this purpose in films and advertising. There’s airbrushing, foam padding and a number of other more direct changes that go beyond a simple difference in bra type. Lots of films featuring female action stars have relied on the push-up bra despite how unreasonable that is when fighting and jumping—not that there needs to be a “reason,” but the poster just appears to be … Nebula in a sports bra.
@rynnstar Grass is just so wonderful to touch! #GOTG3 ♬ original sound – Certified Angry Black Woman™️
My favorite brand of clapback is people pointing out the other character changes in a way to show how ridiculous this anger is—things like Drax’s pectoral coverage and Star-Lord looking 5% less ripped. That is, when it’s discussed facetiously to point out how ludicrous it is, because I don’t think nor hope that these are serious thoughts, unlike the original poster. I love that we’re moving away from every superhero needing to look dehydrated or ready for a Maxim photoshoot.
This kind of insistence is why, if you really want to see big-titty Nebula, I can guarantee you can just type in “Nebula fan art” with no other adjective and find what you so desperately crave.
Queue the transphobia
Other than the obvious creeps who would be upset about this, there’s also a mini-battle about how “trans” this is. At first, I saw only the good side of the conversation, like non-binary people and others claiming Nebula as one of their own. (Not a new reclamation, by the way.) However, it quickly dissolved into common transphobic rhetoric regarding “mutilation” and the like because, of course, it’s Disney. Disney has always been in the sights of censors and conservatives. I don’t want to share that nastiness, so enjoy this, instead.
(featured image: Marvel/Disney)
