I saw that Lola Bunny was trending on Twitter, and I was excited because Lola Bunny is my fav. Then I saw that it was in reaction too her being “de-sexualized” in the recent images shared from the upcoming Space Jam: A New Legacy film. *Deep negro ’90s girl sigh.* Alright, let’s discuss.
I have always loved Lola Bunny, and it’s well documented across videos, podcasts, and content I’ve written for The Mary Sue. I have often defended her Space Jam incarnation as being undervalued simply because she had “bunny boobs”—a criticism I still find frustrating. There are issues with the way Lola is depicted in Space Jam. She is the the only prominent woman, she is mostly interacting with guys, and she is sexualized by the male audience around her. But at the same time, Lola owns the court, is the best player on the team except for Michael Jordan, and when people do flirt with her, she shuts it down. Being sexy doesn’t mean she isn’t cool.
Lola exists as both a creation by male animators and also as a low-key influencer for ’90s kids. I can’t speak for those who were obsessed with “bunny boobs,” but for me, as a kid watching Lola, I never saw her as being “sexy.” I saw her as being cool. I thought it was cool to see a female character holding her own on the court. Still, her sex appeal has been one of the major retaining parts of her persona.
When I try to buy Lola Bunny art prints on Etsy, most of them are pornographic in nature. Thankfully, this has been changing slightly over time, but as a fan and defender of the character, I can also understand why the creators would tone down the outfit she was wearing. It was a look, but it was a tank top and short shorts—not to mention one of the piece of art going around to compare her look from the ’90s film to now was literally fan art that made her look even more like a pinup than the film itself, which is false comparison.
I think Space Jam 2 Lola looks good. She looks sporty, and I think her outfit more reflects the sport. The CGI I’m not totally crazy about, but I think it is potentially really compelling. Sadly, her being sexy ended up the only thing some people honestly took away from her character, so maybe this will allow people to acknowledge her other traits.
All that matters to me is her personality. I disliked the Looney Tunes Show for making her “wacky” personality being obsessed with Bugs Bunny. That’s a downgrade to me, especially when her personality in the film wasn’t ever the issue. It was how she was framed. Also, can she not be the only woman on the Tune Squad? We need more ladies around Lola.
In conclusion, stop talking about bunny boobs, for god sakes. Who cares? We have so much anime furry porn already, so why are we having this conversation?
Also, if you want to see what I’d consider the best version of Lola Bunny, check out the small comic run she had. They are fun and Lola gets to be a cool rascal.
(via Newsweek, featured image: Warner Bros.)
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