Written by Emma Roberts, Graphics by District Staff
Oftentimes it can be difficult to judge how media can affect your life. You don’t even really get to know how it did until long after.
I first heard about “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power” my freshman year of college. I was 18 years old, and had moved halfway across the country and completely scared. My grades were poor, but I had somehow managed to get accepted into SCAD.
I had heard the show was good from my roommate, who was a big fan. She told me I would like it based on some of my other interests and I started watching.
The story was quite straightforward; Adora, a young fighter, finds a magical sword in the woods which turns her into the princess She-Ra, and she teams up with a rebellion to fight evil. Along the way, they gather more friends. After the first episode, I was hooked. From the gorgeous animation to the intrigue and mystery surrounding the sword and She-Ra, there was something about the show that sucked me in.
During this point in my life, I was quite lost. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do in college, and I had a hard time making friends. The only thing that gave me respite was the show, where newfound friends came together to defeat evil, external and internal. Looking back, “She-Ra” helped me with my own insecurities. It’s a show with themes of camaraderie, friendship and overcoming trauma and pain. It was something I related to strongly. Eventually, I was able to get a sense of my trauma and take the first steps to overcome it. I was able to make friendships and find passion in the things I did. I think, in some way, “She-Ra” helped with that.
I was considered a gifted kid when I was younger. I excelled in math, English and reading. Everyone around me told me how talented I was. For much of my life, I was the child that would go to Harvard at 16, someone who would excel throughout school. Everyone told me what my fate would be, but I didn’t know what I wanted for myself. I was told I would be successful and then, well, I wasn’t. My grades averaged out to those of my peers, and it destroyed me. I considered myself a failure, obliterating the already poor work ethic I had, and I ended up in very dark places.
Adora is written much the same way. Once she got the sword, a destiny was placed upon her. She was the mighty She-Ra, destined to save the world and defeat evil. So many people told her what she needed to do, but Adora never knew what she wanted. Throughout the entire show, friends and enemies told her what she was, who she would become and what terrible fate awaited her if she failed. And, eventually, she did. Adora struggled, believing she was nothing without the sword, that she was nothing without She-Ra. She thought she was worthless, destined to live out the terrible fate everyone told her she would have.
Things did turn around. Adora learned that she was strong on her own, worth more than what other people expected of her and more than what she could give to other people.
Hearing that crushed me. For so long I thought I was only worth my GPA, how many writing awards I won or if I got into a photography gallery. I’m more than that though. Every time I rewatch “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power,” I remember that. Adora is strong, with friends, capable and worth more than what other people tell her. And so am I.
