NOTE: I am not a professional writer, I do not get paid to write these (or write anything tbh) I am simply a lonely depressed lesbian looking for a media outlet to put my opinion out there :)
I do not expect nor want anyone to randomly agree with me if their opinion is they disagree with me
If you’re on twitter or tiktok or any form of social media, you’ve probably seen this said quite often. That they want a “wlw Heartstopper” — here’s my main issue with that quote —
Note: I am a lesbian
And I am well aware this might be an opinion not many people will support, which is fine. This is simply my opinion
Now onto the article:
Firstly, what is “wlw?”
WLW means “women love women” which can include lesbians, bisexual, pansexual. Queer women, basically
To continue:
“I want a wlw Heartstopper”
For those who don’t know, Heartstopper is a popular webcomic turned into a book series turned into a Netflix series that focuses on the teenage romance between two boys. Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring. The show focuses on Nick’s journey to discover his sexuality and how you should never outright assume someone is straight because of how they act, look, dress, etc. And eventually, Nick learns he’s bisexual after realizing he likes Charlie.
Shows like Heartstopper are very important for queer media and queer rep in general. Especially because it shows how the journey of discovering your sexuality and the way it becomes a realization of “Oh my God, I’m not straight,”
Now, onto my problem with this “I want a wlw Heartstopper”
The reality of it all is simple: If we got that, people would tear it apart
Within the past year, shows with wlw characters or are generalized as wlw shows have been canceled in less than the span of a year, which of course, caused anger by the wlw community, and understandably so! But the issue lies with people wanting a ‘wlw Heartstopper’
As someone who craves queer media as a whole, I enjoy Heartstopper and enjoy Nick and Charlie’s story. I admire how Nick discovered his sexuality and later admits and accepts it. I loved how patient Charlie was as Nick discovered his sexuality and how at the end, they became boyfriends. I also love the lesbian rep (Tara and Darcy) and the trans rep (Elle, a trans girl)
My biggest issue with this is the fact that is not only does it take away the mlm rep of Heartstopper itself, it is that within the span of a year or so, we have gotten wlw media just as cute and sweet as Heartstopper
An example would be “Crush (2022)” Starring Rowan Blanchard and Auli’I Cravalho. The show focused on teenage Paige who’s an artist trying out for the track team to win her crush over, but things end up differently than she expected. This movie is as cute and cheesy as Heartstopper is, but apparently, it was “too corny” according to people who watched it
Every piece of WLW media we’ve received within the past few years have always been loved by many people but also criticized by a mass majority of those within the wlw community itself.
This is not to say you can’t voice your opinion on certain shows/books/media, but recognize the hypocrisy that lies when you constantly ask for a wlw Heartstopper while bashing the media we have
In June of 2022, Netflix released their original series ‘First Kill’ focusing on teenage monster hunter Calliope Burns (Imani Lewis) and teenage vampire Juliette Fairmont (Sarah Catherine Hook) — their story focuses on both of them needing their first kill but something else happens instead.
This show was released and it was immediately loved by wlw and mlm fans alike. But there were other people who heavily disliked it and said it was ‘too sexual’ and pander to the ‘male gaze’ too much
This is the constant criticism of wlw media made by the same people who insist wlw deserves a show as cute and cheesy as Heartstopper.
“Too corny”
“Too cheesy”
“Too sexual”
“Not cute enough”
“Not gay enough.”
The question is: What would you say or do if you got a wlw Heartstopper? Would you finally get your wish OR would you say it’s too corny and not cute enough?
That’s my main issue with that phrase.
Have a good day
A.J Riley
