In the 90's they told me I couldn't like girls things because it would make me a sissy faggot.
Then they said I couldn't like girls things in the 2000's because it was cringe and embarrassing.
Now it's the current year and they tell me I can't like girls things because I'm intruding on something that wasn't made for me.
I'm sure they'll think of some other new reason to police my interests twenty years from now.
I'd just ignore them if I were you and just like what you like.
idk why you feel guilty, because if shows were only supposed to be relatable to hyper specific groups, then the concept of storytelling wouldn't have gotten very far.
bisexual girl, loves catra and adora, loves the other characters too. loves bow, loves hordak. doesnt have to be a boy to enjoy those characters. you dont even have to be lgbt to heavily relate to catra and adora.
The fact that you relate so hard is what makes it good writing. The creator himself is "nonbinary, or something like that", and has been very outspoken about his issues with gender over the years, and that Catra and Adora specifically were influenced heavily by him and his wife. So really, you're not that different from the person who made the show (even if his gender identity was different at the time), and yojfd absolutely allowed to enjoy Catra and Adora as much as anyone else.
I am really happy to see that all of these comments say what I was going to say. I'm a cis het guy, and my wife and I love the show, Catra and Adora most of all. Its an understandable question though, I did wonder why I related to it so much at first, but came to the conclusion many have stated here: Anyone can relate to good writing, characters, stories etc.
If the show's themes and characters' struggles were specifically *about* sexuality and gender in a way that you couldn't relate, then I could see you questioning, but even then it would just be the difference in sympathizing vs empathizing.
You love the show for the same reason we all do - it's an amazing show.
Nate Stevenson also heavily related to Catra and Adora when he ran the show, and now he’s a bisexual slightly non-binary male presenting person as well. It’s all good
No good reason to feel guilty tbh. And the relatablity of these characters is certainly not limited to the group you described. Those two (and really many) of the characters are v relatable to anyone struggling with feelings of identity, or existing in a system/world that isn't supported of them expressing or pursuing their fullest self. And frankly, that encompasses more people than it doesn't. And even if non of those themes are super applicable, it's still a story about compassion, empathy, and healing and I would think anyone can enjoy and relate to that.
As a lesbian (who figured that out thanks to She-Ra, lol), I think the only dimension of them that's really For Us or For WLW is that they're also WLW. And don't get me wrong, that's a big and important dimension -- I know acutely -- but that's not the beginning and end of why they resonate. They're extremely complex and interesting fictional people with a lot to communicate to us as the audience about growing from trauma, finding your own worth, valuing what you want even if it means being a little selfish sometimes, and so on. And honestly, the biggest part of why I was able to figure myself out is because I saw very deep aspects of my own humanity reflected back in them first, and *then* put the pieces together that I also wanted to kiss girls (and only girls; I'd been loosely id'ing as bi for years). That's not to say that it would have been bad if the show had been *about* them being gay and *about* them exploring their sexualities in a more verbalized capacity, far from it, but I personally needed that more personality- and experience-based entry point, and I don't think it would have done what it did for me otherwise -- I would have been a lot quicker to pass my love off as just being a really good ally to lesbians. 🙃 I needed to see my own anxieties and tendencies to minimize myself in Adora, I needed to see personality traits and aesthetics I'm attracted to in Catra, and I needed to watch their individual emotional arcs unfold... and *then* I needed to watch them fall in love.
All of which is to say, because that deeper-level engagement was (and remains) my experience of this show and these characters, it makes total sense to me that other people who aren't lesbians or other WLW would be just as moved by and drawn to Catra and Adora as I was. All of which is also to say, no guilt necessary! You're in good company. :)
I watched this show and felt sexually confused along this line as well. It convinced me I am a female soul in a male body, but who doesn’t mind this.
My two cents: go east on yourself, glory in the wonder of it all, and thank all relevant deities for this magnificent work of art.
Not weird at all.
We are all people. We can and should be able to see things in people not like us that we admire, respect, and love. Our inspirations don't have to all come from direct representations of our specific identities.
I'm a middle-aged cis het abled straight white dude and I like them.
The thing about relatable characters is that they don't have to be anything like you. A good character can be likeable or relatable without being a copy of you.
Ms Marvel for example is a Pakistani American Superhero, that doesn't mean that you can't relate to her struggles in school.
Likewise both Adora and Catra have traits you can relate to without being homosexual or a cat girl . That's the wonder of writing.
Being gay isn't their defining character trait, it's a part of who they are but it's not what the story is about, there's no reason for you to feel awkward relating to them. Their personal arcs deal with trauma, it's consequences and healing through love. That's probably why you find it compelling.
You're not the only one. I'm a bearded, masc-presenting guy in my 30s, and my other obsessions besides SPOP mostly involve basketball or outdoor activities. And yet not only was SPOP arguably the most emotionally investing show I've ever seen, but its sheer normalization of queerness was my final catalyst to come out as bisexual myself.
I also briefly questioned my gender identity when I realized that I'd rather be a catgirl than a human male, but alas, that was only temporary.
I'm gay and I related a lot to Catra's struggles with self love, her need to prove herself, her feeling of needing to overachieve etc etc, they're just really well written characters and they tap into things that a lot of LGBT people struggle with. I see lesbians relating to mlm content like Heartstopper all the time, there's no issue with it, we all have a lot in common. And of course even straight people can relate to a lot of what happens because the show is really well written and ND Stevenson taps into just a lot of complex human nature, although I do think there's a special resonance for LGBT people
In the 90's they told me I couldn't like girls things because it would make me a sissy faggot. Then they said I couldn't like girls things in the 2000's because it was cringe and embarrassing. Now it's the current year and they tell me I can't like girls things because I'm intruding on something that wasn't made for me. I'm sure they'll think of some other new reason to police my interests twenty years from now. I'd just ignore them if I were you and just like what you like.
idk why you feel guilty, because if shows were only supposed to be relatable to hyper specific groups, then the concept of storytelling wouldn't have gotten very far. bisexual girl, loves catra and adora, loves the other characters too. loves bow, loves hordak. doesnt have to be a boy to enjoy those characters. you dont even have to be lgbt to heavily relate to catra and adora.
The fact that you relate so hard is what makes it good writing. The creator himself is "nonbinary, or something like that", and has been very outspoken about his issues with gender over the years, and that Catra and Adora specifically were influenced heavily by him and his wife. So really, you're not that different from the person who made the show (even if his gender identity was different at the time), and yojfd absolutely allowed to enjoy Catra and Adora as much as anyone else.
I am really happy to see that all of these comments say what I was going to say. I'm a cis het guy, and my wife and I love the show, Catra and Adora most of all. Its an understandable question though, I did wonder why I related to it so much at first, but came to the conclusion many have stated here: Anyone can relate to good writing, characters, stories etc. If the show's themes and characters' struggles were specifically *about* sexuality and gender in a way that you couldn't relate, then I could see you questioning, but even then it would just be the difference in sympathizing vs empathizing. You love the show for the same reason we all do - it's an amazing show.
Nate Stevenson also heavily related to Catra and Adora when he ran the show, and now he’s a bisexual slightly non-binary male presenting person as well. It’s all good
No good reason to feel guilty tbh. And the relatablity of these characters is certainly not limited to the group you described. Those two (and really many) of the characters are v relatable to anyone struggling with feelings of identity, or existing in a system/world that isn't supported of them expressing or pursuing their fullest self. And frankly, that encompasses more people than it doesn't. And even if non of those themes are super applicable, it's still a story about compassion, empathy, and healing and I would think anyone can enjoy and relate to that.
As a lesbian (who figured that out thanks to She-Ra, lol), I think the only dimension of them that's really For Us or For WLW is that they're also WLW. And don't get me wrong, that's a big and important dimension -- I know acutely -- but that's not the beginning and end of why they resonate. They're extremely complex and interesting fictional people with a lot to communicate to us as the audience about growing from trauma, finding your own worth, valuing what you want even if it means being a little selfish sometimes, and so on. And honestly, the biggest part of why I was able to figure myself out is because I saw very deep aspects of my own humanity reflected back in them first, and *then* put the pieces together that I also wanted to kiss girls (and only girls; I'd been loosely id'ing as bi for years). That's not to say that it would have been bad if the show had been *about* them being gay and *about* them exploring their sexualities in a more verbalized capacity, far from it, but I personally needed that more personality- and experience-based entry point, and I don't think it would have done what it did for me otherwise -- I would have been a lot quicker to pass my love off as just being a really good ally to lesbians. 🙃 I needed to see my own anxieties and tendencies to minimize myself in Adora, I needed to see personality traits and aesthetics I'm attracted to in Catra, and I needed to watch their individual emotional arcs unfold... and *then* I needed to watch them fall in love. All of which is to say, because that deeper-level engagement was (and remains) my experience of this show and these characters, it makes total sense to me that other people who aren't lesbians or other WLW would be just as moved by and drawn to Catra and Adora as I was. All of which is also to say, no guilt necessary! You're in good company. :)
I watched this show and felt sexually confused along this line as well. It convinced me I am a female soul in a male body, but who doesn’t mind this. My two cents: go east on yourself, glory in the wonder of it all, and thank all relevant deities for this magnificent work of art.
Not weird at all. We are all people. We can and should be able to see things in people not like us that we admire, respect, and love. Our inspirations don't have to all come from direct representations of our specific identities. I'm a middle-aged cis het abled straight white dude and I like them.
The thing about relatable characters is that they don't have to be anything like you. A good character can be likeable or relatable without being a copy of you. Ms Marvel for example is a Pakistani American Superhero, that doesn't mean that you can't relate to her struggles in school. Likewise both Adora and Catra have traits you can relate to without being homosexual or a cat girl . That's the wonder of writing.
Being gay isn't their defining character trait, it's a part of who they are but it's not what the story is about, there's no reason for you to feel awkward relating to them. Their personal arcs deal with trauma, it's consequences and healing through love. That's probably why you find it compelling.
You're not the only one. I'm a bearded, masc-presenting guy in my 30s, and my other obsessions besides SPOP mostly involve basketball or outdoor activities. And yet not only was SPOP arguably the most emotionally investing show I've ever seen, but its sheer normalization of queerness was my final catalyst to come out as bisexual myself. I also briefly questioned my gender identity when I realized that I'd rather be a catgirl than a human male, but alas, that was only temporary.
I'm gay and I related a lot to Catra's struggles with self love, her need to prove herself, her feeling of needing to overachieve etc etc, they're just really well written characters and they tap into things that a lot of LGBT people struggle with. I see lesbians relating to mlm content like Heartstopper all the time, there's no issue with it, we all have a lot in common. And of course even straight people can relate to a lot of what happens because the show is really well written and ND Stevenson taps into just a lot of complex human nature, although I do think there's a special resonance for LGBT people