Is She-Ra and the Princesses of Power woke?
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
TV Show
Released: January 1, 2018
Wokeness Score
9/10
Activist / Didactic
The story exists mainly to deliver a woke ideological lecture. Themes are heavy-handed, preachy, and feel forced or unnatural. Entertainment value is secondary, and viewers frequently feel lectured or alienated.
Key Summary Points
- Central plot climax features on-screen lesbian kiss between leads Adora and Catra as revolutionary queer representation.
- Cast deliberately diverse in gender fluidity, ethnicity, body types, and identities with almost no heterosexual characters.
- Creator explicitly promoted show as advancing LGBTQ agenda and addressing toxic masculinity and heteronormativity.
Wokeness Analysis
The 2018 Netflix reboot of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power was intentionally crafted by showrunner ND Stevenson as a vehicle for progressive messaging, prioritizing LGBTQ+ representation and diversity over traditional storytelling. Creators deliberately made the cast almost entirely female and highly diverse in ethnicity, body types, and identities, with explicit goals of scrubbing toxic masculinity, heteronormativity, and other perceived societal ills from the narrative. The central Adora-Catra relationship builds to an on-screen same-sex kiss as the series climax, framed by Stevenson as advancing 'the gay agenda,' and the show features fluid gender and sexuality coding across characters with no clear heterosexual defaults. Themes of imperialism, colonization, trauma from abusive relationships, and breaking free from indoctrination are woven in to support queer and feminist interpretations. Early seasons used subtext for plausible deniability, but later ones made the messaging overt once fan support was secured. Conservative viewers and critics have widely criticized the series for feeling preachy, with entertainment secondary to ideological lectures on identity, relationships, and power structures. This didactic approach alienates audiences seeking escapism, as the story exists primarily to normalize and celebrate progressive social politics in children's animation.
Plot
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power follows Adora, an orphan raised as a soldier in the evil Horde on planet Etheria. Discovering a magical sword transforms her into the legendary warrior She-Ra, leading her to join the Rebellion of magical princesses against the tyrannical Horde led by Hordak. Her former best friend Catra becomes her archenemy amid themes of betrayal, redemption, and alliance-building. Over five seasons, the series depicts the fight against imperialism and mind control, culminating in the defeat of Horde Prime. The reboot updates the 1980s original with serialized storytelling, complex character relationships, and a focus on personal growth amid larger conflicts.