Not to long ago, an article was posted highlighting an upcoming cartoon that is set to premiere on The Hub network known as Shezow. The premise follows the adventures of a young crime fighter who uses the powers of femininity to battle all sorts of villains trying to take over the city. Just one thing, though: Shezow is a boy.
In what came as a surprise to absolutely nobody who's been on the internet before, several terrible things happened as a result of the article being posted. The first was that the author of the article had gotten many, many key facts about the show incorrect, which resulted in the next bad thing: 10 pages of comic book nerds debating over gender issues, which could have been mostly avoided if the proper research had been done. However, my job is not to point fingers (because really, it was clearly an honest mistake on the author's part, and we all know people here have argued over much dumber stuff). No, my job here is to clear the air on both the show and the titular character, as I have actually been a fan of the show since it premiered back in December.
Before you ask how, though, I'll just state that the show is actually of Australian origin, and had premiered there originally before being set to broadcast stateside. So far, 8 episodes had been shown, giving the show a very small but dedicated fanbase on websites such as 4chan and Tumblr. Being a frequent user of both sites, not to mention being an aspiring drag queen, myself, I quickly fell in love with the show. And I want nothing more than for it to be successful. However, with great success comes great understanding. Here are the two big things about the show that you must know before you start flippin' yer wigs and flappin'yer gams.
1) Shezow is NOT a transgender character, nor does HE turn into a girl!
The basic premise of the show is that a rather macho boy named Guy Hamdon and his snobby twin sister, Kelly Hamdon, discover a magic ring in the basement of their late aunt's basement. Kelly becomes ecstatic and explains that their aunt was in actuality the popular superhero Shezow, a legacy superheroine who's powers are passed down to the next generation upon the wearer's death. Guy, not believing her, snatches up the ring before she can put it on, immediately donning his aunt's getup, complete with big hair, a skirt, and gogo boots. The ring cannot be removed, meaning that guy is now stuck with the powers of his aunt.
He does not, however, transform into a girl himself, nor does he express any interest in doing so. The only reason that he even initially decides to go along with it is so because he finds all of the kick-ass gadgets that come along with the get-up. Even his best friend, Maz, who initially laughs at Guy's predicament at first, quickly comes to accept it, and supports Guy as a superhero by opting to be his sidekick (he comes up with a new superhero motif every episode, sometimes more than one per episode). The only person whom Guy is afraid of finding out is his father, a police officer. And no, it's because he's a homophobe or anything, it's just that while Guy's aunt was Shezow, she would often take his father's glory from apprehending bad guys. Rest assured, there are no blatant references to sexuality or gender identity in the show. This leads into the next major point.
2) Neither Shezow nor it's creator, have any political message behind the show, and it's not out to turn children gay!
This is probably the biggest issue that most people seem to have when they hear about the show (not "watch"). There is this idea that, somehow, the show is meant to be ABOUT promoting tolerance towards the transgender community. There is also this idea that, in some way or another, this show is going to make your son or daughter want to crossdress. First of all, interviews with the show's creator, Obie Scott Wade, show that all signs point to "NO!" as far as politics is concerned, and has been quoted saying how it is simply a parody of Captain Marvel in many ways, while also exploring other comic book related tropes and cliches.
It is also not meant to poke fun at transgendered folk or at women, either, despite the presence of hyper-femininity in the hero's motif. No, like with most drag queens, it is a means of exemplifying the female zeitgeist. One episode shows how each of the past Shezows have varying costumes, gadgets, and powersets based around their respective time-periods, which just further drives home the fact that all it is meant to be is the story of a boy who's inherited a legacy not meant for him.
If there is ONE message to be found, it is the idea that it is not wrong to be feminine and to be strong. Too often, both in media and real life, men need to be portrayed as submissive or pushovers if they wish to exhibit feminine qualities, where-as women have to be seen as tomboys just so they can get an excuse to kick some ass. And while we do get exceptions such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Shoreleave from The Venture Bros, such examples are still few and far between, and often not so easily accessible to kids. But a story like Shezow is not just a means for which we can see one boy become a man by learning to develop a strong sense of righteousness via responsibility that is strange and foreign to him (not unlike similar stories such as Dances With Wolves or Avatar), but also that it is okay to conform to any sort of gender/social binary you want and still be able to hold your own. Even in the show, the main character has no issues with still enjoying things synonymous with young males his age (sports, video games, etc), while still maintaining the feminine persona he also posses. It's not about turning kids one way or the other. It's reassurance that their way is fine, and that's all without intention from the creators of the show.
If you really wish to learn more about the show, feel free to watch the first episode for free on The Hub's website (no embed code to post here sadly), or you can catch it this Saturday, June 1st, on The Hub at 12:30pm. In the meantime, here's the show's theme song. Warning: This song will be stuck in your head for DAYS!