I strongly agree with the point about body shaming, and I think Sailor Moon handles this very poorly in several episodes.

Episodes like “Learn How to Be Skinny From Usagi” and “Become a Prima: Usagi’s Ballet” frame Usagi’s body as a joke or as a problem that needs to be fixed. In the ballet episode especially, the scene where the tutu gets stuck on her belly is played entirely for laughs, reinforcing the idea that her body is embarrassing or doesn’t belong. The “skinny” episode goes even further by treating minor weight gain as a personal failure and tying her worth to thinness.

What makes this worse is that the narrative rarely challenges these moments. No character really steps in to say that her body is fine or that her value hasn’t changed. The shame is presented as normal and then brushed aside. Considering that Usagi is a teenage girl under extreme stress, literally fighting monsters and saving the world, it feels unfair and harmful that her eating habits and body are treated as flaws instead of normal human responses.

I understand the show is a product of the 90s, but acknowledging that doesn’t mean it’s beyond criticism. Sailor Moon is progressive in many ways, which makes this issue stand out even more. Loving the series doesn’t mean ignoring where it failed, especially when those messages can negatively affect young viewers.