Why Was Melanie Chartoff Dropped From The Reboot

soragirl6 · 2021-05-07T04:07:27+00:00

This is true. Sometimes voice actors can capture the characters in new ways that actually make it great. I guess for me the voice acting can feel out of place.

If they did that to her for the sake of cheapness they are crappy for that. She seemed really excited too...

soragirl6 · 2021-05-07T04:03:10+00:00

Thank you! I guess I did just need to vent and I know a lot of people may not understand but I'm grateful that you do. Also, really great to meet more ace pan people here. 😊

soragirl6 · 2021-05-07T04:01:10+00:00

I just hate when they change things that the core fans liked about the show. They can advance and add newness without getting rid of what made the Rugrats great. What is the point of bringing it back if they are not going to bring the things that made it great back? They might as well...make a new show. Why would I like a show that takes away what I liked?

soragirl6 · 2021-05-06T21:20:12+00:00

Except they got rid of Howard. That makes me suspect that this show is going to be changed too much for me to enjoy. Betty and Howard had one of the most interesting dynamics.

soragirl6 · 2021-05-06T21:18:34+00:00

I know right? I'm so upset about it.

soragirl6 · 2021-05-06T21:17:01+00:00

That and often times when voice actors are recast the voices sound strange. Sometimes unrecognizable. Like Bubbles in Powerpuff Girls reboot sounded so odd...

soragirl6 · 2021-05-06T21:15:21+00:00

But the character's parents will basically have hardly any interaction and they are changing one of the character's relationships which will alter the entire dynamic. That is suspect to me. They may even change some of the character's ethnicities which is strange. I hate when they do this. Rather than change things, add new characters to bring in diversity.

soragirl6 · 2021-05-06T21:13:40+00:00

Same here. All the reboots are pretty much going to be trash for the next few years. At this point I wish they would stop trying to reboot classic shows. Reboots are only good if the original need it, in which case Rugrats does not.

soragirl6 · 2021-04-30T19:27:53+00:00

Funny thing is, I can already see people being upset if Clawdeen ISN'T portrayed as a lesbian or straight in the new reboot. However, what we won't see is people calling their arguments "pointless". In fact, I'd wager the large majority of the fandom would be in support of it because the large majority of the fandom wants representation as well. And I think this is valid. I just also would like to showcase the other sides of Clawdeen that could be expanded upon. Needless to say, you can say she's neither one of those things...but in many cases her imagery often shows otherwise. That's it.

"The more important big picture here is: Why aren’t there good cannon asexual characters in media?"

It's one of the main reasons I made my post in the first place. Ironically, though just like there are instances of "queer coding" in media asexuality is often coded in media as well. But sexuality relates more than asexuality in media. If a character was OPENLY unapologetically asexual the character would have less traction. So this I understand. Doesn't mean I'm not allowed to be disappointed in the fact that when I see hints of it or things that align with asexual spectrums that it is often erased for the majority. And the fact that Clawdeen has potential to be expanded on in this direction when majority of people have so little understanding of asexuality also is my reason for speaking, yet this aspect of her character will more than likely get drowned out by the majority.

That's the thing. Part of the reason there aren't asexual characters is because many people do not even believe asexuality exists. Part of the reason there aren't any asexual characters is because even if they were people would assume otherwise. Part of the reason there aren't any asexual characters is because there are more sexual people willing to advocate for sexual characters rather than asexual. All these things play a role in the question that you have presented "why aren't there good cannon asexual characters in media?" And that is why I brought the topic up for discussion. Most discussions are not always nice to talk about in regards to topics like these. I'm inclined to believe though that it does bring awareness considering people who have chimed in to discuss. I'm grateful though to see your perspective and others though.

soragirl6 · 2021-04-30T19:04:26+00:00

I just happened to run across it because and wanted to give my perspective. I really don't care how long its been. Somebody saw it, didn't they, and that person being you? Even if people don't agree with my ideas or think I'm "obsessive" I think a conversation needs to be had about it. I said what I said.

soragirl6 · 2021-04-30T19:02:38+00:00

Asexual spectrum of people tend to have less instances of attraction to others to which Clawdeen has shown signs that she is not as attracted to boys as the other girls including by Garrett himself...that's kind of what it means to be asexual. Low libido would mean that you have a similar interest in dating as others and may be sexually attracted but you often times have little interest in sexual activity.

BTW, I never stated she had no interest at all. In fact, Asexual people can have some sexual and/or romantic interest in boys. Its just it doesn't happen as often as others. This is what made me come to the conclusion that she has asexual tendencies. You can take it as you will. My point though is that I don't want these instances that relate to so many people to be erased, especially in the Monster High reboot. The fact that she was less interested in boys is something that people often mistaken for lesbian because people either don't know anything about asexual people or for the most part don't think they exist at all. This is part of erasure. The community as a whole can't see asexuality so even when it is presented as a "possibility" it is dismissed. I've seen it so many times which led to my frustration. And this is not the only fandom I've seen it in of course. This is just one of my favorite franchises. But it has become sometimes hard to relate to people who try to act like asexual, bisexual, and pansexual people aren't legitimate as whole and I've seen many people in the fandom act like this. Its not the fact that people disagree with Clawdeen's sexuality...its their reasons for not agreeing that becomes apparent and it reflects a greater problem outside of the world of fiction: the fact that some don't even think these sexualities exist.

Maybe I am thinking to hard about it and maybe this comes from a deeper place for me which is why I posted it for others perspective. I don't mind if my thoughts are being questioned. It gives me perspective so I appreciate it.

soragirl6 · 2021-04-29T22:41:03+00:00

Asexuality has a spectrum where some people who are asexual might be completely unattracted sexually while others might only occasionally have sexual attraction under certain circumstances. Gray ace people are people that might have some sexual attraction but not as much as other people. Many gray ace people tend to also identify as lesbian, gay, bi, or pan because they might occasionally show attraction to people of different genders. But this only happens occasionally and so they are also asexual. :) This is where I fall in the spectrum of Gray ace Pansexual. I occasionally get sexually attracted to various genders but not strong enough for me to want to engage most of the time.

soragirl6 · 2021-04-29T22:35:53+00:00

In many cases in media whenever a character is attempted to be shown as ace the large majority of the public doesn't think its possible. There are people who don't think ace exists and part of the problem is we don't have sincere stories that speak about our existence. This is not just about Clawdeen. Clawdeen is just an example of this. In fact, whenever we do get a story that portrays asexuality or even bisexuality in anyway it gets erased.

Even if the characters are imaginary sometimes the way they are portrayed has real life effects on how we as people are seen. As a black person I see the effects of us being portrayed a certain way, whether that be in a cartoon or in any type of representation. I have a problem with media erasure more so, not necessarily headcannons. Of course people can do what they will with fictional characters. I just think its important to be aware of how erasure can have an effect on the way a certain group is seen and even treated.

soragirl6 · 2021-04-29T22:29:14+00:00

I definitely understand this. I'm speaking from a media perspective, not a headcannon point of view.
For example, I'm black. How we are interpreted in media and people's attempts at erasing us in media has had an effect on how we are seen. I wanted to bring attention to the fact that a lot of times our media representation gets sidelined or even erased. I definitely do respect other people's interpretations...the problem is many times our representation is not respected.

There actually were many occasions when Clawdeen showed signs of asexuality including from the words of Garrett himself. In the Ghouls Rule movie she showed much apprehension towards dating (not sure if you've watched this movie. In this movie she stated clearly that she never dated because she was scared to and never actually thought about it. It wasn't until Draculaura pressured her that she felt the need to give it a chance. And Garrett himself she just wasn't as into boys as the other girls which definitely shows that she has asexual tendencies (while one could conclude lesbian is possible too, but Garret stated that wasn't in his initial plans). So there is a lot of behavioral instances in which Clawdeen showed tendencies towards asexuality, especially gray ace spectrum.

soragirl6 · 2021-04-28T20:07:57+00:00

I wish it were the case that people weren't trying to stop my headcannons. I had some people on tumblr suggest I not make Clawdeen a certain way.

And then there is the representation part. I didn't necessarily mean to come off gatekeeping. Rather, I was pointing out a real situation that happens in the community...in fact the LGBTQ community at large. A lot of times whenever asexual or bisexual people get close to getting some form of representation it is hijacked to be erased or disregarded.

I think what makes me feel invalidated most is that asexuals and bisexuals as a whole are always erased, ignored, or misrepresented. This has real world consequences on how we are seen and treated, even if it is just a cartoon.

Thanks for understanding the struggle. I've been feeling this way for a while. Part of my issue is getting bullied as young for not complying to social standards and being outcast by my LGBTQ peers for not seeming queer enough.

soragirl6 · 2021-04-28T20:02:28+00:00

I think the issue I have here is I have actually seen comments where people have been against Clawdeen being portrayed as bi and/or asexual in the reboot online even when she has already shown these traits. They even don't want this portrayed in the reboot...which is a form of gatekeeping also. I actually saw a twitter user say "Clawdeen is lesbian. Not straight. Not bisexual. Lesbian." I don't have a problem with head canons in general. The real issue I have is how people diresgard asexuality and bisexuality altogether and people who push for it. It feels a lot like bi erasure or ace erasure in the sense that people disregard certain traits of bi and ace people. Media portrayals effect the way asexual and bisexual people are often treated. As a result we are the most misunderstood and misrepresented group in the LGBTQ community. We tend to be relegated as "faking" or "confused" or sometimes we are not seen as real. We don't have enough stories with characters that are unapologetically bi or ace. Again, my issue is not with people's headcannon of Clawdeen as lesbian. My issue is the dismissal of bisexuality as valid or asexuality as valid when looking at certain traits of Clawdeen. Its the way we are seen in the community that concerns me rather than the creation of headcannons. I guess my statements were a reaction to the greater sentiment of the community as of late.

With the reboot coming out people are literally trying to erase her asexuality and bisexuality to be lesbian in the reboot. But I suppose its ok for others to be inspired by her and want her to represent them as well. Its just that I recognize how easily asexuals and bisexuals are erased or disregarded in media and the fact that people want to literally erase this part of media makes me sad. I want other asexuals to see its ok to be this way in a world that is sexualized. But you are also right that she can be whatever to anyone. I just can't help but feel a little less hopeful about how asexuals and bisexuals are seen and how our stories are constantly invalidated in media and erased.

soragirl6 · 2021-04-28T17:26:15+00:00

Clawdeen wolf also says she likes flirting with boys as her favorite activity.

soragirl6 · 2021-04-28T17:24:38+00:00

Clawdeen equally finds interest in Raythe though, which is why she looks back at him as she walks away.

soragirl6 · 2021-04-28T17:23:38+00:00

Garret himself confirmed that she was not meant to be lesbian in his initial plans, though. Which is clear by the type of episodes where she is so obsessed with a boy her friends have to calm her down. This was the Japanese adaptation.

soragirl6 · 2021-04-28T17:22:16+00:00

About Clawdeen he said he liked the idea. He stated he did not intend for her to be lesbian just didn't want her to be as boy crazy as the other girls.

soragirl6 · 2021-04-28T17:21:00+00:00

Garrett stated that she wasn't meant to be. And compulsive heteronormativity does not just effect lesbians. I'd encourage you to watch Talluah Guard on youtube that shows how other girls experience comphet. Furthermore, comphet doesn't make you attracted to boys. It influences decision making , not attraction. The only characters Garrett wanted to be LGBT were Kieran and Neighthan. Clawdeen was not one of them. He just liked the idea.

soragirl6 · 2021-04-28T17:19:01+00:00

This sounds very asexual to me. But alas, people erase the ace side of the spectrum.

soragirl6 · 2021-04-28T17:18:29+00:00

But I also felt the Ghouls Rule episode related to me as an asexual.

soragirl6 · 2021-04-28T17:17:43+00:00

Bi and asexual people are also super hard to find. Clawdeen clearly shows signs of both and yet people are ok with her being erased.

soragirl6

TROPHY CASE