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SuperMutant Magic Allyship
I recently finished reading Jillian Tamaki's deeply weird and charming graphic novel, SuperMutant Magic Academy, which consists of interconnected vignettes (ranging from the mundane to the profoundly surreal) about super-powered teens.
In one of the more down-to-earth scenes, one student, Marsha, has just come out as gay to her best friend and secret crush, Wendy. Wendy immediately vows to be "the best ally a girl ever had!" and then worries aloud, "Did I say something wrong? The Internet said to be 'supportive but non-invasive.' Oh no, I'm making this 'all about me,' aren't I? The Internet said..." And I don't know if the audience is supposed to sympathize with Wendy as much as we do with Marsha, but I kind of did anyway, because I think it was and is very easy to get lost in what The Internet Says about allyship/solidarity, both in 2015 (when this book was published) and in the years since then.
(As I type this post, I worry that it could be misinterpreted as a protestation that Privileged Allies Have It Worse, which is not what I am saying.)
And then the girls have an adorably awkward misunderstanding about shampoo, which I think will also resonate with those of us who have tried to share something important with an oblivious friend.
In one of the more down-to-earth scenes, one student, Marsha, has just come out as gay to her best friend and secret crush, Wendy. Wendy immediately vows to be "the best ally a girl ever had!" and then worries aloud, "Did I say something wrong? The Internet said to be 'supportive but non-invasive.' Oh no, I'm making this 'all about me,' aren't I? The Internet said..." And I don't know if the audience is supposed to sympathize with Wendy as much as we do with Marsha, but I kind of did anyway, because I think it was and is very easy to get lost in what The Internet Says about allyship/solidarity, both in 2015 (when this book was published) and in the years since then.
(As I type this post, I worry that it could be misinterpreted as a protestation that Privileged Allies Have It Worse, which is not what I am saying.)
And then the girls have an adorably awkward misunderstanding about shampoo, which I think will also resonate with those of us who have tried to share something important with an oblivious friend.