So I get why people are like "fuck beetlebabes" because how if it were reality, it would be beyond problematic. However, it's not reality, and there's more to consider when fiction comes into play and canons are ignored.
For example, growing up in the 90's, there were not a lot of alternative depictions of how girls could be or express themselves. Broadcast tv with only 7 channels didn't make room for that. As a young 'girl' at that time, (now a gender misfit) I saw no one like me on tv. No gross girls, art girls, bug loving girls, etc. Then along came Lydia, and her gross, smelly, punny, beetle-chomping ghost cartoon buddy who would also become a gross, smell beetle-chomping girl named Bettyjuice. I saw me in this eccentric goth girl and her gender-fluid ghost friend.
Also at that time, there were rarely girls who weren't always dating some boy they crushed on. There were no independent girls in healthy platonic friendships with boys. Except Lydia. She never dated anyone, except when Prince Vince took her out, but they just stayed friends.
I wanted to be Lydia, BJ, and Bettyjuice. I'd love to go into how rad Bettyjuice was, but that's its own topic. Anyways, I made a world where they were friends, and as I grew up, I wanted to find people like that to love. So, my art went from friends to crushes. Then as I grew up more, I still associated with Lydia and the BJ crew. I started drawing relationships I wanted: quirky, grown, gross, funny, dirty adults loving one another.
There are many beetlebabes who found part of themselves in this fictional pair. There are many beetlebabes who are self-inserts and would never draw, write, or even think about pairing a young Lydia with BJ. NEVER.
I think it's hard sometimes for people to understand how people like me are 100% against anything that would resemble if Beetlejuice were a real-life scenario (forced underage marriage, asault, etc), but then are beetlebabes, if BJ & Lydia are adults. That's what is great about fiction, you can create un-canon scenarios where characters both adults and are healthy, supportive, gross, and consensual partners.
If I saw myself in Lydia, when there was no one to see myself in, and I saw what I wanted in a partner in cartoon BJ. I want a world where myself and a gross, genderfluid, smelly, funny, and loyal person can be together.
I wish that could be seen by the "Fuck off, beetlebabes" crew.
I can see why the idea of a young girl growing up to love an old man she knew as a kid is terrifyingly WRONG on many many MANY levels! 100%! I get how if people were supporting that, why other people would be like "Get the FUCK away from me."
I just don't get why the #beetlebabes is assumed to support that. Maybe it's coming from people who experienced that predatory trauma, from people who don't understand how little representation there was and how it leaves you looking for the smallest glint of yourself whereever you can, or maybe it's from people who never saw the amazing person(s) that Cartoon BJ & Bettyjuice were.
I'm not sure.
I'm just glad that the Beetlejuice cartoon was there for me as an example of an atypical girl with a gender-fluid atypical ghost friend, having fun platonic adventures and supporting one another all the time. It really did turn into self acceptance and a picture of what a healthy relationship could be.
Yeah, I ship them as adults. Yeah, I always will. My lost young self was healed by this.
I support consensual adults of any mix on my tumblr. Always.
And before someone chimes in about grooming, CONSENSUAL eliminates that, because that is manipulation and not consensual.
So Beetlebabes, if you all ship adult Lyds & BJ or Bettyjuice, I see you, and I don't send you hate. I appreciate you.
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