Honestly, Iâve wondered about the ditzy act. Iâve seen it described as a weapon like above, but it really feels more like a coping mechanism to me, a way of distancing her true self from whatâs going on. It allows her to be a lot less affected by some of the horrible shit the Joker does.
Like when sheâs talking to the Black Canary about her daughter, âMistah J didnât know about her. I knew that wouldnâtâŚthat he wouldnâtâŚHis work was too important. He couldnât have a daughter. I went away for almost a year. When I came back to my puddinâ, he was so funny, he acted like he didnât even notice I was gone.â
From the scene, you know she knows it wasnât a joke. But the light, bubbly, naive personality she puts on allows her to frame it like that, even in this serious moment.
When he hurls her out the window after she captures and almost kills Batman, the very same perception of naivety allows her to blame herself, to say âhe didnât get the jokeâ (a reoccurring line from that story, tying back to Jokerâs childhood, and the million lies heâs told.) Really, Harley knows sheâs being treated wrong, that his rage has nothing to do with the fact that she had to explain the joke to him.
His rage is because he sees her as so far beneath him, so inferior, and yet she manages to do what he never could.
When The Jokerâs not around, sheâs still very much light and bubbly, but she allows herself to say the clever things she keeps to herself around the Joker. Instead of being the one who sets up the punchlines, sheâs allowed to acknowledge how clever she is.
I feel the ditzy act is a way of coping with abuse and trauma, keeping it at an armâs length until sheâs ready to deal with it.
Iâm just thinking out loud here, what do you think?
dailybridgerton
tangentwithtanner
turnnoffyourmind
areudirty
kaledo-art
germansingergirl
