Victoria, Grizabella, and desirability; a character design analysis
I want to talk about how Grizabella and Victoria are meant to constantly contrast each other, down to character design.
I believe Victoria is meant to visually represent the “ideal” Jellicle; Victoria is pure and white with small, sometimes barely visible tan markings around her leotard, neat hair, fluff along her shoulders, and a collar with large jewels or star shapes. Most notably her feline features are especially defined; her ears are the only ones with a visible flesh-colored pinna (cat ear flap), her face is completely white, leaving little to no indications of human skin, and she has a neat tail. Finally, Victoria wears a pink collar with either jewels or star shapes.
Now, what I infer from this is because Victoria is pure and white, a color representing innocence and blank potential accented with the small tan markings that hint at the first lines of individuality, much like the individual Victoria grows into throughout the show. Her pink accents throughout her makeup and accessories solidify her as the romantic, feminine ingénue. Visually, she is the tribe’s standard of beauty and purity, the archetypal “Desired.”
Victoria is intentionally one of the most visually striking cats, as is Grizabella, who seems to be Victoria’s visual opposite.
Grizabella’s design is her direct contrast, and in doing so, marks her as the ultimate outsider. Where Victoria is defined by pristine felinity, Grizabella’s appearance is disturbingly human. Notably, she wears a dress and heels, items belonging solely to the human world she once frequented (No Man’s Land). Her hair is overgrown and human-like, her roots graying; even her feline features are more subtle, like her small, barely noticeable ears. Her makeup intentionally leaves patches of human skin visible. The grays of her fur coat are matted and tattered; her once-sparkling dress is ripped up and neglected. Taking all this into account, I believe her redesign is incredibly intentional within the show’s story. In a society that prides itself on being “feline, fearless, faithful, and true,” Grizabella’s “humanity” is shameful and even insulting to the Jellicles. This marks her exile status and makes her the “Undesired” visually.
I know majority just ignores the "Jellicle cats meet once a year" line in fics and hcs but I've always taken that line as meaning absolutely every Jellicle instead of the majority.
Like, I think it's fair to assume Deuteronomy, Skimbleshanks, Victoria, or Gus aren't constantly inhabiting the junkyard compared to characters like Munkustrap.
So the ball is like the community gathering where absolutely everyone is there.
Grizabella features in moments of happiness BUT the way it’s staged I don’t think she’s presently with the others. I think they’re all frozen in time like they will be in memory just based on the spotlighting and how they’re all only looking at and acknowledging Deuteronomy.
Interestingly Sillabub is also spotlighted before her solo can begin- and just looking at the threes color pallets together and how they specifically changed their typical pink!sillabub design to make her blue and grey along with the staging of this shot….she’s probably deutabella’s daughter. Or maybe just Grizabella’s.
My favorite thing about Bombalurina being involved in the Macavity fight (even a little) is that, despite how horrified or intimidated she probably is at Macavity- how aware she is of the horrible things he’s capable of; the fear of losing Demeter, of losing anyone she loves overpowers that.
