I’ve been thinking about the selection series by Keira Cass for the last little while and about how cool it be if it was done right.
Number 1 I think it should be made by Disney. Mainly because we know Disney can absolutely kill it in the ball gown department which is essential to this show. Like the dresses were a big part of what drew me to these books. Not only that but the selection itself is used as a way to distract people from the problem of there society, so they should be this big flashy dresses. Like met gala outfits that are actually wearable.
Number 1.5 I don’t think we should try and dull down the other girls costumes in order to make America stand out more. I think every single girl should have her own style and angle they’re using to appeal to people. I also think it will make the competition aspect stand out more if it seems America really isn’t that different from all the other girls. (Despite what she thinks) It also deepens the story to think that there is actual competition for America.
Number 2 I think the series shouldn’t just be from America perspective. I think it be really interesting to explore what other girls in the selection are going through and could be a great way to explore how truly dystopian society in this world is.
Example)
•Kris and the rebels what is her relationship to them. How do they feel about her being in the selection? Was it planned? By chance? What is there plans for her?
• A Celeste episode focusing on the dystopian beauty industry. How does the beauty standard affect people in these societies.
•A episode about Marlee falling in love with the guard. And the risk they take for love.
• an episode about a girl we barely meet in the books. She is one of the lower caste girls selected. When she is selected she has just found out that she is pregnant and has come to terms with wanting her baby. Her “team” decided to not make drop out and shame her publicly but instead force her to get an abortion. By the time she gets to the palace she hasn’t come to terms with losing her baby and struggling mentally. She is one of the first girls sent home. When she goes home one of her “team” asks her how it was? The episode closes on the shot of her slowly turning to the camera tears dripping down her face as she says “I lost my baby for that?” This episode would focus on the fact that she loses both her baby and her bodily autonomy for a man who doesn’t even like her.
• Another episode would focus on another lower caste girl who is sent home. When she gets home she is quickly married off to an upper caste disabled man who is around her age. The whole she struggles with the duties of an upper caste wife. Her husband seems distant and she doesn’t really express how she feels to him. She is also under the impression that his parents picked her out to marry him. At one point she asks why they would pick her and he just replies that she seemed kind. At the end of the episode she messes up a big dinner. The couple is alone and she is sobbing and he just kind of watches not sure what to do. She tells him that his parents made a mistake and should have never picked her to marry him. He looks at and says “I picked you because you are kind.” She stares at him and for the first time she sees the loving man she married for who he really is. She hugs him and a bit startled hugs her back. The episode closes on this image and we know they are going to be okay.
Number 3 this book is set in a dystopian future and the fashion should reflect that. I’m not saying that you need full hunger games but we shouldn’t just be following the same trends and fashion styles that are currently popular. Part of the reason that one pilot episode looks so bad is because it looks like society collectively decided that fashion peaked in the mid 2000s and we should just keep doing that. Which is a dystopian idea in itself but I don’t want to watch that. Look for ideas from the past and use them. People are going to be ripping apart these dresses both in universe and out. It should be good.
Number 4 the outfits should not reflect are characters unless they have dressed themselves. Most girls outfits are being handmade to try and make the appeal to a certain audience or fit them into a specific role or character. Celeste for example should be shown in high fashion and expensive clothes that that scream wealth and popularity. While Marlee should be styled more like a classic pink princess who sings to the birds.
Number 5 I think that America needs to have that “I’m not like girls” mentality because it is so relatable and gives such growth to go through as a character. I didn’t read the selection in middle school when it was popular because I was going through my “I’m not like other girls phase.” I think it’s something every girl goes through. So I want America to go through the first part being like “I’m different from these other girls I want to wear jeans,” only to realize that she is exactly like them. (Maybe we do a story where after America gets her jeans the other girls come up and say “so I know you got pants, and we are around the same size so I was wondering if I could borrow a pair?” And then suddenly America finds herself becoming a black market pants dealer for the other girls.) I think it’s kind of funny if America goes through part the story thinking she not like these other girls only to realize that she is just like them. And that is okay because they are all stunning talented women who are amazing.
Number 5.5 part of the reason I think that America should have her “I’m not like other girls” thing is because in fiction we are so cruel to young women who are not perfect. So I think America should be a bit of a brat and not have to perfect to show that she still deserves love even when she a little stupid. Also her going through her not like other girls phase is natural and think it is a great thing for girls to see her learn that she is just like other girls.
