Leave a comment

Re: TW (Harry Potter Kids vs. Stranger Things Kids) winegums February 6 2020, 04:08:34 UTC
I think the point of comparison comes from the HP kids being the last time a cast of kids had this huge a public profile before Stranger Things, and they started at roughly the same ages too.

But like you said, there are major shifts in society between then and now, and it's really premature to be writing them off, especially Millie. Though if anything, the fact that a public social media profile is like a whole other branch of work for them (they promote brands etc on there - in known abusive environments where they're directly targeted by any asshole with an insta) is a bit worrying. The HP kids were scrutinised enough as it is (and I'm really glad for Dan making it through), but I hope the ST kids at least have some measure of normalcy in their private lives.

(The fashion at those HP premieres though! I loved that Emma used to wear actual vintage on HP red carpets in London, sis was actually pretty stylish as a kid though it was only around GoF she started getting a proper stylist and outfits instead of wearing just her own clothes - I remember she had a lot of really pretty Alberta Ferreti dresses for appearances that year. And Dan and Rupert w the velvet suits!)

Reply

Re: TW (Harry Potter Kids vs. Stranger Things Kids) jdnightghobhadi February 6 2020, 10:16:32 UTC
Yep, precisely. Oh, and I watched some of the ST kids' audition tapes for the first time some weeks ago (like Millie's, Finn's, Caleb's, etc.) and HOLY FUCK they were baaabbbiiieees!!! They look so mature now, I feel freakin' old!!! Really, it did bring me back to watching the Golden Trio's screen/chemistry tests and how fast they grew up by Goblet of Fire. <3

I mean, I never really watched the show, but I guess some of the GOT kids could fall into this discussion as well since I legit forgot too how baby-faced Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams, etc. were in their auditions/S1, but bc GOT is an adult show with 100,000,000+++ characters ranging in age and tone, the target audience compared to HP and ST is ofc different (and isn't the cast mainly made up of adults, too?). Most of the ST fandom, I think, occupying social media (at this time) are Gen Z kids (or creepy dudebros) whereas HP in its prime primarily appealed to Millenials like us when it was being produced like hot cakes. Tho it does transcend generations, maybe like Star Wars has. I don't know what the impact of ST will be yet since we're only on not-yet-released S4 and nobody really could predict the future/impact of HP by GoF bc they weren't even certain if all the films were going to be made or the Trio were going to be in all of them. Dan almost thought of leaving after films 3 and 4 bc he didn't want to be typecast. Emma almost didn't renew her contract for OotP bc she wanted to focus on her A-Levels and even Rupert had second thoughts about coming back for GoF and so forth. When they 10, 11, 12, none of them knew how much the series would affect their entire lives and by their teens, I think they were feeling the effects.

Did it sound like I was writing Millie (or any of the kids) off? If so, not my intention. Or do you mean you've seen other people do so (I'm sorry if I misunderstand you, bb bc ONTD can't read)? Bc I really like her and think she can go places (all of them can). I just worry bc of her stage dad and the people she's exposed to. :(

they promote brands etc on there - in known abusive environments where they're directly targeted by any asshole with an insta

Yes. ALL OF THIS. This is all I thought of when I browsed their feeds for research. I mean, Emma Watson was hounded by paps the night of her 18th birthday party as she was leaving a restaurant with her family and friends when they intentionally took pics of her see-through underwear. The pics I remember seeing by accident still piss me off (I wrote a research paper on media objectification and assault for a college course using this incident as an example). And irc she had an interview posted here on ONTD in 2008 or 2009 where she said how sick she felt the following morning when she realised what happened. No girl or woman should EVER have to go through this. ;_;

You know what? I have a real soft spot for Emma's teen fashion even tho a bunch of mags have the audacity to call her out on what she wore back then. I mean, it was the early-mid 2000s, y'all? What do you expect? She looked cute, chic and age appropriate. She actually put effort into what she wore and had fun as hell with her looks. And Dan and Rupert were ~individuals, okay lol? Rupert, actually, I LOVE his T-shirts and want to know where he gets them!

Reply

Re: TW (Harry Potter Kids vs. Stranger Things Kids) winegums February 9 2020, 11:26:07 UTC
(Sorry for the late reply, was down w the flu)

It's funny about the ST and HP fandoms, I think both have that kind of 'appeals to the whole family' thing going like you said, like Star Wars, and ST season 1 was basically marketed to Gen X/Millennials as 'Winona Ryder makes a comeback in sth that's actually good', but the social media contingent, yeah....it's all either kids (normal) or creepers (not). I love the show but I can't being myself to follow even Natalia on insta, forget the younger kids.

But the level of fan/media entitlement and pearl clutching over young performers is, sadly, a thing that hasn't changed since the days of Britney (which I, an old millennial, remember pretty well). I didn't mean to imply you were writing off Millie bit ontd has an unfortunate tendency to get all faux concerned and pearl clutch over her in a way that they do not do over the boys, using 'her stage dad' as an excuse - I shit you not, one choice example claimed she was "sexualising herself" by wearing cropped sweatshirts on her insta and that this was worse than Noah appaz filming himself shirtless because 'her clothes were meant to be revealing'. DanRad had it spot-on when he was asked about being sexualised in his twenties and pointed out that people had been doing it to Emma since she was 14, the double standard is real, and girls will always be held to harsher standards even as people claim that's not what they're doing and they're just 'concerned' that Millie's having a bit of eyeshadow on a red carpet makes her look 'old' or that her wearing a pink dress with hair buns is 'pandering'. Like, I think her dad was mental too but this....is not it. And THR is not an infallible publication that has no ties to powerful people who might like to put about the idea that a somewhat clueless and entitled dad is a monster who'd sell his child to the highest bidder. Meanwhile no one's got anything to say about Finn's parents apparently having quit their jobs too.

And re: HP red carpets - same! Emma sis had cute and individual tastes as a kid/teen, and I loved Rupert being the trendsetter with his little Keep Calm and Carry On tshirt, it was perfect for their age and time and didn't look like some corporate idea of what a teenager should dress like (see: Disney channel).

Reply

Re: TW (Harry Potter Kids vs. Stranger Things Kids) jdnightghobhadi February 12 2020, 09:02:54 UTC
Oh, it's all right, love. I hope you're feeling better. *hugs* I'm seeing this late anyway, so it's nbd.

I love the show but I can't being myself to follow even Natalia on insta, forget the younger kids.

Ugh, same. I feel less weird following some of the HP kids (who are no longer kids ofc) bc I grew up with them and some of them are a little older than me (like 3-4 years, about). I mean, the whole obsession with the ST cast rubs me the wrong way sometimes, especially when it comes from adults and not kids who are the target audience (like, 12 and up). You make a good point about Britney, too. I was really into her music when I was 5-7 and remember very terribly that whole ordeal when she had a mental breakdown so publicly (I was in 7th grade when that happened?). I didn't know I had a mental illness/disability then myself, but even before, it was awful hearing everyone mocking her and the kids at my school were literal sadists.

I didn't mean to imply you were writing off Millie bit ontd has an unfortunate tendency to get all faux concerned and pearl clutch over her in a way that they do not do over the boys, using 'her stage dad' as an excuse

Ah, that makes sense. No worries. I figured that's what you met, actually. How can anyone even think that about Millie re: sexualization? Like, what kind of slut shaming/victim blaming mentality? I have no issue with crop tops or cropped sweatshirts for teens, that's bizarre. I think Millie looks her age/very cute on her social media. Ofc I do worry about all the men that follow her, but that's not her fault/within her control. Emma Watson was wearing age-appropriate cropped tops like that when she was 11 or 13 iirc and I don't remember people tearing her apart. Like, God forbid a teen girl has skin. Maybe not related, but I got a weird comment on the last post about Millie (that "matronly" outfit she wore; I have mixed feelings mainly for her breast contour there; it'd be fine if she were 18 or 19?) when I posted a pic of what she wore at the ST S1 premiere bc I thought she looked cute there. They said her dress as a 12 yo wasn't age-appropriate and looked like smth a 7 yo would wear. Clearly, this person isn't exposed to that age group (one of my cousins was 11, 12 when S1 came out so she's Millie's age now; she dressed just like that and I thought it was fine?). Idk people are always weird about her here (and elsewhere) and pick apart everything about her. Like, there are valid points of concern for her, her dad is delusional (thanks for mentioning Finn bc I think people forget about him), but you're right. It's like everything she does/wears is seen as ~messy - she acts quite like a normal kid.

Yep. I remember that interview and while Dan stated the obvious, I'm glad he said it bc it had to be said. Poor Emma was treated so differently by the media than he and Rupert were for clear reasons. I will never get over the fact her breasts were shopped for one poster of OotP - she was 16, 17 then. And the paps that took pics of her see-through underwear. There are more examples, but just off the top of my head. Personally, I really like that pink dress Millie wore. I really don't know what people were seeing?

I have this big admiration for the HP cast and their early fashion lol and it always makes me happy when I see edits around Tumblr of old pics bc of massive nostalgia (like, it was the early, mid-2000s but I can't hate). Rupert definitely was my fave even tho he'd never make it in the "Best Of" lists. He wore what the fuck he wanted and looked comfy (also cool). I also really adore some of the shoots they did, like for Teen Vogue and EW; iconic:

https://iheartwatson.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=605
https://www.google.com/search?q=harry+potter+teen+vogue+shoot&client=firefox-b-1-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwitl7X91cvnAhXkN30KHcZ-C78Q_AUoAXoECAsQAw&biw=1366&bih=632

I honestly miss seeing kids dress like this. It's like Instagram "killed" that awkward teen phase of self-expression?

Reply


Leave a comment

Up