Even though Disney has been making bad decisions with movies, Turning Red is a terrific movie, with a diverse and lovable cast, a heartwarming story, and an important meaning behind all the color and joy. So in my opinion, it is an amazing movie to show young ladies like myself. Turning Red is a film released on March 1 of last year, and when my mum told me about it, I couldn't wait to watch it! Why? Because red pandas, the main story gimmick, are my absolute favorite animal! That and the main character is a redhead, like me! But, what is the plot?

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

---

A young Chinese girl named Meilin Lee is torn between being up to snuff (by her mother's standards) and the chaos of adolescence. But one day when she wakes up, she finds herself turned into a giant, fluffy, adorable red panda. This, in turn, makes her flip out and try to keep it from her parents and gal pals. She fails to keep this from them, and then her mother becomes even more protective than she already was. The reason why Mei turns into a panda is that their family's ancestor, Sun Yee, loved the red panda for its' firey coat and mischievous personality and gained the ability to turn into a red panda to protect her family and village, and this was passed down through the Yee-Lee family generations.  Because Mei only turns into a red panda when she gets super emotional. So, when she has mood swings. See where this is going? However, bad stuff happens very quickly! Mei and her friends, Priya, Miriam, and Abby use her red panda-ness to sell merch at school. Why? Because their favorite boy band, 4*Town, (keep in mind it takes place in the 2000s) is performing in their city, Toronto. So, the four of them save up money to go to the concert, and Mei goes to the concert without her mother knowing. But as the concert is starting, Mei is going through a ritual to expel her pandasona (?) into a small pendent she will wear. However, she decides to keep her pandasona and run away during the ritual to join her buddies at the 4*Town concert. This, in turn, causes her mother to break her pendant by accident and turn into a panda the size of a skyscraper, and attempt to bring Mei back from the concert. A giant fight breaks out between the two pandas, and in this fight, Mei says "...And sorry I'll never be like you!". We will get into that in this next section; Why did this movie receive such criticism? 

WHINE, WHINE, WHINE

---

Now, with how good the movie sounds, you must think, "Who could hate this?" right? Well... Conservative moms on the internet. That's who could hate this film. The reason why they dislike it is because of the "maturity" of the girls. Fawning over boy bands, talking about female problems, and flirting with boys at school. More on the maturity thing, the whole reason why? Because the pandasona transformation is a metaphor for menstruation. Think about it! You wake up one day and it's there, it gets worse when you get emotional even though it makes you emotional AKA mood swings, and the saddest one? You feel ashamed. Plus, menstruation pads are literally mentioned and given to Mei by her mother, Ming. She literally runs to Mei's class because she forgot her pads. I've also seen women wondering why it's pads and not tampons, arguing that they are more comfortable. Well, the reason why is quite simple. Many women and girls, including me, say that tampons are awkward to put in, and pads are easier. Plus, I'm sure many of us don't like cotton sticks up our lady zone. But you might notice, I said many girls feel ashamed or dirty when they get their first period, especially girls in conservative families. Hell, even women in non-conservative families and the media are shamed. And those same women? We don't get it. I'm sure the mothers of those girls are always talking to their friends like "I don't understand why my daughter doesn't want to talk to me about things!". Well, my sweet little idiot, your daughter doesn't wanna talk to you about her period, romantic feelings, and sexual feelings because you made her feel ashamed. And, that my friend, is your fault! I mean, how hard is it to educate your children if the school system won't? Like, those people are always like 'Children shouldn't learn about birds and the bees or periods! Think of the children!", and are then shocked when their children don't learn until they are in their 20s. Those same women are the women who thought Turning Red was inappropriate. And you might ask, "Well, did your mom tell you about menstruation and sex?", and the answer is yes. Keep in mind the reproduction part, she didn't tell me about the gritty details, but what mother would? And yes, she told me the reason why menstruation occurs. She bought me pads years before I even started wondering when I would get my period! And when I told her, she wasn't like "Oh my god, my baby! It's ok, you'll be ok! Mama's here.". Even though that sounds supportive, babying your daughter is just another form of shaming. Doesn't it sound like they are implying the daughter isn't strong enough to handle her period on her own? Since my mum told me about how periods work, my exact words were "Um, I just started my period.", and hers were "Oh! Do you know where the pads are?", and she helped me figure out how to put in pads. So if my mum can educate me enough to where my anxiety-riddled ass isn't scared, you can too.

THE TRUE MEANINGS

---

From all of this, you must be wondering what left is there about the movie. Well, it all boils down to Mei's ethnicity. Meilin Lee (and her family) are Chinese people who live in Toronto, Canada. If you are Asian, you most likely know the pressure put on Asian children to succeed. And how do I know this? Well, it was in every comment on the IMDB page for Turning Red. Many Asian people I've seen, especially Asian women, relate to Mei. And the themes of Ming wanting her daughter to succeed are everywhere. Go look back at the "Plot" section of this if you don't believe me! And look at Ming herself! The entire reason she is so protective is because Ming's mother did the same to her. It's a similar message to Encanto (which I will also make an episode about.). The message is about generational trauma. If you don't know what that means, Health.com's definition is very self-explanatory. "Generational trauma is trauma that extends from one generation to the next. It begins when a group experiences a traumatic event that causes economic, cultural, and familial distress. In response, people belonging to that group develop physical or psychological symptoms.". After Mei defeats Ming and Ming regains her consciousness, she says to her daughter Mei, "I'm just so sick of being perfect!". She had no choice but to contain her pandasona in her pendant because it was so uncontrollable. Ming also specified to Mei that she didn't mean to hurt her mother (Grandmother Wu), who gave her an iconic eyebrow scar. So in a nutshell, Turning Red is a heartwarming tale about adolescence, family trauma, and the power that friends and family have together. Phew, this took a while to write. How many characters are we at? Let me see...

...Oh god.

EDIT, 7/13/2023:

I forgot to disclose this, but the "flirting" that the girls did at school was Abby saying "Nice legs", and Mei saying "Are you a triangle? Cause you acute!". The most Christian flirting ever.