Queer Seriality, Streaming Television, and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

This article argues that queer seriality manifests as a unique feature of streaming media. Through an examination of the Netflix children’s show She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018–2020), a case study in both queer representation and format, I apply research on affect theory to understand strea...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kelsey Cummings
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Michigan Publishing 2022-07-01
Series:Global Storytelling
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/gs/article/id/1547/
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This article argues that queer seriality manifests as a unique feature of streaming media. Through an examination of the Netflix children’s show She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018–2020), a case study in both queer representation and format, I apply research on affect theory to understand streaming media via a framework of intimacy and queer identity. The article focuses on how streaming services produce affect in their viewers via the perspective of a queer theoretical framework. I argue that affect is produced in the intimacy of the streaming experience, drawing from television studies to consider how the domestic space is both celebrated and expanded by streaming media like She-Ra. The expansion of television from the solely domestic realm has important implications, not only for the economic functions of streaming media but also for their sociopolitical purposes. Specifically, queer seriality becomes a central framework through which we can understand the political potential of streaming media.
ISSN:2769-4941