How Zendaya’s MJ in Spider-Man Revolutionized Beauty Standards of Teenage Girls on Screen
Giving girls an unconventional, kind, and comfortable alternative.
For a girl who has long seen teen movies glorifying the popular, high school sweetheart, Zendaya's MJ in the Spider-Man films came as a pleasant surprise.
With so many films and shows confusing teen girls on how they should act and live during their teenage years, Zendaya's MJ gave an unconventional, kind, and comfortable alternative.
She wasn't the popular high school girl with silky hair and pretty clothes. She wore pants and t-shirts. Her hair was a beautifully curly mess around her curiously, soft face. Her body wasn't voluptuous. Her lips weren't glossy. She didn't always smile and suck up to people. Her character's goals revolved around things other than getting a boyfriend.
The even more surprising part was how her character didn't undergo the big transformation montage to become a pretty princess. She was herself in all three films. And it was with her comfortable self that Peter fell in love with.
Zendaya's MJ was important in showing girls that they don't have to have a major transformation moment to feel comfortable with themselves. They don't have to go to the extremes. They don't have to "fix" themselves in any way. They don't have to fit themselves with anybody. They don't have to be sexy. They don't have to be too friendly. Girls can be themselves, and not their parents', their friends', or the society's version of who they must be.
Zendaya's MJ has truly revolutionized the representation of teenage girls and their beauty standards on screen.