She Gets It
| Meta | |
|---|---|
| Title: | She Gets It (title in list of essays), "She Gets It" (title on essay itself) |
| Creator: | "A Fellow BATB Lover!" |
| Date(s): | December 20, 2013 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Beauty and the Beast (TV) |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | "She Gets It". Archived from the original on 2021-05-18. |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
She Gets It is a 2013 Beauty and the Beast (TV) essay by "A Fellow BATB Lover!"
The focus is the appeal of the show.
Excerpts
It happened that I heard someone introduced in fandom to someone else by their name and as ‘she gets it.’ And I will admit I was introduced to someone else in the same way. I was flattered to know that I got ‘it,’ that probably for the first time in my life, I was among an elite group: those who got ‘it’ about Beauty and the Beast.
Not being used to such rare associations leads one to begin to question. What if my ‘it’ is not the true ‘it?’ What if the others in this group discover that I am somehow fraudulent in what I get? Having just become a part of fandom, I’d hate to find I am a fish out of water after all.
So I started thinking that perhaps I ought to clarify for myself just what ‘it’ means to me. Why rock the boat, you ask? Part of the reason is because this whole experience is so foreign to me and totally unexpected. If you had asked me just three years ago, “Would you ever be involved in fandom for a TV show?” I’d have looked at you like you were the one who was in need of professional help. But here I am. Happily ensconced in the experience of being a fan of a show like no other I have watched. Why this show?
I admit that sometimes I despair about the human race. This was a time that sorely tested my faith in humanity. As I was watching this show (multiple times, almost as if I couldn’t believe what all I was seeing), I found hope. Hope for the human condition. But I have watched other shows that offered hope. I found Star Trek to be such a show. To see a vision where humans might evolve, the goals of those explorers, the way technology could be so helpful and enriching. Yet I was never tempted to join the Star Trek fandom. So why Beauty and the Beast?
I think the main reason is that Star Trek offered me hope for the future; Beauty and the Beast showed me hope for the here and now: a timeless solution for living a better, richer life. Not a perfect solution, I am not delusional (I think!). But there was much there to think about at a time in my life when I was ready for some introspection. And yes, there was romance to this show while Star Trek, not so much. So love and hope relevant to my now beats hope in the future.
The best metaphor for what I see in this show is an onion; a simple, round vegetable used to mostly flavor other recipes, yet it can be enjoyed as itself. The romance in the show is the onion itself. But slice that onion open, and you find layer after layer. That is the richness of the show for me. And you must look for the layers yourself. The show won’t necessarily hit you over the head with them. But if you take the time, watch the episodes more than occasionally, look at materials others have made available on the internet within fandom, you can uncover all manner of things within this show. So many perspectives; so much to think about to help you better understand the show, of course, but also to help you better understand yourself. And let’s not discount the fun you can have doing it!
Even when there are plot holes, or weak scripts, there are still opportunities for thinking about what might have been, what impact a different way might have taken, or what meaning might have really been intended. So even with all of the richness this show provides, it also can enhance your mind as you think, analyze, compare and contrast, keeping your brain as young as your heart!
So that is my ‘it.’ Is it your ‘it’? Is this the ‘it’ that was spoken of earlier? I don’t know. It doesn’t need to be. With acceptance and compassion common in the tunnels, I know there is a place in fandom for my onion and me.
And as for my elevator speech, perhaps all I need say is “I like Beauty and the Beast for love and hope, and because it reminds me of an onion.”