Friendship and Acceptance is Magic: Disability and Feminism in "My Little Pony: The Movie"

This essay analyzes a fictional character named Tempest Shadow from the animated film “My Little Pony: The Movie.” The movie is based on the popular show “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.” Although the show is oriented toward children, it has grown more popular among adult fans. The movie carries important messages about friendship, determination, and self-acceptance.  This character and her physical impairment is compared to the discrimination of people with disabilities in real life. Works from various scholars are integrated to support the analysis: Susan Wendell, author of The Rejected Body, Robert McRuer, and finally, Barnes and Mercer. First, Wendell argues that society is constructed to benefit able-bodied individuals. Although wheelchairs, ramps, and assistance equipment is available, not everyone has access to them. Second, Robert McRuer compares the theory of able-bodiedness to the theory of compulsory heterosexuality. Finally, Barnes and Mercer argue that all forms of discrimination against individuals have their roots in the devaluation of impairments and disabilities. It is demonstrated that to an extent, Tempest Shadow and her personal struggles can be connected to real-life issues of disability.

Who is Tempest Shadow first of all? She is a dark maroon colored unicorn and antagonist in the My Little Pony Movie. She is played by actress Emily Blunt, who interestingly enough, used acting as a way to cope with her stuttering disability. During her days as a foal, Tempest Shadow played with her other friends and had a bad encounter with an Ursa Minor, a monstrous bear with constellations as a fur coat. She defended her friends but lost her horn in the process. Feeling abandoned and rejected by her friends along with her uncontrolled outbursts of magic, Tempest Shadow joins forces with the evil Storm King in an attempt to take over the city of Canterlot. After the main protagonist princess Twilight Sparkle is captured, Tempest Shadow asks the Storm King to restore her horn in exchange. The Storm King laughs and declines her request. This later leads to Tempest Shadow risking her life to save her new pony friends by blocking the Storm King's magical attack and getting turned to stone in the process. After being revived, she apologizes to Twilight and the rest of the ponies. She is then accepted into the pony society and uses her magic to create fireworks, which everyone admires. 

          The inability for Tempest Shadow to properly control her magic can be interpreted as a type of physical impairment. Wendell claims that disability is socially constructed by factors that cause or do not prevent harm to individuals (Wendell 1996). A common factor is “the social organization of societies on the basis of a young, non-disabled, ‘ideally shaped,’ healthy adult male paradigm of citizens” (Wendell 45). In other words, society is constructed to benefit able-bodied white men over other groups. In this case, people with disabilities are either hurt by, for instance, a lack of access to resources in society, or they continue to experience stressful situations along with their conditions. In Toward a Feminist Theory of Disability, Wendell adds an important point when she says “The oppression of disabled people is the oppression of everyone’s real body” (Wendell 248). In other words, the system of oppression affects everyone, not just people with disabilities and minority groups. 

In the world of My Little Pony, there are three main classes of ponies: Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies. The pegasus are winged ponies who can fly, Earth ponies have great strength and unicorns can do magic. Tempest Shadow would be at a disadvantage due to not being able to fly on her own, use brute strength like Earth ponies, or use magic to the same degree as a unicorn. While some characters are portrayed as "disabled heroes," this character is a villain and a "tragic victim." The pursuit to get her horn fixed is her main drive behind her evil actions in the movie. This can be equated to the extreme circumstance of a person wanting to have his/her disability "cured." In a sense, the physical traits of strength, flying, and magical ability are valued not only for the sake of the personal lives of the ponies, but their overall collective culture. According to Wendell, “idealizing the body prevents everyone, able-bodied and disabled, from identifying with and loving his/her real body” (Wendell, p. 248). In real life, individuals are pressured to meet near impossible standards of beauty, health, and fitness that most individuals cannot attain. Tempest Shadow only begins to accept herself and her abilities at the end of the film, after Twilight and her pony friends accepted her into their friendship circle.

Of course, Tempest Shadow’s experience does not represent the majority of individuals with disabilities. While it is true that some individuals may seek cures or treatments for physical or mental disabilities, there are plenty of others who do not want to be cured. For certain individuals, their disabilities are major components of their identities and some resist the system that privileges able-bodied individuals. A double standard exists for many individuals with disabilities. On the one hand, they are often criticized, mocked, or even assaulted for their differences. On the other hand, able-bodied individuals may find these differences as "fascinating" or even "exotic." (Fiedler, 1984). Indeed, for instance, the ponies were shocked and fearful of Tempest Shadow during her invasion arrival. To substitute for the loss of her magic, Tempest Shadow uses dark crystals to turn the pony citizens into stone (who were later revived at the end). Tempest Shadow is so upset over the loss of her former magical abilities that she goes to extreme measures in a (failed) attempt to “cure” herself. Tempest Shadow even sings a villain song “Open up your Eyes” to a captured Twilight in the middle of the film, explaining how she lost her ability and her desire for revenge.

According to Wendell,  the differences of individuals with disabilities are "highlighted, and their similarity to people without disabilities is minimized or else commented upon as amazing or amusing in order to maintain focus upon the difference” (Wendell p. 66). An example from the film is when Tempest Shadow uses her broken horn to shoot fireworks into the air, a spectacle that amazes the other ponies. This could be interpreted as a means of acceptance of Tempest Shadow into the mainstream society. On the contrary, the scene (and the movie as a whole) also focuses to an extent, on Tempest Shadow’s marked difference: the loss of her horn, over any other part of her identity. 

In support of Wendell’s statements, Barnes and Mercer argue that disability is a form of social oppression that is at the root of all other forms of discrimination. The authors state that people with disabilities are “marked apart as a distinct social group on the grounds of their perceived bodily deficiency or abnormality” (Barnes and Mercer, p. 20). In other words, the oppression of marginalized groups is based on perceived biological weaknesses and differences that do not adhere to the “white male” norm. On the contrary, the world of My Little Pony is highly female centered, with the majority of characters and leaders being female. However, the society still favors able-bodied ponies who can fly, have strength, or perform adequate magic, all the qualities that Tempest Shadow does not possess. In real life, society is structured primarily for able-bodied young white men. Wendell argues that the socially constructed ideals put in place creates stress for individuals who cannot meet them.

Moreover, Robert McRuer provides an intersectional view of disability. McRuer claims that ableism and heterosexism are forms of oppression that operate similarly. Both able-bodiedness and the theory of compulsory heterosexuality privileges able-bodied individuals who fit the social expectations for being male or female. Males, for instance, must be dominant, courageous, and providers for their families. Women, on the other hand, are expected to be passive, nurturing, emotional, and be caregivers to their children. These systems perceive LGBTQ individuals and individuals with disabilities as “deviant.” According to McRuer, both able-bodiedness and heterosexuality “functions by covering over with the appearance of choice, a system in which there is actually no choice” (McRuer p. 303). McRuer adds that the system of capitalism further reinforces these systems of oppression to favor able-bodied workers and heterosexual individuals who can contribute to the labor force and human reproduction respectively. In regard to McRuer, the societal assumption is, “the most successful heterosexual subject is the one whose sexuality is not compromised by disability” and vice versa (McRuer, p. 304).

In stark contrast to the capitalistic systems of oppression, the world of My Little Pony contains no such restrictions. The pony characters are free to pursue their goals, their careers, and their moments to hang out with friends. Although a hierarchy system is in place, there remains very little discrimination. However, Tempest Shadow, while not directly oppressed by pony society, still struggles to fit in. Not only is her villainous behavior considered “deviant” by the ponies, but to another extent, her appearance is another indication. She wears dark armor over her body, and has a scar across her right eye. Her dark pink hair is cut “sharper” and shorter than the longer smoother manes of the other ponies. She is larger, darker, and more militaristic in appearance in comparison to Twilight Sparkle and her pony friends. In general, the other female ponies are friendlier, more empathetic, and more “beautiful” in terms of appearance. In this sense, Tempest Shadow’s traits defy both the gender norms and the ability norms of Canterlot. In addition, Wendell claims qualities like success, beauty, health, and energy praiseworthy traits to have in an able-bodied dominant society. According to Wendell, “just as treating cultural standards of beauty as essential virtues for women harms most women, treating health and vigor as moral virtues for everyone harms people with disabilities and illnesses (Wendell, p. 249).

Furthermore, in modern societies, individuals are constantly met with high expectations to conform to. Individuals with disabilities who cannot keep up with the fast-paced society are looked down upon by able-bodied individuals who are more impatient (Wendell 38). Wendell calls this phenomenon the "pace of life factor," something that able-bodied individuals take for granted (Wendell p. 37). In modern society, individuals are expected to be quick and efficient in the workplace, in traveling from place to place, and to be constantly up to date in the online world. In My Little Pony, Canterlot is a fast-paced society filled with mythological creatures and magic. Science and medicine do not increase the pace of the pony society, rather it is magic. When Tempest Shadow lost her horn when she was little, her friends rejected her because she couldn't play with them in the "proper" way other unicorns her age could. Indeed, Tempest Shadow may have found in herself, an inability to "keep up" with the norms and expectations of the other ponies. This feeling, combined with her feelings of abandonment, led to her temporarily joining the Storm King’s evil force. In comparison with Tempest Shadow’s failure to get her magic back, many individuals in real life cannot or choose not to seek “cures” for their disabilities/illnesses.

In summary, Wendell argues that feminism and disability theories should be integrated together to raise awareness of physical and mental disabilities in sociological texts. In comparison with Wendell’s intersectional perspective, McRuer states the systems of heterosexuality and able-bodiedness both oppress individuals who do not fit the “healthy white male” standard. Sexuality and gender cannot be discussed without including other social factors like race, class, and disability. Finally, Barnes and Mercer conclude a bias against perceived biological appearances/disability is at the root of all forms of oppression. Therefore, more effort should take place in embracing individual differences and representing people with disabilities in genuine, effective ways.

Although My Little Pony is directed toward children, it has many valuable lessons that adults can learn from. The most prominent lesson is the importance of friendship, and the second one is the subtle representation of disability. Tempest Shadow is just one example of characters with disabilities in various forms of media. This essay demonstrated that Tempest Shadow’s experience with having a "disability" does not represent the majority of individuals with disabilities in real life, also including the fact that the film is fictional. However, it does send the message that individuals with disabilities can and should be accepted into society and be embraced for their differences. More representation of disability in film and in scholarly works is essential to educate able-bodied individuals about physical and mental disabilities in various contexts. Greater representation over time will lead to disabilities being normalized instead of ostracized.

References

Barnes and Mercer (2003). “Disability as a form of Social Oppression.” Disabling Societies. p. 20-25.

Fiedler, L. (1984). “The Tyranny of the Normal.” The Hastings Center Report April: 40-42.

McRuer, Robert (2006). “Compulsory Able-Bodiedness and Queer/Disabled Existence.” The Disability Studies Reader (2^nd ed.). p. 301-308. New York and London. Taylor & Francis Group.

Wendell, Susan (1989). “Toward a Feminist Theory of Disability.” The Disability Studies Reader (2^nd ed.). p. 243-252. New York and London. Taylor & Francis Group.

Wendell, Susan (1996). The Rejected Body: Feminist Philosophical Reflections on Disability. Taylor and Francis Group. Routledge. New York, NY.