It's actually astonishing that the Jabba/Leia scenes in ROTJ didn't cause a scandal, back in 1983

[fireproof78]

Having been a part of conventions and Star Wars fan groups I can say confidently that there was offense before this century.

The OT has been over-analyzed since I joined Star Wars fandom. Acting this is new is disingenuous, at best.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

There's never been any sort of overwhelming feeling of offense to the slave Leia costume. Han shooting first was more offensive, and look at the blowback supposedly fixing that problem has gotten.

 

[fireproof78]

There's never been any sort of overwhelming feeling of offense to the slave Leia costume. Han shooting first was more offensive, and look at the blowback supposedly fixing that problem has gotten.

Overwhelming? No, of course not. Star Wars is not a very female friendly brand at least starting with the OT, so I wouldn't expect overwhelming push back. I just recall shall we say annoyance and pushback from my fan group at the Slave Leia costume.

Anecdotal, no doubt. But, I don't see it being any worse now than before.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Having been a part of conventions and Star Wars fan groups I can say confidently that there was offense before this century.

Again, I was attending conventions in 1983--the year ROTJ was released and endless other conventions in that period where cosplayers dressed as slave Leia, and no one complained. Further, no one complained about the mass-produced posters and stills featuring slave Leia, and no parents' groups (or anyone else) complained when slave Leia was illustrated in the Marvel Comics adaptation of ROTJ. The fake outrage about that costume and its alleged implications was not an issue in the American culture of the 80s. That very much was a recent era invention by those who sought find everything offensive in all older content.

There's never been any sort of overwhelming feeling of offense to the slave Leia costume. .

Certainly not in the 80s.

 

[fireproof78]

That very much was a recent era invention by those who sought find everything offensive in all older content.

Didn't know the 90s were recent.

 

[Christopher]

Didn't know the 90s were recent.

They still feel that way to me.

 

[fireproof78]

They still feel that way to me.

Same but that high school reunion is coming up too quickly.

 

[Tuskin38]

I remember at least one live stream of Celebration this century on the official Star Wars youtube/website, interviewing a group of women all dressed as Slave Leia.

 

[fireproof78]

I remember at least one live stream of Celebration this century on the official Star Wars youtube/website, interviewing a group of women all dressed as Slave Leia.

I remember that as well, and it got a huge focus with the Celebration right before ROTS release. And I also saw pushback because it was regarded as ridiculous.

It's not a uniform opinion in the fandom.

 

[YLu]

Unless you were conducting polls, saying you never heard anyone complain means little. If you're the sort who gets dismissive at that kind of criticism, well, good chance people intuited that and so didn't bring it up to you because why bother.

When that Iron Fist Netflix show was coming out, you heard defenders saying complaints about the character's white savior tropes didn't exist back in the day. But as a fan of Asian descent, I know they did exist. It's just other people didn't care to listen. There's a difference.

Carrie Fisher on the slave outfit, in conversation with Daisy Ridley:

FISHER: Well, you should fight for your outfit. Don’t be a slave like I was.
RIDLEY: All right, I’ll fight.
FISHER: You keep fighting against that slave outfit.
RIDLEY: I will.

https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/daisy-ridley#page2

 

[psCargile]

As a kid who saw it in the theater, a woman in a metal bikini wasn't sexy. The adults may have thought so. But to kids, it's just a costume. We saw girls at the pool and the beach in bikinis all the time, and they weren't sexy...yet.

 

[Christopher]

As a kid who saw it in the theater, a woman in a metal bikini wasn't sexy. The adults may have thought so. But to kids, it's just a costume. We saw girls at the pool and the beach in bikinis all the time, and they weren't sexy...yet.

I was 14-15 when the movie came out, and I thought she looked amazing.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Unless you were conducting polls, saying you never heard anyone complain means little.

Unless any of the "slave Leia was controversial" set were conducting polls when ROTJ was released in '83, saying the costume was controversial means little, and since some are making that argument, the burden of proof rests on their shoulders.

 

[fireproof78]

Unless any of the "slave Leia was controversial" set were conducting polls when ROTJ was released in '83, saying the costume was controversial means little, and since some are making that argument, the burden of proof rests on their shoulders.

I can only state what I experienced.

 

[Reverend]

By definition, a controversy is a prolonged public disagreement, not just some random flash-in-the-pan complaints. If there was any such of note on this issue, it would be fairly well documented. It isn't, ergo it never happened to a degree worth mentioning.

Put another way: if you have to go digging to find a controversy, it's not really all that controversial.

 

[fireproof78]

By definition, a controversy is a prolonged public disagreement, not just some random flash-in-the-pan complaints. If there was any such of note on this issue, it would be fairly well documented. It isn't, ergo it never happened to a degree worth mentioning.

Put another way: if you have to go digging to find a controversy, it's not really all that controversial.

I guess I never defined controversy that way. Fair enough.

 

[Reverend]

I guess I never defined controversy that way. Fair enough.

In fairness it's an often misused term, just as often than not referring to "vocal minority kicking up a fuss for bad faith reasons" instead of any actual controversy.

 

[fireproof78]

In fairness it's an often misused term, just as often than not referring to "vocal minority kicking up a fuss for bad faith reasons" instead of any actual controversy.

Fair enough. Learn something new, etc.

 

[YLu]

Unless any of the "slave Leia was controversial" set were conducting polls when ROTJ was released in '83, saying the costume was controversial means little, and since some are making that argument, the burden of proof rests on their shoulders.

The claim "it wasn't controversial" is miles apart from your original claim that nobody was offended at all and that the criticism didn't even exist until recent times.

 

[DonIago]

Everything offends someone...