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Why are men calling Margot Robbie ‘mid’ online? [1]
['Condé Nast', 'Lucy Morgan', 'Savannah Walsh']
Date: 2023-07-14 16:20:26.105000+00:00
Margot Robbie is an acclaimed actor, producer, and advocate for women's rights. She's also – according to some men on the internet – “mid.”
“Mid” refers to people (usually women) whose appearance falls in the middle of the screwed-up rating system we all use to measure our attraction to one another. It's usually reserved for those rated at six or seven out of ten; for those who dare to be sort of attractive rather than bombshell attractive.
In this case, the bizarre trend stemmed from one Twitter user sharing a photo of Margot supposedly without makeup, writing, “This is her without makeup. Definitely mid. Another person tweeted, “She is a hard 7. You used to find a Margot Robbie in every Blockbuster Video in 1995,” while another added, “I wonder if women are freaking out bc if Margot Robbie used to be a 9 and now she is mid at 33, that means we will be like 2 at 33 [sic].”
In what world does “mid” apply to Margot Robbie? You might ask. But it's the wrong question. While “mid” discourse (understandably) elicits responses like “If Margot Robbie is mid, what does that make me?” we must be vigilant against falling into this trap.
The people calling Margot “mid” know full well that the Barbie star has all the physical attributes – slim build, tanned skin, blonde hair, etc. – associated with Eurocentric beauty ideals; she's been cast as the stereotypical Barbie for exactly this reason. It isn't about Margot's appearance, it's about reinforcing a deeply misogynistic power dynamic in which women exist to titillate men.
James Gourley
Margot Robbie's image has evolved within the oppressive realm of the male gaze: a theory originally used to describe how women in cinema were over-sexualised and disempowered on screen by narrow-minded male producers and directors.
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[1] Url:
https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/margot-robbie-mid-opinion
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