My primary takeaway about people that are mad about Autistic Barbie being feminine is that a lot people really don’t understand just the dynamics between neurotypical (“normal”) women and neuroatypical (“weird”) women who are feminine, conventionally attractive, and can “mask” (until they start talking at length).

I’ve never been diagnosed with autism I was a weird™ little girl who read during recess and beheaded my Barbies and set things on fire; I really struggled to get along with girls my age but got along better with boys, and I grew into a weird woman™, so I feel qualified to explain this.

Basically, normal girls see conventionally attractive weird girls as public enemies #1 since they see them as competition for “high status” guys. Ironically, besides like generalized misogyny, the guys are often more accepting of quirks in pretty women than normie girls are, and normie girls HATE that.

Many girls try really hard to be fit in so when weird girls who stick their feet in their mouths and can’t fit in even if they tried end up swooping in and monopolizing their dream guy’s attention, the normies get furious and vindictive and start doing stuff like putting dead rats in their beds. And I honestly get it! It’s very very annoying when someone can bypass all your efforts and be rewarded with what you’ve always wanted. But the point stands.

• I didn’t really like the book version of this season, An Offer From a Gentleman, but the show version seems quite promising, especially the main couple, Benedict and Sophie.
• I really like Sophie. She’s really warm and sweet and quick on her feet, but very super take no bullshit. I love how she immediately jumped to defend the debutantes when Benedict was eye rolling at them, a true girls’ girl (and not in the fake way), and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season.
• Benedict in the show reminds me a lot of Sunny in The Duke who Ravished Me by Diana Quincy, and in that book, Adam’s like a dissolute mess who is an irresponsible layabout, and he grows up and gets his shit together because Isabel will not stand for anything else, as is her right as a woman. I really love a reformed rake (and yes this is partly because I married one lol), so huge fan of this trope.
• The other Bridgerton storylines seem kind of boring this season, except for Hyacinth who’s cute and fun and actually seems like she’s not just going along with things as they are. Plus, Will Tilston, who plays Gregory, saying he remembers meeting Florence Hunt, who plays Hyacinth, for the first time and thinking “I’m gonna know this girl for the rest of my life” is honestly so so sweet and made me tear up.
• Colin and Penelope are very cute, he’s being a wonderful husband, although the Whistledown plot is kind of getting old. And, the part where Penelope’s writing in bed and Colin’s snoring next to her made me smile big. It’s so domestic and that’s really what it’s all about, finding someone you want to sleep next to for the rest of your lives.

If I had a nickel for every time a bisexual female member of Congress from the southwest that was elected in 2018 had a sordid affair with one of her employees, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice. (x)