Latest New Warriors Casting Announcement for Squirrel Girl Leaves This Curvy Woman Cold

Latest New Warriors Casting Announcement for Squirrel Girl Leaves This Curvy Woman Cold When Marvel announced back in April it would be pairing up with Freeform to create New Warriors,  a live-action comedy featuring Squirrel Girl, I literally squeed. I had recently read Ryan North and Erica Hendersons  The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Power  for the first time, and my mind was pretty much blown. Three months later, casting has been announced for Squirrel Girl herself, and while any news about this project makes me thrilled about the fact that we are this. much. closer to seeing my personal hero on the small screen, my reaction this time was closer to: via GIPHY and also: via GIPHY So whats the good word? It turns out Marvel has tapped Milana Vayntrub for Squirrel Girl,  who is probably best known for her work as ATT Girl. Here. Let me show you: via GIPHY ATTs Lily is undoubtedly likable. Shes friendly and approachable and totally seems like the type of person who wouldnt make fun of you if you forgot to shave your legs before going out in shorts, failed to stop your daughter from eating cat food, or spilled your chocolate martini all over yourself during a toast with fancy people (all things I have done). Vayntrub herself (the real person) also happens to be an activist, who uses her platform to advocate for Syrian refugees. A  former  refugee herself, whose  family fled the Soviet Union in the late 1980s due to animosity toward the Jewish population, she started #CantDoNothing  last year in order to make it easier for people to donate their time, money, and voices to the cause. I cant  help doing a fist pump (Im from Jersey) when I see someone whos struggled so much, and done so much good, land a role as awesome as Squirrel Girl. At the same time, I cant help but notice that Vayntrub lacks something that seems essential to Squirrel Girl Which brings me to why I adore Squirrel Girl so much. Ive written before about how I came to the comics party late in life, mostly because the average superhero fare didnt appeal to me, and I didnt think the comics world had anything else to offer me. When I eventually started reading comics late last year, I was drawn to series like  Lumberjanes and Giant Days  and, most recently,  Misfit City,  which tended to feature close friendships among kick-ass ladies. When I read the first volume of Squirrel Girl this past April, I was blindsided. She was like no superhero Id ever seen before. Part of it is the comic sensibility of the series itself. I mean: But a lot of my love is  due to the positivity Squirrel Girl just radiates. Its in her self-confidence. Its in the way she supports the people around her. Its in the way she beats the bad guys by appealing to their better nature.   And that positivity includes body positivity. Squirrel Girl doesnt look like any other female superhero Ive seen. Where many other female superheroes look like supermodels or Barbie dolls or department store mannequins come to life, Squirrel Girl just looks like a real girl. With bodacious curves and a conspicuously awesome butt. And she owns it. Which means a lot to someone whos had a complicated relationship with her body for most of her life. Because I come from a background  in which my mom casually mentions how thunder thighs run in the family. Because wearing a maxi dress sometimes makes me feel as if Im cosplaying as a circus tent. Because the lady at the dry cleaner has asked when Im due and, when Ive assured her Im not pregnant, shes asked,  Are you sure?  Because Ive totally been the woman reduced to tears in the fitting room because none of the shops at the mall carry jeans for average-sized women. Squirrel Girl has the unquestioning self-love I  wish  I could have. Shes the me I sometimes am on a good day, when Im rocking my favorite outfit, or when Im doing the most awesome crescent lunge in yoga class, or when Im performing average, everyday feats of strength that remind me of everything my body is capable of. Sometimes, some days, I can love my body. Squirrel Girl seems to effortlessly love every bit of herself every damn day. And for me, thats an important part of who Squirrel Girl  is. Its been gratifying to see an increasing number of curvy female protagonists in the stuff I read, from Willowdean Dickson of Julie Murphys Dumplin  to the women and girls who appear in the comics I mentioned above. In these latter works, the characters body types are an afterthought. Their size does not not relegate them  to the role of humorous sidekick or sassy best friend or larger-than-life comic relief. If only their live-action versions could fare as well. Still, even though Vayntrub doesnt seem to have any  conspicuous  junk in the trunk, I eagerly await the eventual release of  New Warriors.  When it becomes available, I will totally be all via GIPHY as I sprint to the nearest screen. Because Squirrel Girl eats nuts and kicks butts, and no one can take that away from me. via GIPHY Sign up to The Stack to receive  Book Riot Comic's best posts, picked for you. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.