Sweet Magnolias season 3 has put the nail in the coffin as to Netflix not knowing how to dress plus-size people with repeated fashion crimes. During season 1 we thought that they had season 1 jitters and maybe they hadn’t found their footing yet. During season 2 we were a little bit less forgiving because they were starting to show a pattern and by we I mean me, the plus-size writer that is absolutely done. Because Sweet Magnolias and Netflix adjacent have made it quite obvious that they do not know how to dress plus-size women and they don’t care to learn. And it’s such a shame because we rarely get to see plus-size women on our screens going through the things that Dana Sue is. So, let’s break down the crimes of season 3 of Sweet Magnolias when it comes to fashion.
For some reason, Sweet Magnolias thinks that plus-size people can only wear drapes and belts. Every single time you see the stunning Dana Sue she is wearing something that is the shape of a bag. There are no defining lines that accentuate her shape or her form. In fact, the only kind of shape that you get is when they throw on a belt to “spice up the outfit.” But what ends up happening is people like myself, plus-size women, feeling like this show is either ashamed of plus-size bodies or that they don’t think plus-size bodies are capable of embracing our curves as a part of who we are. And it really feels like an insult to the character herself because if there’s anything that this woman is, she is confident in herself and the choices that she makes. You would think that would include the things that she wears.
It’s even more insulting considering the intentionality that you can see behind Maddie and Helen’s outfits. Both of these characters have outfits that match their personality and speak to who they are. There is expression, joy, and celebration of who they are and the bodies that day inhabit. Dana Sue is the opposite of that. And as someone who is looking for representation, I feel so disappointed when I see Dana Sue come onto my screen to the point where I have to turn away. She makes me feel like I can’t accept myself and the curves that I have. She makes me feel like I should work out, lose weight, or that there will never be any cute outfits that I can wear. She also makes me feel like I am an afterthought that doesn’t deserve the time and dedication to express who she is through the things that she wears in the same way that Maddie and Helen get that same consideration.
That’s why I’m kind of done with Sweet Magnolias after season 3. I do not feel empowered by this show. I feel ignored and like I should hide. And I dread the thought that there are young women who are watching this show, looking at Dana Sue, and thinking, “Man, there really aren’t any cute outfits for plus-size people.” It’s a blatant lie that speaks to Netflix’s need to work harder on making sure they have stylists and designers to work with the actress Brooke Elliott and make her feel beautiful and empowered in the body she inhabits. Because as plus-size women we’re done with being put in this little box where we can’t be fashionable or unapologetically in love with our curves. We’re done with these fashion crimes and we’ll definitely spend some more time in finding better outlets that empower us and not this garbage.
Check out the biggest fashion crimes when it comes to Dana Sue’s outfits below:
There’s this outfit in the barn…
This shapeless thing…
This blob of color with a belt…
Oh and then there’s that one time they tried to make her “sexy” and still dressed her in shapeless clothes…
And once again, we’re not alone in thinking that season 3 did Dana Sue dirty. The internet agrees too!
Sweet Magnolias season 3 is available on Netflix.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, Sweet Magnolias being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Even the wedding renewal dress was a miss, absolutely horrible. And she was supposed to have an appointment to get her hair done? Looked the same as always! What is wrong with these people? Whomever is the stylist on the show should be fired!
Absolutely cringe-worthy!!!