The Problem With Lindalee

Here at The Mary Sue, we’ve indulged in frequent adorableness in the form of Lindalee Rose, the adorable young YouTube Whovian who’s rubbed elbows with Doctors and companions for much of her short life. She’s great, and we love how hardcore she is about her fandom.

But this video that her channel posted today squicked us a bit. Have a look:

She’s still as charming and adorable as ever. And the way she totally ignores Cinderella‘s Richard Madden in favor of Doctor Who‘s Jenna Coleman is absolutely hilarious. But a couple of things concern me:

1) Her Gossip-Columnist Tone About Madden and Coleman Dating

Yes, Madden and Coleman are dating, but that’s not the point. The point is that what 5-year-old would be speculating about that and say it in this way? My feeling is that, after her initial squee over Coleman, someone pulled her aside and told her to say that, which unnerves me to no end. What’s great about Lindalee is her innocent, unbridled enthusiasm for Doctor Who and other pop culture. She doesn’t need to learn how to become a tabloid “journalist.” We already have too many of those.

2) The Kiss, and The Slipper

This might have more to do with my feelings about fairy tales in general, but there’s something about the way she had to get a kiss from Cinderella’s prince and have a “glass slipper” put on her foot that rubbed me the wrong way. It struck me that, it’s 2015, and we’re STILL presenting a Prince and a Slipper as a reward to young girls. Because of course all a girl really wants in life is a kiss from a handsome prince and to be chosen as his princess, right?

Her Doctor Who reviews and interviews are great. But seeing her in a context beyond Doctor Who shines a spotlight on the things that can go very wrong when a parent allows a small child to get caught up in the hoopla of the entertainment industry and internet fame. I really hope this isn’t a sign of things to come. I’d hate for us to lose an awesome, smart Whovian and get stuck with a future host of Fashion Police instead.

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Teresa Jusino

Teresa Jusino (she/her) is a native New Yorker and a proud Puerto Rican, Jewish, bisexual woman with ADHD. She's been writing professionally since 2010 and was a former TMS assistant editor from 2015-18. Now, she's back as a contributing writer. When not writing about pop culture, she's writing screenplays and is the creator of your future favorite genre show. Teresa lives in L.A. with her brilliant wife. Her other great loves include: Star Trek, The Last of Us, anything by Brian K. Vaughan, and her Level 5 android Paladin named Lal.

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