Hello and welcome to Random dialectics! It has been more than a year since the last article, so I have decided, that it was long overdue for a new one. So without any delay, we shall jump into it!
Today we’re going to take a closer look at a member of the Mane 6 and the reason why she’s generating mixed emotions in the fandom. Some like her, some are huge fans, and many people downright hate her, claiming she’s the worst character in the show. Within the next few lines we will attempt to seek out the reasons of such negative emotions toward this character and disproof, or at least understand their basis as well.
So here are the most reoccurring negative critiques and their refutations about Rarity!
1. “Rarity is so superficial and girly.”
Many fans believe that this white unicorn is superficial and shallow, based on her appearance and occupation. I’m inclining to agree with the statement, that the fashion business itself is a greedy, heartless, materialistic, thus very superficial institution. Admittedly, I was thinking the same of Rarity in the beginning. When I started watching the show, she was my least favorite character indeed. But then, I started looking at her from a different perspective after “Suited For Success”. I saw someone who was really passionate about her work and finds a great deal of joy in just doing her job and goes to extremes to help her friends out and satisfy their needs.
However, my point of view changed drastically after “A Dog And A Pony Show”. I still think that’s one of Rarity’s best episodes so far. This episode proved that she’s more than just a pretty face. A seemingly helpless and defenseless pony have managed to turn a freaking hostage situation to her own advantage by utilizing her sharp observing skills, which must be pretty important in her line of work.
Furthermore, she’s not only a creative artist, but a pretty successful business woman (or pony) as well. She started with a small town boutique and now she’s creating a nationwide franchise network! These are just three defining layers of her character, but she’s more complex than what the limits of such small articles allow to unfold.
2. “Rarity is a mindless plaza-doll.”
Perhaps Rarity puts a little too much emphasis on her exterior indeed. But that doesn’t mean she has a shallow soul or that she’s dumb. There are many smart woman in real life who look gorgeous and stunning as well, so don’t be too hasty to judge a book by its cover only! Rarity’s not some kind of stupid plaza doll, on the contrary! Of course, her lexical knowledge cannot compete with Twilight’s for example, but she’s witty. Downright cunning sometimes. She can be manipulate, sure! It’s a part of her personality. Many successful people in real life share that trait with her. It got them where they are now. Although it’s debatable whether it’s a good thing or not, let it be said, that in today’s world, it can be a quite useful trick. Plus, Rarity didn’t utilize that skill of hers to defraud or hurt others for her own financial gain or something.
And that brings us to my second point, which is also arguable: Rarity seems to be the only character in the show who’s sexually aware and sometimes utilizes her own sex appeal to bring in small favors from stallions. The same thing she does with Spike. She’s fully aware of the dragon’s childish crush on her, yet she doesn’t ignore him or treat him like crap. Yeah, she asks him to do stuff for her and help her out. Some would say, that’s like child slavery, but lately, everyone have been abusing Spike for manual labor and shit.
Even though we could frown upon Rarity’s attitude toward the dragon, she’s always been one of his closest protectors, even in the recent episode!
And before you judge Rarity, ask yourselves this, my fellow men: If a pretty girl walked up to you and asked you to help carry her carry her bags upstairs or fix her tire, would you say no? I believe most of us wouldn’t. It’s how the world works. Or it’s supposed to be working like this…
3. “Rarity is such an attention seeker/drama queen.”
Sure thing, old Rares does seem to have a tendency for seeking attention. I will convey my own theory about that, but first, let me ask you this: why does a pretty girl dresses up nicely, with all the makeup and stuff? Because she wants to be noticed. Rarity is no exception. It’s a subconscious craving for the approval of others. Why? Because she has a personality disorder.
If you observe the main cast a little carefully, you will find that most of them has some kind of mental illness. Not severe, just a mild one, but still. Twi has OCD, Flutters is chronically phobic, Pinkie is hyperactive, Dashie has paranoid personality disorder… damn… I could write a whole other article about that! Maybe I will, if you’re interested. ;)
Long story short, I believe Rarity either has a mild border-line syndrome (hence the hectic and extreme breakdowns and drama couches even in trivial situations) or she has a narcissistic personality disorder. That would explain her vanity and her urges for being in the center of attention and to be noticed. This might be a result of her being neglected in her childhood. We have seen that she doesn’t have the best relationship with her parents. It seemed more awkward and forced than family-like… who knows, why am I even analyzing the minds of technicolor talking mini horses anyways?! You get my point, no? The bottom line is, that a deep, well established character has flaws. Rarity has several. It makes her more “human”. And not in that Equestria Girls bullshit sense. :D
4. “For the Element of Generosity, Rarity is so selfish.”
True, she can be selfish from time to time, for the reason why, see my theory above. However, she also helps her friends out with everything, even with their most intricate, tiniest needs and she seems to be doing the same for complete strangers as well. Making dresses, giving advice and not just in fashion, but in other aspects of life s well, and basically being there for her friends. She can get carried away and forget about her Element sometimes, but she always comes through in the end. Not to mention how generous she can be with money too, like the time she gave a rather huge tip to a bellhop. It appears to me that she is not driven by financial gain at all, even though she owns a franchise and became a well-known face in the equestrian fashion industry.
Now it is up for you to decide whether she’s doing such things out of the goodness of her heart or just for the sole purpsoe to be noticed. Perhaps both. Perhaps none. These are just my personal opinions and observations. However, if you’re a hater of Rarity, while you’re giving the benefit of the doubt even to such terrible, underdeveloped characters as Flash Sentry, I see no reason why you couldn’t do the same for Rares. And let it be noted, that this comes from a guy who didn’t like her at first either. But she’s been climbing up on my favorite ponies list ever since. Slowly, but assuredly. Now I enjoy and await every Rarity episode, especially since their stories grew more mature. And last but not least, the amazing, incredible voice acting of Tabitha St. Germain plays a huge part in making Rarity a likable character too! Her talent matches my fave voice actor of all time, which is Tara Strong.
So whether you like or hate Rarity, I hope you enjoyed this little article! See you next time in Random dialectics!
