*The conversation around “Shrek 5” has quickly shifted from excitement over the teaser trailer to frustration over Fiona’s new design, USA Today reports.
After DreamWorks released the first look at the upcoming film, fans began questioning why Fiona appears slimmer, younger, and more polished than she did in earlier installments. For many viewers, the change feels at odds with what made the franchise resonate in the first place: its rejection of narrow beauty standards.
One TikTok user criticized the redesign by asking, “Can anyone tell me why they gave Fiona from Shrek buccal fat removal, a chin transplant, a nose job, an airbrushed collarbone?”
The same user pointed to what they saw as a double standard between the couple.
“The kicker? They aged Shrek. They gave him wrinkles for the passage of time, and they snatch-ified her and made her look younger,” the user wrote. “This is such an indicator of where we are as a society.”
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Other viewers made similar observations, with one joking that Fiona looked like she had been put on Ozempic. Another argued the criticism was not an overreaction, writing, “I’m glad we’re making a big deal about this (because) it is this deep.”
The backlash has also opened a wider discussion about how female characters are redesigned as franchises age. Erica Chito Childs, Ruth and Harold Newman Dean of Arts and Sciences at Hunter College-CUNY, told USA TODAY that the response reflects real concerns about shrinking standards for women’s bodies.
“We have watched this happen in real life too, with women celebrities completely transforming their bodies and faces, and body positivity around larger bodies quietly disappearing from mainstream culture,” Childs said.
Melvin Williams, an associate professor of communication and media studies at Pace University, also connected the reaction to gender expectations, saying, “… it should come as no surprise that Fiona is presented in ‘Shrek 5’ as visibly slimmer and youthful, while Shrek, as a fat man, is afforded the gendered privilege of aging and gaining weight.”
The controversy arrives as “Shrek 5” prepares to introduce a new generation of characters. Zendaya joins the franchise as Felicia, the daughter of Shrek and Fiona. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz are returning as Shrek, Donkey and Fiona.
Marcello Hernandez and Skyler Gisondo also star as Felicia’s brothers, Fergus and Farkle.
“Shrek 5” is scheduled to open in theaters in summer 2027.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Zendaya Set to Voice Shrek and Fiona’s Daughter in ‘Shrek 5’
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