I Love How Much Helly’s Clothes Have To Say Not Just About Her Outie’s Identity, But The Origin Of

I love how much Helly’s clothes have to say not just about her outie’s identity, but the origin of her rebellion as a whole.

Like… she breaks the dress code. Constantly. We know from The Lexington Letter that Lumon only allows white, black, navy, gray, and pastels. And what does Helly wear? Bright blues, green, orange, and at one point, even a dress that is unapologetically crayon-yellow.

For most of season one, the audience thinks this symbolizes Helly’s rebellious nature. Of course her outfits break the rules and stand out like a sore thumb in the muted halls of MDR — so does she! Helly is a new wild card spicing up the lives of her coworkers and shaking up the system. She doesn’t care a whit for Lumon and their stupid regulations, and her clothing reflects that.

But remember… Helly R. doesn’t dress herself.

Helena does.

I Love How Much Helly’s Clothes Have To Say Not Just About Her Outie’s Identity, But The Origin Of

If Helly could choose to break the dress code, she would — but she has no say in what she puts on every morning. It isn’t her who’s doing this. It’s Helena Eagan who wakes up and, every time she gets ready for work, purposefully dresses herself in ways contrary to her own father’s company.

Whatever her reasons, the point is this: the only reason Helly can unashamedly break the dress code is that no one has the guts to tell the CEO’s daughter to follow the rules. That rebellion, that defiant warmth? Only there because of privilege.

And isn’t that the point? Isn’t that so much of what Helly R.’s “moxie” is? Yes, she fights against MDR’s mistreatment and galvanizes the innies to revolution! Which is awesome! But a lot of it’s because when she first woke up on that table, something inside her went, “This isn’t right.

“This isn’t how people are supposed to treat me.”

It is SO deliciously ironic that almost every sliver, every atom of resistance Helly has against Lumon is an inversion from a sense of entitlement that they gave her in the first place. Helly R. goes to work with someone else’s power over her skin. It’s both the flaming crest of her defiance and a constant, quiet reminder that it is only there because she is not like the others. That she is only rebellious because on the outside… she is used to getting her way.

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scarabugzart

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“Adam Parrish was whiny and annoying” have you ever considered that maybe you’re wrong

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scarabugzart

3 months ago

"This is the way I talk. I'm sorry your father never taught you the meaning of repugnant. He was too busy smashing your head against the wall of your trailer while you apologized for being alive."

- Gansey, probably

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scarabugzart

2 months ago

I say shit like "If my memory serves me" knowing damn well it serves the dark lord

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scarabugzart

2 months ago

I think we forget that they all are hopelessly romantic. Like we get so caught up in "angry emo boy who is actually a big romantic softie" that we forget.

We forget Adam Parrish. How desperate he is to show love. How much he craves it.

We forget Blue "I'm in love with all of them" Sargent.

We forget Richard Campbell Gansey III and "she makes me feel quiet"

They are all pathetic and I love them

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scarabugzart

3 months ago

Hear Me Out: The Raven Cycle and Yellowjackets crossover.

They both involve magic fuckery in the woods, intense character relations and dynamics, murder. Also hella gay.

Gangsey gets stranded in Cabeswater like woods. Gansey obsession is straight up religious. Adam still makes a sacrifice. Kavinsky is out there cause someone’s gonna end up dying in a Yellowjackets au.

Or maybe this me trying to combine two things I love.

Tags

the raven cycle yellowjackets

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scarabugzart

2 months ago

just finished the raven cycle. Oh my God.

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scarabugzart

4 months ago

y’alls fav

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scarabugzart

2 months ago

i keep noticing most severance meta has a common appreciation towards helly's violence as a gateway to liberation (it's awesome, i agree!) but somehow all memes and conversation about dylan revolve around comic relief, his sigma grindset vibes in early season 1 (that are presented as a joke because haha, of course, he's fat, his outie doesn't win muscle shows, he thinks waffle parties are so cool, he thinks he's so great but the joke is that he's delusional)

but dylan also had a violent catalyst to class consciousness after the first blatant act of infantilization in defiant jazz, after he realized the shitty little office rewards were a bribe to keep him from finding out his outie has children, a family, and things he cares about that he's being denied. his outie severed because he can't hold down a job because of disabling mental illness, needs health insurance and wants to ease the financial load on his wife, who works night shifts. and you want him to get excited about two waffles?

dylan was radicalized through the you that you are right alongside mark. dylan chose to stay during the OTC against his start-of-the-season individualist characterization because he thought all of them deserved to know who they were. dylan asked for a portrait of all of MDR, knowing they might not come back, to keep him focused during the switch operation. dylan was the one to run after irving when he was clearly distressed (worried about financial insecurity, even subconsciously) and tried to keep him from committing suicide, he was the first person (and one of the very few so far) that acknowledged his relationship with burt as romantic and in a positive light. dylan requested the a funeral and gave an eulogy even when he wasn't sure he could trust helly (and it's helly's agreement that makes him trust her) and calling out how shitty mark was for not even acknowledging lumon killed irving because both mark and himself fucked up? dylan immediately worried about gretchen's happiness when they meet. dylan asked her if it was okay to hug, he acknowledged his outie's relationship with his wife and his own sadness about the situation without shifting the blame onto gretchen herself, and basked in the genuine love he got in return.

do you know how big these things are for someone with a history of relentless self deprecation for not being able to financially provide (in a show where family and material relations are constantly intertwined)? how it manifests in the way innie dylan engages with rewards as proof of accomplishment, how big it was when he noticed they are not?

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scarabugzart

2 months ago

USA people! Buy NOTHING Feb 28 2025. Not anything. 24 hours. No spending. Buy the day before or after but nothing. NOTHING. February 28 2025. Not gas. Not milk. Not something on a gaming app. Not a penny spent. (Only option in a crisis is local small mom and pop. Nothing. Else.) Promise me. Commit. 1 day. 1 day to scare the shit out of them that they don't get to follow the bullshit executive orders. They don't get to be cowards. If they do, it costs. It costs.

Then, if you can join me for Phase 2. March 7 2025 thtough March 14 2025? No Amazon. None. 1 week. No orders. Not a single item. Not one ebook. Nothing. 1 week. Just 1.

If you live outside the USA boycott US products on February 28 2025 and stand in solidarity with us and also join us for the week of no Amazon.

Are you with me?

Spread the word.

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scarabugzart

3 months ago

my dealer: got some straight gas 🔥😈 this strain is called "his fallible king" 🤴 you'll be zonked out of your gourd 💯

me: yeah whatever. i don’t feel shit

5 minutes later: what if i sacrificed my spiritual autonomy in order to help preserve your feebly-constructed sense of righteousness and integrity

my stupid and kind and marvellous best friend: hey, tiger

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