Evil fans say they felt “triggered” after a scene from the film showed Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba becoming “popular” by taking off her glasses.
The film, which has been a box office phenomenon since hitting UK cinemas last month, follows Elphaba as she embarks on a journey to become the Wicked Witch of the West.
In one scene, Elphaba undergoes a beauty transformation at the hands of Glinda, played by Ariana Grande, during the hit musical Popular.
But eagle-eyed fans noted that the key to Elphaba’s ‘makeover’ was simply getting rid of her glasses, which viewers condemned for promoting an unhealthy standard of beauty.
In the song, Elphaba tries on several pairs of glasses before taking them off completely.
While Wicked has impressed viewers and critics alike, some fans accused the film of perpetuating stereotypes by removing the glasses, in a phenomenon they called “speciesism.”
It’s a choice that upset some viewers, with one addressing X saying: “Once again I was disappointed to see that in order to be popular and considered attractive, Elphaba had to lose her #Wicked glasses.”
For Daniel Scott, celebrity eyewear stylist at TheEyewearStylist.co.uk, it was a “trigger” watch. He said: ‘The new Wicked film was very stimulating for me.
Wicked fans have expressed their disappointment over a detail in Elphaba’s beauty transformation (pictured: Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo)
Why, even in this modern era, does Hollywood think it’s okay to constantly paint people with glasses as “nerdy” or “unpopular” characters and be picked on for it?
‘He only becomes ‘popular’ and the hero of the story once the glasses come off. Constantly reinforcing this horribly outdated stereotype.
“Once again, the protagonist is bullied, yes because she is green, but “let’s throw her some glasses just in case,” so that when she becomes the heroine she no longer wears glasses.”
Dan added: “The press is quick to talk about sexuality, inclusion, body shape inclusion, but where is the inclusion of glasses? Where is the hero for glasses wearers?
And he added: ‘It is necessary to put an end to specificism. For the sake of our children, (from there) so many self-esteem problems arise.’
Elsewhere, others turned to X to express similar thoughts. One said: ‘Even though I liked evil, does anyone know why he randomly took off his glasses halfway through?’ It’s been bugging me, they looked amazing!
A second said: ‘My favorite part in #Wicked is when the rose gives the green one a makeover and literally the *only* thing she changes about her appearance is that she takes off her glasses, which is specifically something the rose said . not to do.’
“Once again I was disappointed to see that in order to be popular and considered attractive, Elphaba had to lose her glasses,” added a third.
In the film, Glinda, played by Ariana Grande (pictured left), gives Elphaba a makeover during the song Popular.
Viewers took to X to share their thoughts, and some were disappointed by the decision to remove Elphaba’s glasses.
A fourth wrote: “Still cracking up at #Wicked trying so hard to tell us Elphaba was meant to be frumpy when she had the best wigs, best clothes, cool glasses, even the ‘ugly hat’ scene doesn’t work ’cause it’s A Really Great Witch’s Hat. The worst attempt at turning the ugly duckling into a beautiful actress!’
It comes after Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz revealed he has subtly hidden the beloved Wizard of Oz song ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ in the new film.
The lyricist, from New York, has worked on many films over the years, including Disney’s Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
He recently helped score Wicked Part One and Part Two, which is expected to be released next year.
Stephen said he wanted to pay homage to the original Wizard of Oz film within Wicked, which is widely considered a prequel to the 1939 film.
In the 85-year-old film, Dorothy, played by Judy Garland, sings the nostalgic song at the beginning of the film with her dog Toto, as an indication that she longs to escape her life in Kanas.
In news sure to delight Wicked fans, the songwriter revealed that he cleverly used the tune’s delicate melody within his final Act I hit, ‘Defying Gravity,’ sung by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who play Glinda and Elphaba.
Towards the end of the track, Stephen said Classic FM that the first seven notes of the classic song appear when the couple sings the word “unlimited” toward the end of the track.
Cynthia Erivo (pictured left) and Ariana Grande (pictured right) play Elphaba and Glinda in the new film (seen together at the Los Angeles premiere of Wicked at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in November)
‘Over The Rainbow’ was seen as one of the most famous songs of its time and was composed by Harold Arlen and the lyrics were created by EY Harburg.
He said: ‘Arlen’s melody is completely different rhythmically and harmonically. Maybe even people who don’t know the music very well still get that feeling because, of course, there’s no song more aspirational than ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’.’
The musician added that he wanted to hide the ‘Easter egg’ inside Defying Gravity ‘for fun’.
The clip, which was posted to TikTok, racked up thousands of likes and views, with many Wicked fans commenting on their thoughts.
One wrote: “I knew I had heard Somewhere Over the Rainbow OMG.” Another wrote: ‘I knew it! This just confirmed it! I was so excited when I heard it and saw the rainbow on the screen!’
A third said: “He’s very passionate and I love watching him.” A fourth commented: “I love this little thing and I love seeing others notice.”