Superhero costumes are anything but forgiving. Spandex as far as the eye can see, with midriffs and various body parts often on display. The star of The CW’s Stargirl, Brec Bassinger, is typically outfitted in a skin-tight crop top and matching bike shorts, which is definitely not an outfit you’d want to wear to Thanksgiving dinner. Fans of Stargirl’s look don’t have to worry, since the upcoming second season of the show will feature a very similar costume. There will, however, be a few key differences, which were requested by Bassinger herself - and they're all due to quarantine.
When Brec Bassinger arrived for her Stargirl Season 2 costume fitting post-COVID quarantine, she immediately noticed that something wasn’t right. And luckily, it wasn't the work of the Injustice Society of America. She told TVLine:
When I came back for the second season, I’m going to be straight honest — it didn’t fit. It wasn’t zipping up. I had that ‘quarantine 15’ and was like, ‘We’re going to have to work something out.’ So L.J. [Shannon], the costume designer, and our amazing wardrobe team did some lovely fixes…. They were able to let some fabric out here and there.
Shoutout to Brec Bassinger for advocating for herself. If Stargirl can’t move around in her costume, how is she going to carry on the legacy of the Justice Society of America? And a double shoutout to the actress for accepting her changing body and moving on. And on top of that, she even found an unexpected silver lining with her new duds:
It’s a turtleneck and while it creates great lines, it’s extremely tight — so much so, it left like a bruise on my neck. But I feel cool, because superheroes should have battle scars, and my suit was the cause of a ‘battle scar.’
Battle scars, indeed. Her body got her through a global pandemic, and that makes it wonderful. Not to mention that Brec Bassinger wasn’t the only member of the Stargirl team whose look needed some changes. Her co-star Anjelika Washington (Beth Chapel/Dr. Mid-Nite) also reported a costume refitting:
I’m on the same page as Brec — they let out a few inches for me. Holla, quarantine snacks came through! But it is what it is, and what was such a blessing is no one pressured us into anything, no one cared. They were so supportive, like, ‘You look great!'
It’s incredibly affirming to see a TV network accept its actors’ bodies and not force them into a crazy workout routine, especially considering how young the performers are. It’s one thing for an adult like Dwayne Johnson to endure a rigorous training routine and quite another for a 22-year-old. Hopefully, one can only hope that The CW’s support for its young actors is echoed by other networks throughout Hollywood. And as for Stargirl, whether or not Brec Bassinger needs a new costume doesn’t matter - she can still save the world.
Stargirl Season 2 premieres on The CW on August 10th at 8 p.m. ET.
