Diksha Sundriyal
Amazon Prime’s ‘Paper Girls’ follows the story of four young girls who embark on a journey that takes them across decades and centuries. The girls— Mac, KJ, Tiffany, and Erin— discover new things about themselves as they come face to face with their future selves. Coming from the late 80s into a different era and a different generation leads them to expand the way they think about many things, especially themselves. They discover that the future is entirely unpredictable and rarely do things go the way you want them to. This comes as a major shock to the tweens who’d wished for better things for themselves in the future.
The girls also build close connections with each other. With the four of them traveling through time together, they become one another’s close confidants. A special relationship starts to develop between KJ and Mac. Their fun banter gives an interesting twist to their interactions, which makes it look like there could be more between them. While we know KJ is gay, does the same hold true for Mac as well? Is she gay or bisexual? Here’s what you should know. MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
What is Mac’s Sexuality?
One of the great things about ‘Paper Girls’ is that each of its protagonists is a distinct character. Their characteristics, and even their appearances and manner of speaking, are so different that it is easy to identify them out of a bunch. But when we first meet them, Mac stands out from the group. As compared to the other three, Mac’s demeanor is very different. She is a tomboy, dressed in black with short hair and a vocabulary that doesn’t make her sound like she is twelve. It is also a reflection of her background, something that she keeps highlighting time and again, especially in the presence of KJ, whom she calls “rich girl”.
The first season of ‘Paper Girls’ gives us a sense of her character but it doesn’t delve into her sexuality like it does KJ’s. One of the reasons behind it is that Mac doesn’t really have a future to discover things about herself. Despite this, there is something in her interactions with KJ, which becomes a little clearer when KJ discovers that she is gay. While Mac doesn’t know that yet, she does feel frustrated at KJ’s erratic behavior, especially when she is the closest Mac feels to. She trusts her more than the other girls, especially when it comes to confiding in her about her own death. Does this mean there could be something more between them? Yes, there is a good chance of that happening.
While the show hasn’t yet caught up with KJ coming out to the group, the comics explore this arc in detail. She first comes out to Mac, who is depicted as a homophobic person who uses a lot of homophobic slurs and openly expresses her dislike for gay people. This is something that the show lets go of, and for good reason. The point of giving her this side in the comics was somewhere along the lines of stating that homophobes are secretly gay. The show drops this plot line, giving more space for Mac to explore her sexuality in the future.
Mac’s homophobia in the comics also leads her to mistreat and talk badly about KJ for a while, especially when she starts to realize that she might be attracted to her. Slowly, however, she comes to accept her feelings and by the time the story is wrapped up, Mac is surer of her sexuality and more respectful of others’. She and KJ also share a kiss before the story comes to an end, which confirms that Mac likes girls. However, it is not specified how wider the spectrum is for her. So, while we won’t want to put a label on her just yet, we can certainly say that Mac is not straight.
Read More: Does Mac Die in Paper Girls?
