Me, proudly being a goth, a misfit, and weirdo was more than happy to sit down and watch Wednesday on Netflix. Unlike other misfits, who were shunned, ashamed of their gifts and differences, Wednesday was proud, strutting about like a peacock, using friends, families, and even foes to do her bidding. We’ve seen the cautionary tale in movies like Carrie, where darkness and isolation destroyed a person, and entire school for that matter. However, Wednesday stands tall. Even with a five-foot one frame, she’s willing to challenge, fight, and glare down at anyone who stands in her way. Unlike Carrie, she is obsessed with mastering her dark gift, summoning her ancestor Goody for help, and stopping at nothing to save herself and the students of Nevermore. Now, we all can learn a few lessons from Wednesday, and I don’t mean iconic dances movies or snarky one liner comments. We can all learn how to stand by our truth and gain the courage to be our authentic selves. We will talk about this and more in this video, so please stay tuned.
If you identify as being human, then you understand that it is in your nature to be afraid of rejection, or worse, being ostracized. The most primal part of your brain understands that you have little chance of surviving without the herd.
As a result of this, you do anything to belong. You people please, you deny your own gifts, you lose yourself entirely in relationships and organizations that you may belong to. Let’s be real here, most of us are programmed to conform. And anyone who deviants from the status quo are going to be shunned, labeled an outcast, or classified as just weird. Many of us need guidance and structure, and as a society there must be guidelines and rules that we must adhere to for the greater good and for public safety. However, what happens when we get so caught up in following rules, traditions, and protocols, that we truly forget who we are?
And so it begins. You lose a great deal of yourself, and maybe your freedom when you start to feel obligated to people. It all starts with you feeling pressured to attend your sister’s birthday party, or going to church on Sundays, even though you’re not really feeling it. You’re expected to behave in a certain way, or say certain things to console, assuage, or influence the people around you. Then, it gets worse, you start having responsibilities. You have to work at a job that you hate, tolerate people you secretly loathe, compete in tournaments for silly trophies and recognition. Soon, the real you fizzle away, and the only thing that is left is a mold made from all of societies’ conditioning. It’s takes people forty plus years, to break away, lose everything in a midlife crisis, to finally decided that they really don’t give two fucks about what others think about them. While, Wednesday, just a young girl, decided that she didn’t care about others just a few seconds after she was born.
On the surface, you may think that Wednesday pushes people away, because she is deeply afraid of rejection. However, Wednesday says it best. “Every day is all about me, this one just comes with cake and a bad song.” Maybe that’s the best thing about being a goth, a misfit, and a weirdo, you don’t have to conform. In fact, Wednesday is totally free to be herself. She doesn’t have the fear of judgement, rejection, or isolation, because she doesn’t need anyone’s approval to validate her. She isn’t like Enid, who gets hot and bothered by her mother’s snide snarky comments as to why she hasn’t wolfed out yet. Or Bianca, the beautiful siren who needs to be adored by everyone in the school. Wednesday, wiser than her years understands that relationships come with string attached. Whenever you get involved with someone, you realize that you have to give up some parts of yourself. That’s the compromise that we make when we decide to be in a relationship. But sadly, there are too many cautionary tales of misfits, weirdos, and goths, losing virtually everything when they decide to open their heart to someone else.
We see this in Tim Burton’s other films such as Edward Scissorhands, where Edward’s love for a young girl causes him to go from hero to town villain. Let’s not forget about Carrie. The one day that she tries to be normal is the day that gets publicly humiliated. Let’s face it, things don’t always go well for the misfit, weirdo, or goth. Again, as a society we are programmed to reject weirdness, not just because it doesn’t fit our status quo, but because it is a threat to our very existence. If weirdos took over the world, then chaos might ensue, throwing the hierarchal structure so off balance, thus destroying the institutions that we have come to loath and love. Yet, things are slowly changing. There are changing in such a way, where being a conformist is not going to guarantee you success. We live in an age where Youtubers make more money than doctors. And people are quitting their teaching jobs to make a fortune on only fans.
We live in the age where our creativity and our uniqueness set us apart, and doesn’t turn us into misfits, but icons. In truth, very little people can create, less than ten percent of the population in fact. Creators have no choice, they have to be true to their authentic voice, not doing so violates the very essence of who they are. And because many misfits, goths, and weirdos have the courage to be who they are. They are a magnet to people who seek the same freedom that they possess. This is why weirdos can make millions of dollars, writing books, designing electric cars, or directing movies and TV series that shape our childhoods and inspire us. With goths, misfits, and weirdos, all the fakeness is stripped away. What’s left? Just us, being our authentic selves, and not apologizing for it. After all, being ourselves is the hardest thing that we have to do. And it takes the most amount of courage to do so.
