Growing up in the 90s to 2000s literature/movie scene, I have seen endless fictional characters being hailed as ideal for simply not being like any other girls. Back then, the personality pick me was not fully defined yet probably because everyone was too busy not be like all the other girls. The strive to become so unique made a lot of girls dislike the usual things girls enjoy like makeup, shopping, pink, glitter, pop music, etc.
If you're not aware, a pick me personality is basically the I'm not like any other girls profile. This personality likes to go against the grain - you will often hear them not liking what everyone enjoys. For girls, you will constantly hear them talk about being one of the boys, they'll tell you about how they are simply like not like other girls or even rebuke you for being so common.
I had that phase before and it was extremely exhausting. It is worth noting that this phase was heavily tied to my people pleasing phase as well. Ergo, that did really nothing for me except left me feeling lost. I freed myself when I fully accepted that I do like makeup, I like window shopping and I'd be damned I like everything that shimmered. I like so many things a typical girl likes. Being mainstream isn't too bad after all.
So, for today, I'd like to pay homage to all the literary characters that led me astray.
Bella Swan
This list was inspired by this very girl. I don't think any pick me girls list would be complete without dear, dear Bella. My reading time for all Twilight books sums to under four days, with the last book only taking less than twelve hours. Whether that's a flex or not, I will never know. Not only did I have bad literature taste, I also had bad preferences in characters.
Bella Swan is the main character of Twilight, a vampire teen romance book (in case you're not aware). Bella has this very awkward personality and she didn't like shopping. She didn't brush her hair nor did she have any girlie interests. She just existed. If there's any trophy for the worst pick me girl in literary history, our home girl Bella could easily take one home.
I don't know what I was thinking for wanting to be like her at that time. It was like I wanted to be a wallflower as much as she was but deep inside I wanted to be that because I wanted to be seen.
Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi, Princess of Genovia (Pre-Transformation)
Before anything else, I would like to clarify that I still have all love and adoration for Princess Mia - both the book and the movie version. But I also cannot deny how much pre-transformation Mia inspired me so much in my pick me era. Princess Mia, by the way, is the heroine of the Princess Diaries series and is the fictional princess of the amazing fictional kingdom called Genovia.
Her character gave me so much validation that even in a state of un-prettiness, someone could still see you and like you for who you are. I even agreed with her best friend (another pick me girl, btw) who hated her after her transformation. If I could have seen through that, I could have realised how her new look gave Mia a much needed confidence boost. I could have been happy for the new and improved Mia. However, I had the critical thinking skill of a skunk. No offense to skunks.
Lizzie McGuire
Lizzie is actually the most tolerable of all the fictional pick me girls that I know. She's widely known for the TV series, but I also read a couple books that I decided to include her in this list.Unlike Bella, Lizzie embraces the fact that she likes most girly things like doing her hair and she has fun choosing what to wear even though her preferences are not enough to catch up to the popular girls in school.
Lizzie was not as cool as the other girls in school and she's socially awkward and during my pick me era, I thought that was very cool. Because of this "ideal", I made zero effort in making real connections and I embraced isolation.
Serena Van Der Woodsen
If there's a pick me girl who embodies mainstream but still thinks she's uniquely cool (much like that famous nepo baby supermodel). Among all the girls on this list, Serena is the only one I didn't particularly like. She was almost unbearable but she still surprisingly was able to influence that dreadful era of mine.
Her influence was subsconscious and she specifically influened me in the need to master the "play it cool" vibes. Serena perfected the appearing not to care but actually being so affected behind the scenes. She constantly stole her best friend's thunder and she was a basic bitch but casually brushes all her bitchiness off. As much as I hate to admit it, I was more of a Selena in my pick me years even though I loved Blair with all my heart.
This era is just one of the many shameful dark areas of my past that I now (thankfully) have outgrown. In its core, wanting to be this kind of girl was deeply rooted in a need for acceptance and very low self esteem. It was something I am not proud of having been, but I also know acknowledging that is very important in not going back to that circle of hell.
I really should have let these ladies remain in the books and not try to embody them into the world but again, I had major identity crisis. Lol.
Anyway, who's the fictional character that you think of when you think of a pick me girl?
No comments
Post a Comment