3 Fictional Females Who Are Pieces of Me

December 02, 2019

I reference such a variety of TV and movies here, guys, but the point is to kindly try to relate to a few and contrast myself against them. If you'd like to share your list or your comparison to a favorite character, please feel free to reach out.

1. Helga G. Pataki, "Hey Arnold!" - My younger self loved Helga for two reasons: I was [and unfortunately still am] passive aggressive and specifically when my teenage self developed a crush on someone, I certainly didn't keep a shrine in their honor, but I pined for them and wrote a lot of poems and stories inspired by them in order to ensure that the crush was sapped of all usefulness. Instead of hitting on/trying to pursue somebody, I stayed away in an attempt at self-preservation and repeatedly decided that what I gained was a good pile of creative product before the weight of the intense, hormone-driven emotions inevitably fell away.

Also, watching Helga gave me the chance to see another artist growing up and daydreaming, and just like with mine, her crush was utterly clueless about her feelings! This probably helped me try to lie to myself about how normal and acceptable my handling of hormones must have been.

In addition to having that part of myself reflected by a cartoon character, I also got some satisfying fantasy-fulfillment from the tough, deflecting asshole defense mechanism Helga used, refusing to be walked on at school like she was at home, protecting her vulnerability, fists ready. I've never been mistreated by my parents, but because in my social life, I didn't stand up for myself nearly enough, I was not only amused by Helga's punches and comebacks -- I cheered them on!

When my friend Kayla was once playfully comparing herself and some of her friendships with dynamics between fictional characters, she and her boyfriend suggested that maybe she was Daria and I was Jane ("Daria", '97-'02). I understood that but couldn't agree. I mean, that was grasping at straws, because Kayla could be a bit like Daria, since she's very sarcastic, though teenage Daria relied on it more as a protective mechanism than adult Kayla does, and Daria couldn't shock her audience, wasn't nearly as honest and, if I remember correctly, she never came anywhere near a natural inclination for charitable service to others.

Also, I chose to say, "Sorry, I am not Jane", because she is a painter while I'm a writer, and I did do some silly conformist stuff with my image and vocabulary as many teenagers do as part of the very normal identity experimentation phase, but one of Jane's high school hurdles was that art class opportunity at a local college wherein she felt insecure and out of place with other artists, which was important for her growth as a character, but far from my experience, regardless of age. On another note, Jane helped Daria to feel like she had a teammate to help her stay sane while slogging through the crap of high school, but I'm not a sister-in-arms against the world with my buddy Kayla. We often function as a team, but it's just a different dynamic and attitude about our circumstances.

For a moment, I thought that I might want to choose a different cartoon high schooler, so I leaned toward Ginger Foutley of "As Told By Ginger", which I had loved back when it was on the air from 2000 to 2006, since she's a deep, insightful kid/writer/loving friend/dork who's been hurt by others - wait a minute. No. Let's take the loving writer and dork qualities, amplify them, add New York City, jaded adult exasperation, Star Wars and did I mention dorky behavior?

2. Liz, "30 Rock" - She partook of some cliché attitudes in a well-written way, making her an endearing version of that character referred to as an old soul, one who found youthful anything to be repellent, and she had a long history of prejudging men and her possible interactions or relationships with them. She was a writer who wanted motherhood in addition to being a feminist and hard-working geek that learned a lot from past poor choices.

Liz did and still does personify the part of me that is hiding, fearful in a way, the part of me that is a disinterested homebody, as evidenced in the following video:

I've had plenty of moments in which I had to decide whether to engage or stay home, to try a different social activity or bundle up alone on the couch and watch whatever TV I wanted. But she showed a lot of growth over the course of "30 Rock"'s seven seasons and for that alone I'm thankful to the show's cast and crew. That was part of what made it into silly, clever entertainment.

I love that series very much and one of its stars, Elizabeth "Liz" Lemon, played by Tina Fey, displayed big spinster archetype behaviors that just seized my heart, making me grin like mad.

3. Dory, Finding Nemo - Uuuuuuuunfortunately, I can relate to Dory...and that's only a bit of an exaggeration. There are a few factors that go into it, but I have trouble paying attention. Sometimes inattentiveness and forgetting team up in a laughable situation, making me look tolerably, perhaps even charmingly ditzy. I fell utterly in love with the 2003 movie Finding Nemo and when I reflected, weeks later, on my favorite moments, I laughed out loud upon realizing that I needed to tell friends that Dory was my spirit animal. I needed to tell my parents, who hadn't seen it, since they knew me so well and continue today to not disagree with my joking comparison. I don't have a brain injury or short-term memory loss, but the, "It runs in my family...or at least I think it does...Where are they?" made me fall over giggling and, if I exaggerate an irritating symptom of mine for comedy's sake, a moment like that resonates. A college pal once made a similar joke about my behavior. This friend quoted movies and TV almost constantly as a natural part of her communication and, when describing me, referenced 50 First Dates, mentioning Ten-Second Tom. 'Nough said, I think.