“The most interesting plants grow in the shade.”
– Ms. Thornhill, Wednesday

I watched a video of Winona Ryder and Tim Burton the other day, and it brought me immense joy.

At his Hollywood Walk of Fame induction ceremony, Winona gave a toast of admiration for Mr. Burton’s friendship over the years, and for …” carrying the torch for us weirdos, making us all feel seen and valued.”

She starts her toast with, “When I met you, I was a weird kid,” and I felt that to my core.

Here’s the text for the rest of her speech:

“You affirmed my voice. You reinforced my confidence to be myself, to go against the tides of conformity. Your creative inclusiveness showed me what true artistic collaboration looked like, and, in other words, you made being a weird girl not just okay, but something to celebrate and even kind of cool.”

Not kind of cool, Winona, very cool.

As a certified weird girl who loves vampires and witches and darkness and Halloween and all things considered a little “odd” (even though it’s not), it makes me feel good when there are people out there who live in this weird world with me.

If you haven’t ventured into the darkness lately to join us weirdos…then I highly recommend it.

It’s a wonderfully fantastical and fun place to live.

Children are incredible little creatures who show us exactly who they are very early on, and it’s our job as adults (older kids) to give kids the space to express their unique personalities.

And if that means adoring Sally and Jack more than Barbie and Ken then that should be encouraged rather than labeled as “weird”.

By the way, who makes up the rules for what’s considered weird or not?

I have a thought…

Next time you encounter something you immediately judge as “weird”, take a moment to look deeper into it. Explore that “weird” thing.

I guarantee that once you get a closer look and understand it a little bit better, you just might find yourself interested in and curious to learn more.

And if you don’t, that’s okay, but keep your judgments to yourself.

Let people live in the worlds that bring them joy. We all find comfort and joy in different ways and there’s no reason to crush someone’s inner world just because you don’t understand it, or prefer your own.

And if you’re reading this and have interests that are drastically different from the people around you, then I’d just like to say congratulations and thank you.

This world of ours needs people with different ideas, interests, perspectives, and personalities to keep the magic spinning on its axis.

What a bore if we’d all be the same! Yuck!

So you being you adds a special spice that only you can contribute, and that is a gift.

Now, it’s time to round up 5 Movies & TV That Make Weird Little Girls Feel Seen.

TV

Wednesday

Wednesday is the show that initially inspired this list to come to life, and I’m glad it did so. At first, I wasn’t drawn to the show, but I thought I would look into it, and by the first 15 minutes of the first episode, I was hooked.

If you’re unfamiliar, Wednesday follows Wednesday Addams (yes, that Wednesday) as she navigates life at Nevermore Academy while investigating a series of mysterious events linked to her family’s dark past.

I love Wednesday. She’s direct, intelligent, dark, deadpan-humored (love this), witty, serious, interesting, and has a strong perspective. Although she comes off as cold and unapproachable, she’s vastly loyal, understanding, and empathetic.

She shows little girls that it’s okay to be different…and a little spooky.

Stranger Things

Stranger Things is the show I’ve re-watched the most (about 26 times to be exact). I’m obsessed for many reasons, but something I know makes the show extra special to so many of us is the characters and the odd-ball traits they all have that many of us relate to.

They’re not the cool kids, they’re the nerds who love Dungeons and Dragons (which is actually the coolest game), wizards, and alternate worlds, and that, for some reason, makes them weird. But I too live in imaginary worlds and want to play board games all day.

And with Max and El, what little girl wouldn’t be obsessed with Max’s ferociously awesome attitude and El’s wickedly cool superpowers? I wish I had this show when I was itty bitty; would’ve been a game changer.

These characters, and this show, show us that no matter how odd or unique our interests are, we will always find our people.

Our party.

The Queen’s Gambit

If you’ve yet to watch The Queen’s Gambit – after you’ve finished reading this post, plan a watch party and binge-watch all episodes…it’s so good.

Beth is our main girl in this series and we love her for her personality, determination, downfalls, wins, and most importantly, her obsession to pursue a sport that was strictly only played by boys in the ’60s. Can you guess what it is?

Chess. And yes, according to the International Olympic Committee, chess is a sport. A cool one, in fact.

Seeing Beth not only hold her own courage in the competitive world of chess on her own, while simultaneously beautifully expressing herself through her own style of makeup and fashion, was incredibly interesting and inspiring to watch.

And yes, Beth went through her own trials and tribulations…there’s no doubt about that. But don’t we all? And even through her hard times, she refused to let that keep her down and she always rose to the occasion.

Something every little girl would find value in.

WandaVision

Ahh, we love our girl Wanda. Always.

If you’re a fan of Marvel or love a quality TV series with a fantastic storyline and characters, then WandaVision may become your new favorite, as it did for me. As for the young girls…if only I had Wanda when I was young. I would’ve happily been as mesmerized as I am now.

What makes Wanda so special to us weird girls is her origin story and magical roots. There are various explanations for how Wanda’s powers originated, but what’s most significant is the journey she went through to discover and grow her powers and the suffering she experienced along the way.

We really got to connect to Wanda, and Vision, in the original Marvel series WandaVision on Disney+.

And what are her powers you ask? Telekinesis and telepathy, energy manipulation, and reality-warping, to name a few.

We love Wanda.

Ms. Marvel

Ms. Marvel, also known as Kamala Khan, is the quintessential kid-turned-superhero we all dream of being.

A Super Hero mega fan OBSESSED with Captain Marvel, Kamala is a regular Pakistani American teen in New Jersey who comes into possession of a mystical bangle (also known as a Quantum Band) that once belonged to her great-grandmother, Aisha, which activates her powers.

Kamala can manipulate “hard light”. Meaning, she can make solid, crystal-like energy structures out of light, like shields and barriers, make stepping-stone-like platforms, and the coolest of all…shapeshift.

She shows weird little girls like I once was (and still am) that it’s awesome to be obsessed with kick-ass superheroes like Captain Marvel and Ironman, comic books, and dream of becoming a superhero.

Kamala shows us that if you have a vivid enough imagination, anything is possible.

Movies

Penelope

Penelope is one of those movies you’ll watch once on a random Thursday night and maybe not reference often, but always remember.

The premise of the modern tale is the main character, Penelope, has fallen victim to a family curse – a pig’s snout instead of a human nose. According to the curse, the only way to break it is to be “loved by one of her own kind.”

Eventually, through years of being kept in strict isolation and loneliness in her family’s mansion, Penelope grows tired of her forced solitude and being hidden from the world and ventures outside to experience the world for herself, regardless of her appearance.

That is when she meets Max who sees her for who she is regardless of her surprising snout…but most importantly, through her journey alongside Max, Penelope grows to accept herself for exactly who she is, snout and all, and discovers the importance of inner beauty and courage.

Because at the end of the day, it’s never mattered what we look like. What truly matters is who we are and what we feel about ourselves.

And Penelope shows every weird little girl out there who feels like they don’t look like the other little girls around them that what you look like is only a sliver of what’s important.

And that we should find people, including ourselves, who love us for who we are, not what we look like.

Beetlejuice

And we’re back with our favorite weird girl of all, Winona Ryder.

Beetlejuice is one of those movies where at first, we’re creeped out and wonder what we’re watching… but before we know it (at least for myself) we’re craving to be part of Tim Burton’s wonderfully weird world.

And the character that lures us into the fun and shows us how fun it is to be dark, moody, and fascinated by the supernatural...our girl, Lydia Deetz.

Lydia is very different from her parents and feels misunderstood and alienated, but, when she comes across Adam and Barbara Maitland (the ghosts who haunt the home Lydia’s family has moved into) she’s the only one in her family who can see them, and instantly develops a friendship with this ghostly pair.

Lydia, the spectacular gothic teen, shows us that when we are our authentic selves, incredible things happen to us and around us.

Casper

If there’s anything that Kat has taught us, it’s that we can find comfort and create bonds with anyone, and anything, that we gravitate towards to. Even a friendly ghost.

Casper is a movie I deeply loved when I first saw it. As a little girl, I was incredibly lonely and dreamed of having someone to talk to in my room.

So, when the main character, Kat, first moved into Whipstaff Manor after the loss of her mother with her father Dr. James Harvey and bonds with Casper, his sweetness and friendship relieved her grief and her kindness reignited his faith humanity.

Watching their friendship helped remind me that we can always find a friend in our loneliest times, and that friendship can come from the most unlikely circumstances. Even with our ghosts.

Harry Potter

The quintessential series that brought out all of magical fantasies. Harry Potter sums up what every weird kid dreams of: attending a fantastical school in a world of magic, spells, and creatures of sorts.

We don’t escape into the series, we’re coming home to Hogwarts.

When I would feel most sad, I’d turn Harry Potter on, see Hermione, and immediately feel better.

Whether you have a weird little girl, or once were, you’re lucky.

By the way, if you’re a fellow film lover like me, then I’d like to formally invite you to Friday Film Club, where film freaks come together to freak out about film. See you there!

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