Think about some of your favorite movies, shows and books. Are these your favorite movies because of the intense action of the scenes? Are these your favorite shows because of the suspenseful cliffhangers that end every episode? Are these your favorite books due to your imagination’s ability to set yourself in fantasy?
Many things can be true at once. However, I firmly believe that most of the time, we are drawn to media due to the representation we feel in their characters.
Growing up as a middle child in a home where people were constantly fighting made it easy to feel like I was alone, as if I was the only person experiencing life in such a way. So when I needed time to myself, I would hide myself in my room with a good book or prop up my laptop with a show to take my mind off of things.
One of my favorite shows was Charmed.
The show follows three sisters who find out they come from a long line of witches. Each of them has a different power set, but they all need each other to defeat whatever type of demon they are fighting in the episode.
Of the three sisters, Phoebe has always held a special place in my mind. When we first meet her in the pilot episode, she is introduced as the carefree, unemotional, wildcard. However, through the progression of the seasons, we see her become more responsible, reliable and more empathetic.
While I believe she is a character that is liked by many viewers of the show, to me she was a representation of how I hope to grow as a person, finding stability in her life even through all of these obstacles. All the losses she experienced shaped her to be ready for the life of love that was ahead of her.
Empire Records is a comfort movie of mine too.
Liv Tyler’s character Corey is your average girl next door. She gets good grades and tries her hardest to balance school, her personal life and her job at Empire Records. We unfortunately find out that her way of coping with stress is a struggle with substance abuse.
While I can safely say that I don’t have any substance abuse issues, I do struggle to find healthy ways to cope with stress. I’m only human.
Yes, entertainment media is very popular. But the films and literature we come back to repeatedly are the ones that we feel deeper within ourselves.
Life is hard for everyone sometimes. Being able to find an escape where you closely relate to a character and what they are going through can give you answers to some of your own questions.
How did that character figure their way through their problems? How did they get the courage to tell that person their true feelings? How did they grieve the loss of a loved one?
Find yourself in fiction, and take the next steps to realizing who you are as a person.