We saw a glimmer of hope for Plum in last week’s episode, after she finally decided she’d stop letting herself be shamed, insulted, and walked all over. Her eyes were finally opened to the pain that society’s beauty standards inflict on women, and she was so over being a victim to them. In this week’s episode, “Monster High,” she fights back.
But before she can, she has to accept herself and all her flaws, and everything that makes her who she is—and she does.
While talking to Sana, Plum has a realization that changes everything for her. As Plum’s silhouette is reflected onto the wall, Sana grabs a can of spray paint and outlines the shape of Plum’s body, solidifying her and her body’s place (both physically and metaphorically) at home in Calliope House.
Throughout the whole series, Plum has felt lost. She has never felt at home in her own body, as if her true self (Alicia) was being hidden in the shadow of this bigger body that she’s in. But in Sana’s outline of her, symbolically, it helps Plum to understand that her body is who she truly is. Her body is hers, she’s meant to be in it, and it’s what makes her beautiful.
Plum is starting to see her true self. #Dietland pic.twitter.com/CpPzXvtjXd
— Dietland (@DietlandAMC) July 7, 2018
She finally learns to truly love herself, and that’s a huge accomplishment.
Plum now accepts herself for who she is, both inside and out, and no longer strives to conform to how society wants her to look. Because of this, she has the confidence to cancel her gastric bypass surgery because she no longer wants it or believes she needs it (a huge step forward for her, by the way).
“I’m fat as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore.” Watch Plum find her voice in the latest episode of #Dietland. https://t.co/7jTaXn8suA pic.twitter.com/KZBASaE4BM
— Dietland (@DietlandAMC) July 10, 2018
In canceling her surgery, Plum is told that she’s giving up on herself—but we know that that’s far from true. She’s giving up on trying to be someone that she’s not. “I’m not giving up on anything,” she says, “I’m giving myself a chance.” A chance to be happy, to be loved, and to be herself.
The most powerful moment, though, comes at the end of the episode when Plum spray paints her silhouetted figure onto the outside of a building. The same figure that Sana helped develop at the beginning of the episode, and the same figure that gave Plum the strength to love herself.
— Dietland (@DietlandAMC) July 10, 2018
In the figure, she writes the word “loved” as she genuinely looks happy for what seems like the first time all season. Her drawing sparks tons of positive responses and messages of support online. The few negative responses calling her “fat” and “disgusting” no longer faze Plum like they used to.
She’s accepted herself completely for who she is, and it’s so so beautiful.