phemsas birett shanita
Vita Wanberg
I'm a teen girl and I love romantic comedies and a good empowerment movie, just like anyone else. However, most movies are very stereotypical, which is fine, but it usually consists of the most basic girl who falls in love with a super hot guy. Growing up as being "curvy" or "bigger," I never saw anyone in the media who look like me. So, when a plus-size character is a star in a movie, I'm all over it. In late September, I wrote an article about the Netflix movie, "Sierra Burgess Is A Loser" and how badly plus sizes girls are represented in that film. So, when I saw the trailer for the movie, "Dumplin'," I was nervous. Yet, I will tell you that Netflix has finally done it! A plus-size character that is actually represented in a positive light!
This was such a small thing, almost non-existent, in the film, but I loved the fact that Willowdean wasn't portrayed as being fat because she ate junk food. Every time she is seen eating, she is eating healthy. Whether it be a salad or a banana, she was consuming healthy meals. In the typical "fat girl" film, they eat doughnuts and chips and just unhealthily splurge. I just thought it was so cool to see that her weight wasn't the usual assumption, but rather it was genetic since both her mom, Rosie and Aunt Lucy were heavier too.
In "Sierra Burgess Is A Loser," bullying was the premise for the whole movie. Yet, "Dumplin'" was different. Sure, Will and Millie get bullied by some jocks in a few scenes, which would probably happen in real life. But, that was not the theme for the whole movie. The girls in the pageant didn't bully them because they were different. If anything, people liked them, just the same. This is how it should be. Bullying needs to be a thing of the past, being bigger doesn't have to mean you have to be ridiculed. You can still do all the same things a skinnier person would do, like compete in a pageant.
I loved that the purpose behind joining the pageant was simply because she wanted to say, "I'm not the typical girl and I can be in a pageant." Yes, she did it for Aunt Lucy since she never got to, yet I think it was so important that Will did it because she wanted to. It was not for the approval of her mom, or to try and be like Callie or Bekah, or to get the attention of her crush, Bo.
Every movie needs a cute boy and let me just start off by saying, Luke Benward is so cute! But anyways, when the movie begins, Luke's character Bo Larson is seen quite a bit throughout the beginning. Yet, the movie isn't about him and Willowdean falling in love, it's about her growth with her friends and her family. I also want to compare Bo in "Dumplin" to Jamey in "Sierra Burgess Is A Loser." Jamey is completely turned off to Sierra when he finds out what she looks like. However, it was so cool that Bo was completely into Willowdean and her appearance wasn't even a determining factor! It's so sad that this is a big deal because it is never represented in teen films, it should be a normal thing!
When watching the trailer, Jennifer Aniston's character, Rosie, seems almost like she could be the evil mother type. A skinny pageant queen who is ashamed of her plus size daughter. But, that is far from the truth! Rosie is not ashamed of her Dumplin'. If anything, she just doesn't understand Willowdean's motives for being in the pageant. Once she understands that Aunt Lucy was the motive, Rosie and Willowdean become that much closer. I think it was really interesting to see how Will realizes that her mom actually understands her more than she thought Rosie did. Their relationship is very charismatic and unique, but no part of it is an embarrassment.
Obviously, everyone is cheering for Willowdean to win the Miss Teen Bluebonnet pageant. So, when she gets disqualified, it is kind of disappointing. Yet, she isn't upset. Her point wasn't to win the pageant, it was to prove to people that plus size girls can still be in the pageant. The biggest triumph is that Millie gets second place! Sure, the typical girl wins, but Will won too. She got closer to Rosie. She reconnected with her best friend and even made more friends along the way. She got the cute new boy in town. But, most importantly, she learned more about her precious Aunt Lucy and realized that being confident is the prettiest feature you can have.
While these are my 25 favorites, there are quite literally 1000s that could have been included. The Beatles' body of work is massive and there is something for everyone. If you have been living under a rock and haven't discovered the Fab Four, you have to get musically educated. Stream them on Spotify, find them on iTunes or even buy a CD or record (Yes, those still exist!). I would suggest starting with 1, which is a collection of most of their #1 songs, or the 1968 White Album. Give them chance and you'll never look back.
The best superpower ever? Being invisible of course. Imagine just being able to go from seen to unseen on a dime. Who wouldn't want to have the opportunity to be invisible? Superman and Batman have nothing on being invisible with their superhero abilities. Here are some things that you could do while being invisible, because being invisible can benefit your social life too.
Small towns certainly have their pros and cons. Many people who grow up in small towns find themselves counting the days until they get to escape their roots and plant new ones in bigger, "better" places. And that's fine. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought those same thoughts before too. We all have, but they say it's important to remember where you came from. When I think about where I come from, I can't help having an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my roots. Being from a small town has taught me so many important lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Sometimes traditions seem like a silly thing, but the fact of it is that it's part of who you are. You grew up this way and, more than likely, so did your parents. It is something that is part of your family history and that is more important than anything.
When tragedy strikes in a small town, everyone feels obligated to help out because, whether directly or indirectly, it affects you too. It is easy in a bigger city to be able to disconnect from certain problems. But in a small town those problems affect everyone.
Along the same lines as #3, everyone is always ready and willing to lend a helping hand when you need one in a small town and to me that is the true meaning of community. It's working together to build a better atmosphere, being there to raise each other up, build each other up, and pick each other up when someone is in need. A small town community is full of endless support whether it be after a tragedy or at a hometown sports game. Everyone shows up to show their support.
People say this to others all the time, but it takes on a whole new meaning in a small town. It is true that life is about the journey, but when you're from a small town, you know it's about the journey because the journey probably takes longer than you spend at the destination. Everything is so far away that it is totally normal to spend a couple hours in the car on your way to some form of entertainment. And most of the time, you're gonna have as many, if not more, memories and laughs on the journey than at the destination.
Word travels fast in a small town, so don't think you're gonna get away with anything. In fact, your parents probably know what you did before you even have a chance to get home and tell them. And forget about being scared of what your teacher, principle, or other authority figure is going to do, you're more afraid of what your parents are gonna do when you get home.
While small towns are not always extremely diverse, they do contain people with a lot of different stories, struggle, and backgrounds. In a small town, it is pretty hard to exclude anyone because of who they are or what they come from because there aren't many people to choose from. A small town teaches you that just because someone isn't the same as you, doesn't mean you can't be great friends.
Nothing comes easy in life. They always say "gardens don't grow overnight" and if you're from a small town you know this both figuratively and literally. You certainly know gardens don't grow overnight because you've worked in a garden or two. But you also know that to get to the place you want to be in life it takes work and effort. It doesn't just happen because you want it to.
If you're from a small town, you know that you will probably only meet a handful of people in your life who ACTUALLY know where your town is. And forget about the people who accidentally enter into your town because of google maps. You've gotten really good at giving them directions right back to the interstate.
My small town has definitely taught me how to be humble. It isn't always about you, and anyone who grows up in a small town knows that. Everyone gets their moment in the spotlight, and since there's so few of us, we're probably best friends with everyone so we are as excited when they get their moment of fame as we are when we get ours.
In a small town, good luck holding a grudge. In a bigger city you can just avoid a person you don't like or who you've had problems with. But not in a small town. You better resolve the issue fast because you're bound to see them at least 5 times a week.
One of my favorite things about growing up in a rural area was being able to go outside and go exploring and not have to worry about being in danger. There is nothing more exciting then finding a new place somewhere in town or in the woods and just spending time there enjoying the natural beauty around you.
You never know what may happen. If you get a flat tire, you better know how to change it yourself because you never know if you will be able to get ahold of someone else to come fix it. Mechanics might be too busy, or more than likely you won't even have enough cell service to call one.
It's okay to ask for help. One thing I realized when I moved away from my town for college, was how much my town has taught me that I could ask for help is I needed it. I got into a couple situations outside of my town where I couldn't find anyone to help me and found myself thinking, if I was in my town there would be tons of people ready to help me. And even though I couldn't find anyone to help, you better believe I wasn't afraid to ask.
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