Ensemble Magazine's readers contribution
“Sartre said hell is other people. He was my first crush.”—the girl with the signature plaits, black dress and deadpan look.
Click, click.
The world is BEWITCHED by Wednesday Addams. Social media is BEWITCHED by Wednesday Addams. There are TikTok trends dancing around her with even Lady Gaga flinging her arms to the Goo Goo Muck. The WHOLE-WIDE WORLD wants to be Wednesday Addams—WHY?
Here’s the history, the Addams Family was concocted by Charles Adams, an American cartoonist, debuting in a series of comic strips for the New Yorker in 1938. Despite the numerous adaptations of this cartoon, most are only familiar with the 1990s version starring Christina Ricci as Wednesday…until now. Flash-forward to 2022, Netflix’s Wednesday was a hit, usurping Stranger Things’ number one spot as the most-watched English language show with over a billion watched hours.
Not only is Wednesday from Wednesday a fashion and cultural icon with an unapologetic attitude, but most significantly—like the unforgotten 1990s version—she’s not the typical heroine and…she’s not like other girls—
—or is she?
We’re in the era where the word femininity is not glided with pink glitter and fragile feathers anymore, however, the girl with the signature plaits, black dress and deadpan look stands out like none other.
Contrary to the titular pick-me girl, for example, Katie from Mean Girls because of how she doesn’t bother with fashion and doesn’t bat an eyelash to be pretty but just is, Wednesday takes a different stab at the word, pick-me girl. (Not to call Wednesday a pick-me girl, because though she’s not like other girls she’s also not like other 'other girls' for she isn’t being different to highlight her superiority. In Wednesday, she is less macabre compared to previous adaptations and her being at the Nevermore Academy makes her seem more “normal”.)
“Use the words ‘little’ and ‘girl’ to address me again and I can’t guarantee your safety.”
The root incentive underlying pick-me actions is a want of attention. Despite how Wednesday inevitably attracts attention within and outside of the screen, her actions are genuine and aligned with her true character, for example, her pet scorpion and her obsession with murders (she’s probably listening to true-crime podcasts on her new phone right now).
Living in the modern world, especially in the digital age where our lives are so exposed, is like living with someone else’s eyes at the back of your head with a mind of its own that thinks it can read yours. It is so difficult to be fully living your life for you—unshackled from likes and followings, others’ gaze and external validation. But Wednesday never gives a flipping piranha about how others think about her. Which is inconceivable to do as humans rely on one another and live together in a society. In another universe where your quick queen quips and your undiluted self-interest is accepted—wouldn’t you already be Wednesday Addams? This is why Wednesday is such a satisfying form of escapism against our reality’s social constructs—or chains. But more importantly, Wednesday is the unapologetic queen we all need to tell us that you, me, him, her, them—us, that no one is obligated to prove themselves, their interests and choices. Full stop.
Obsessed? No. Inspired? Yes.
One of the most beloved scenes is unsurprisingly the dance scene. How do you make a weird and awkward dance to the Goo Goo Muck cool? Confidence. This is proof to anyone that anything paired with confidence is powerful. Wednesday is rebellious, independent and confident with the scary ability to be able to verbally peel the flesh off of people’s bones. Strong female characters like Wednesday Addams are inspiring. This is especially influential for a young female demographic who most likely have struggled with confidence in some avenue of life because as girls, we’re told to be “agreeable” and as a generation, we’re told to be “acceptable”, “normal” and “successful”.
Similarly Dissimilar
Honestly, at heart, we are all pick-me people because as humans, we yearn for validation, we want to be picked, we want to be accepted and so just embrace that desire for acceptance—it’s natural—and allow it to stand as a foundation for growth and connection. This is why despite the strong idea of estrangement in Wednesday, this Wednesday eventually grows to become more accepting of human connection. Cliché? Yes, but it represents a more positive mindset toward relationships. This is how Wednesday Addams became more relatable through becoming more “normal”.
Wednesday Addams is like an era in life. An era where you do not feel understood, yet you still cling strongly to your own unique identity by not caring a flipping piranha about the opinions of others. An era where you feel dissimilar but in a similar way to others in the same phase—similarly dissimilar. So just smile and...
“Listen…people like me and you, we’re different. We’re original thinkers, intrepid outliers in this vast cesspool of adolescence. We don’t need inane rites of passage to validate who we are.”
Clap, Clap.
This article was submitted for Reader's Contribution by Emily Wang. She is a student from Australia who has loved reading Ensemble. She reached out with her take on Wednesday Addams' depiction in the recent Netflix hit.
If you would like your work published on Ensemble, submit your articles to ensemblemagazine@hotmail.com
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