Everyone is beautiful and valid, and their insecurities are not a plotline for cheesy-ass rom-coms, and should not be patronized by quirky characters portraying a watered down version of someone living with low self-esteem.
Low self-esteem isn’t some teen girl sighing while holding the natural excess skin of her belly in front of a floor length mirror.
In actuality, low self-esteem is a complex emotion that isn’t exclusive to teen girls and definitely is not what is typically depicted in teen movies.
We should hear the words low self-esteem, and instead of being met with the image of a teenage girl, we should be visualizing men, women and children in various age groups, of various ethnicities, body size and shape.
In reality, many people with low self-esteem find themselves in toxic relationships because they feel that don’t deserve a stable relationship or they think no one else is going to love them.
Instead of displaying a cheesy plot where the ridiculously attractive guy falls the “dorky and chubby” girl, movies should portray a curvy woman or shapely man on his/her journey of self-love and empowerment.
I’m tired of seeing of movies where in order to love yourself, you have to shack up with the most popular or attractive guy in your general vicinity.
That premise is superficial and sets an unrealistic and unattainable example for young people with low self-worth.
Instead, movies and shows should be depicting those with low self-esteem leaving toxic relationships and learning to become empowered and at peace with themselves.
Another thing that should be addressed in these cheesy-ass misguided rom-coms, is representation.
Low self-esteem is not exclusive to chubby white girls.
Any individual of any race can have low self-esteem, it’s not like that part of the brain responsible for those feelings said, “Wait a minute. She’s Mexican, she can’t feel bad about herself, she’s a fiery Latina.”
Self-esteem isn’t always about size, it can also be about about skin tone.
People have been made to feel ashamed about the shade of their skin tone, with remarks such as, “you are too dark to be handsome” or “only light-skinned girls are pretty.”
Low self-esteem has become so stigmatized that the majority of mainstream media portrays characters with those thoughts as “over-weight” and female.
Males and thin individuals are just as capable of having feelings of low self-worth.
You would have low self-esteem too if you are a passive and gentle male, being constantly told by your family and mainstream society that you must piss vinegar and testosterone and love pinching a woman’s butt.
Mainstream media must also rethink how they display the cause of low self-esteem.
Majority of the time, childhood abuse inflicted by incompetent parents is the main cause of low self-esteem, not some snot-nosed elementary school bully.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad the topic of low self-esteem is being addressed in mainstream media, however, screenwriters need to do their research to accurately empower and motivate those, especially young people, who live with low self-esteem.
