Being weird is back, sing hallelujah! The super-graphic-ultra-modern-hyper-manic-pixie-dream-girl is the new fantasy. Boo to basic. Someone alert Zooey Deschanel as we don our overpriced coloured tights and regrettably-cut thick bangs. Don’t get too excited though, being a ‘silly’ girl is quite exclusive — ‘silliness’ may be the least important factor contributing to the coveted title. Before you let your freak flag fly, here are the T&Cs of rocking a little mustache tattoo on your finger.
The fine line between ‘Weird’ and ‘weird’ is seemingly drawn by everyone’s favourite artist, the male gaze. This line follows the curvature of the feminine figure. Shave that buzzcut (if your jawline is defined enough)! Cop a kitsch tramp stamp (if your ass is devoid of stretch marks)! Pierce those nipples (unless you have bologna boobs)! There’s always a genetic clause to our ability to be acceptably unique. Being a ‘Weird Girl’ is less about being yourself and more about being a manufactured product of elitist culture — you can only be ‘Weird’ inside of certain parameters.
Be silly! But don’t be unattractive. There’s always a but.
This current idea of ‘silly’ girls is so deeply rooted in the classics; fatphobia and pretty privilege. A flat stomach ensures the graphic of your ironic tee isn’t distorted in any way, the canvas must be firm and toned to get your girls guffawing. Aligning with societal conventions of beauty doesn’t just mean free drinks at the bar, it means you can get away with a lot more than us ‘normies’. We’re all victims and perpetrators of this – myself included. My Letterboxd review of Anora unfortunately contained the line “fear I would not survive Vanya’s lethal face card”. Girl… that’s all you gleaned from the film?
Point stands, we have this learned habit of giving grace to those who are considered attractive – how do you think Gal Gadot still has an acting career? Of course, it would be wrong to not acknowledge the misogynistic hate directed towards conventionally attractive women in any and all industries, with constant false declaration of them as untalented and underqualified… but Gal Gadot is not one of these situations (sorry, the Lasso of Hestia compelled me to reveal the truth).
This all comes back to a central point – women aren’t allowed to have interests unless they interest others. Personalities are simply reserved for those we deem good enough. “Be yourself” is a rudimentary term used to lull us into a false sense of security. Hip dips make us the butt of every joke – we’re not ‘Weird’, we’re just ‘weird’. Us silly, ‘unattractive’ girls have no choice but to be annoying or be quiet to not provoke disillusionment in others – see I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore by Lucy Dacus for further wallowing.
Some advice from a certified hyper-manic-girl (hoping to unlock pixie and dream soon) – find your place. Easier said than done, right? If I’m honest, I’m still looking, but every so often you’ll fit nicely into a nook or cranny. For every fun fact you give, dance you do, or tune you sing, a new silly girl is freed from the chains of ‘normalcy’. I love and hate being silly. It’s joyous and painful. But, I’d rather suffer from my authenticity than from hiding myself away – the pessimistic truth of the human experience.
I’m letting my freak flag fly, because why the hell not? I might not be the ‘silly girl’ you want me to be, but I am absolutely silly, absolutely a girl, and absolutely unapologetic… okay, maybe I’m slightly apologetic, but we’re working on it!
