Occasionally, if you’re lucky, a fictional character will come along that just completely and utterly turns your world upside down. Everything you thought you knew about life or yourself is just thrown into the wind as this character teaches you that those things are, or can be, so much more.
No guesses as to what today’s post is all about… here are some characters that have changed my life in one way or another.
Phil Dunphy, Modern Family
Phil Dunphy, the man that you are.
He is the parent I aspire to be. The partner I want, and want to be. The person I strive to be like. He doesn’t always get things right, but my god does he try his best.
One thing about Phil, too - his toxic masculinity is always left at the door. He comes as he is with zero shame. He is everything a man should be, and I adore him for it.
There are few characters I will ever love as much.
Jim Halpert, The Office
Jim Halpert is, in fact, one of those characters that I love as much as Phil Dunphy. Almost 10 years ago, when I first watched The Office, Jim walked into my life and left his mark on me forever.
He is proof that you can get extraordinary things out of a pretty ordinary life; that good things are worth waiting for; that just being you will get you further than trying to be anyone else; that, actually, you are capable of doing something about the ‘rut’ or bad situation you’re in (Pam is also relevant to this one, too).
I knew, from the moment I first became acquainted with Jim, that his relationships with others were everything I wanted for future me. And it still is.
Between him and Phil, I’m in pretty good hands.
Elle Woods, Legally Blonde
“You got into Harvard Law?” “What, like it’s hard?”
I can’t believe there was a time when young women didn’t have Elle Woods to look up to.
Elle is living, breathing proof that you can simultaneously be pretty and smart, and that you can care about both your education and the latest fashion trends. In a world where women are pigeon-holed into being either the appearance-focused airhead or the academic who doesn’t care how they look, Elle is a trailblazer in proving you can be proudly intelligent and look killer.
Hermione Granger, Harry Potter
The world needs more people like Hermione. Unbelievably intelligent, patient, brave… without apologising for anything that she is. She is fierce in backing what she believes in, and I have admired her since I first entered the world of Harry Potter.
Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games
I included Katniss in my soul characters piece because I see a lot of myself in her. We are both introverts who can be frosty, and can often take some time for people to get to know.
What Katniss has taught me is that despite all of these flaws, she is still loved.
It’s a challenge for me to see these things in myself and not criticise myself for them, but seeing how much Katniss’ friends and family love her for those traits really changed how I view myself.
Special mention: Michael Scott, The Office
I can’t quite pinpoint how Michael has changed my life, because he’s done it in so many ways. What I do know, though, is that without his existence there’s no way I’d be the person I am now.
While writing this I noticed one thing all of these characters have in common… no, it’s not that they could all win The Hunger Games (although now I think about it…).
It’s that they are all unapologetically themselves. They live authentically, even if it rubs others the wrong way. As long as we’re doing no harm, surely this is all we could ask of ourselves.
I would love to know which characters came to mind for you while reading this post! Let me know in the comments <3