I Liked 'Sierra Burgess Is A Loser,' But It Hit Me Hard | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

I Kept Avoiding 'Sierra Burgess Is A Loser' For The Wounds I Knew She’d Open In Myself

Growing up I learned to imagine my future in the shoes of my own version of a Veronica.

471
I Kept Avoiding 'Sierra Burgess Is A Loser' For The Wounds I Knew She’d Open In Myself

Watching "Sierra Burgess Is A Loser" meant confronting ever self-esteem issues I had about myself. See, I can relate to her on more then a spiritual level but a physical. My high school experience was me being unnoticed, feeling like no one would ever like me, feeling awful about how I looked. Watching Sierra Burgess was in a way like looking in the mirror. "Sierra Burgess Is A Loser" is no way a perfect movie. And it deals with issues of consent and struggles to address the moral issues it brings up. DISCLAIMER: If you do what Sierra and Veronica do during the movie to Jaimee you will not in fact get the guy. But in terms of giving girls who don't look like the stereotype someone to see on TV who they can relate to, it succeeded.

I finally got up the courage to watch it this week and here are 11 things that hit me hard and the lessons I learned from them:

1. I am not alone

It's easy to think you're the only one who feels like a "loser." And watching someone on TV going through exactly what you felt and still feel sometimes, it's reassuring. When you look like Sierra or me there's not a lot of examples depicting and addressing your feelings in media. But finally, we have an example to remind us it's okay, we're not alone in this.

2. It reminded me of my high school fear of never finding someone 

Sierra got the guy, and not because of her looks but because of her words. I'm not sure she deserved the guy after all the stunts her and Veronica pulled throughout the movie but the fact she did does mean wonders. If I had her to look up to in high school I would've felt a lot more hopeful for the happy future I dreamed about but seamed out of reach for somebody like me. Maybe, I would've even found the confidence to talk to those I "liked liked."

3. Her pain, was my pain

I'm going to be honest, I cried watching this movie because her pain, it wasn't just hers. It was something I had felt, that others feel every day. Seeing her go through it reminded me of my how much it hurt. And I realized I had ignored this pain for too long and it was time to address it.

4. It gave girls like me a role model to look up to

I'm in college and Sierra now serves as someone for me to remember when I'm doubting myself. Someone for me to remember when I look in the mirror and desperately look for something about me to call pretty. Because she is beautiful and she owns it. She never once talked about trying to change herself! And that's all I had ever been told was the solution: to change how I looked. I wish she would've existed sooner because I desperately needed her.

5. Her story of insecurities, was my real life 

Sierra is just a fictional character portrayed with insecurities, but those insecurities, they are real and they effect real people on a daily basis. Seeing her struggle with them reminded me of my struggle and it reminded me that it's possible to overcome them.

6. The movie title calls her a loser

Watching the movie I knew I would see me, and I knew I would equate myself to the same status as being a "loser". It was a pain I didn't want to address, as I knew it was something I deep down believed but had chosen to ignore. I know that's not the point of the title but it is an inevitability for girls like me. Regardless of how it made me feel initially, the movie teaches us we're not a title. Something I desperately needed to hear.

7. She pretended to be someone else reminding me about how at times I wish I could’ve been someone else

Watching the trailer I just couldn't get it out of my head that she was pretending to be someone else. And it just made me remember all the times I wish I was someone different. When I imagine happy endings, even today, I don't see myself. I see the girl I grew up being told I should be: my own version of a Veronica. What Sierra did was no doubt beyond wrong, but the fictional depiction of the inner feelings of someone like me was spot on. If that's how we feel every day, imagining ourselves as someone else, don't you think the movie in a way was showing you how society has made us feel every day is wrong? And how we should be able to see ourselves in the shoes of our own Veronica instead of needing her to begin with?

8. I’ve never been confronted with a character I could relate to so accurately 

I love movies and TV shows. And from everything I've watched, never, have I ever seen such a relatable character. She was physically like me, going through similar emotional trauma because of how she looks, and she had the same insecurities. Watching her on my TV screen meant seeing myself without having to imagine a different me instead of always changing myself to fit the character on screen. It meant facing myself, and I wasn't sure if I was ready for that.

9. It was emotionally draining

Watching this movie hit me on a deep emotional level. It opened old wounds and then proceeded to start to heal them.

10. It answered the question: am I allowed to have a happy ending if I look like this?

The answer is a complete one hundred percent yes! And Sierra reminds us of that. Although, once again I will mention that you will never get the guy if you go about it the way she did.

11. Watching the movie means confronting my own insecurities

This movie confronts insecurities I have dealt with most my life. Watching Sierra struggle with these insecurities makes me want her to face them, and when I see myself in her character it leads me to want to face them myself to be happier. Just like how I look at Sierra and want her to find the happiness in herself. She embodies the struggles I face, and challenges me to look them in the eye, recognize them, and then address them.

For me, watching "Sierra Burgess Is A Loser" meant opening wounds I wanted to hide. I don't regret watching it. In fact, I wish it had been made sooner because it was a movie the world desperately needed, a movie I desperately needed.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

193598
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

16889
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

459351
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

27471
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments