“The Lady-Child”

In the last issue of Entertainment Weekly (my Bible, basically), there was an article written by Melissa Maerz that really resonated with me. It was titled “Hollywood Goes Girl Crazy” and it discussed the influx of movies/TV shows with female characters that don’t really seem to have their life together. A character like this would be the “Lady-Child,” similar to the  man-child popularized by actors like Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, etc. What brought this to the author’s attention was the premiere of the new HBO show (by one of my heroes Lena Dunham) Girls.
I’ve seen the two episodes that have aired so far, and I am in love. I’ve also seen Lena Dunham’s feature film Tiny Furniture,
and I loved that too. The reason I love these both so much is because I can relate.

In a little less than a month, I will be 25 years old. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not old by any means. However, I feel like I’m supposed to be somewhere I’m nowhere near. I live at home. I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Mass Communications and I work a job that pays me little more than minimum wage and requires no knowledge beyond a high school diploma. I drive a 1993 Buick that is rusting more and more everyday. The biggest issue of them all? I haven’t the slightest idea what I really, truly, absolutely want to do with my life.
And that is what makes furthering my life that much harder.
I’m really putting my feelings and fears on this page for you guys right now.

Brad teases me, but I have to agree; I am a 14 year old inside.
I live for Young Adult novels and frilly fiction books.
I get massive crushes on celebrities I’ll never meet.
I fangirl like crazy.
I still sleep with a stuffed animal when I’m not with Brad.
I am instantly attracted to anything involving Hello Kitty.
I spend more money on nail polish than anyone with my budget should.
If I lived on my own, I’d probably live off of canned soup, omelets, and grilled cheese.

I couldn’t be happier that there are more characters out there in movies and on TV that I can actually relate to. I’ve enjoyed shows like Gossip Girl or The O.C. and I love romantic comedies, but they show a…less realistic lifestyle. I don’t want to say it’s unrealistic.
It’s just not common.

Last year, I read the book One Day. It was a good read, but there was a relatable part, in which the female lead said something about feeling as though, after college, she regressed back to her adolescence. I completely agreed. I went from living away from home at school to coming right back to the life I had before that freedom. I lost some of my confidence, my drive. Being under the same roof as your parents can sorta make you feel young all over again. Not fun.

I don’t want to be this way forever. I want to figure myself out. But in the mean time, I’m so thankful that shows like Girls exists,
that movies like Bridesmaids are there for me to laugh at and cry with.
I need movies and TV shows that depict life as it truly is. I need to see the breakdown, so I know that I’m not alone.
And so that, maybe, I can be motivated to make some change.