Like most of you hardworking and diligent students, I often find myself scrolling through Netflix looking for the next best series or movie. I’m a film major so I get quite picky. Not any old series is going to do… But I’m no snob. I’m not always looking for a Wes Anderson or an artsy foreign film. Sometimes, all a girl’s looking for is a good, gripping story with heartfelt characters, a solid narrative, and an enjoyable time.
I get bored with the same, overused womxn characters who are either the quiet and reserved little lambs – too meek and mild, waiting for a man to see the beauty deep down inside of them – or who are stereotypically loud, in your face and rather annoying. Sassy, snapping fingers, and never the protagonist of the story.
However, I have found little happinesses in my quests across Netflix. Womxn who are surprisingly already assured of who they are, not needing a romantic journey to discover they actually have an interesting personality. Womxn who are already established characters, proud of who they are, and unapologetically so. Womxn who are opinionated, loud, who say what’s on their mind, and are honestly quite hilarious. Netflix paints these womxn as protagonists, as the one who the main guy falls for. Without their wit and their charm, these men would still have lifeless, grey lives. These womxn bring the fireworks and the colour. These are the womxn I can actually identify with.
Harper – Set It Up
Whenever I get disheartened and sad wondering if I’m too much for the world or especially, too much for men (ugh): too loud, too passionate, too much of a geek… I watch Set It Up.
Harper (Zoey Deutch) is an aspiring journalist, working as a personal assistant to an incredibly demanding, yet well-respected, big-time sports journalist (Lucy Liu). Harper is an absolute geek! She is unapologetically in love with sports. Now, even though I can’t relate to this love, I respect her passion.
Set It Up is brilliant because even though Harper is a massive geek, she never gets painted as awkward, socially-unattractive, lonely, or shivering in a corner somewhere. Yes, she is kind of quirky, but the girl is hilarious, surrounded by amazing friends, hardworking, incredible at her job, and wonderfully witty. These passions are never framed to be a bad thing or something that isolates her from the world. Rather, her unwavering passion and geekiness give her a solid footing in the world – something I can honestly respect and admire.
Despite being underpaid and overworked, Harper owns her job, knowing that no task is too small. I appreciate and identify with this attitude. Yes, of course, complain when you rightly need to, but she takes pride in everything she does, knowing that it all contributes to her end goal of being a well-respected, badass journalist – just like her boss. She owns her job, goes on dates, and even dances at parties in something a normal millennial would actually wear: the same pair of dope, worn-out sneakers.
Bonus points: even though her boss is incredibly overbearing, always ruining Harper’s social life, Harper still respects and looks up to a fellow badass, talented female in the media industry, singing her praises wherever she goes, never dragging another womxn down. That’s what I like to see: empowered womxn, empowering womxn.