Wednesday Addams and Emily the Strange seem similar in appearance alone, with black hair, dark eyes, and black clothes, and in how they face the world with a frown. They are characters that have inspired cosplay, merchandise, and identification. But they have their differences—ones that make them unique, like different media and merchandise. So, what makes Wednesday Addams and Emily the Strange our gothic, neurodivergent darlings?
The origins of the characters is impossible to compare. For this article, I will refer to Wednesday Addams from the Netflix TV show directed by Tim Burton, Wednesday. With the second season confirmed, we have a strong base for an older, more complex Wednesday. The series separates her from her family, which would be a first for an Addams family adaptation, and puts her in a boarding school for outcasts where, even among the outcasts, she is an outcast within them.
She wears a black uniform, different from the school’s blue, and has her iconic two braids. The series does a wonderful job of contrasting the macabre interests and social effects between Wednesday and her mother, Morticia, an iconic character in her own right. Morticia is warm and welcoming, and her unusual interests are a quirk, while Wednesday presents her hobbies in a more dangerous, almost dark comedic fashion. You could feel safe if Morticia held a knife—Wednesday would hold one to use it. Her other family members are friendly, so even with her own family, she is separated. She doesn’t mind it. Only her mother seems to want a deeper connection but respects her physical affection boundary (her brother and father still hug her despite her dislike of it).
Emily the Strange is a newer character, but her products make up for it. She has comics, novels, a video game, and her own website. Her merchandise is only outnumbered by Vivziepop: stickers, enamel pins, shirts, prints, rings, socks, and anything you could find at Hot Topic. Despite being a lesser-known figure, she outnumbers Wednesday in merchandise with shirts alone. I have to say that her creator is a master in marketing and art.
But who is Emily? She is the leader of her own gang of cats and an independent thirteen-year-old. Her first novel begins with her waking up in a foreign town with amnesia. She adopts cats, names them, and goes on to discover what is going on. Emily is a mix of nerdy and gothic. She begins and finishes lots of projects, which include machinery and traps.
Emily is slightly less macabre than Wednesday, and lesstalkative than her. I would dare say that she is even more individualistic than Wednesday, as she doesn’t have a family that she is “weird” with. She is the odd one out and only belongs in her room and with her cats. I believe that Emily is more intelligent and hyper than Wednesday. However, Wednesday is more rebellious and has great fencing skills. Wednesday has Thing, and Emily has an android. Wednesday’s colors are black and blue. Emily’s are red and black.
But why even compare them? Because they represent the neurodivergent, the breaking of gender norms, and the love towards the alternative. They follow their own rules, they create what they want regardless of what the world prefers, they have the gothic look we all wish we could have, and they are alone. Sure, Wednesday had “romantic” moments, but her actress agrees with those of us who thought it was an unfitting aspect.
The gothic queens of fiction are to be respected and adored, and I do. But some of us can’t connect to them. Morticia Addams and Lily Munster have loving husbands. Elvira and Vampira have strong sex appeal, they are confident and gorgeous. They are iconic women of their time and they should be cherished as the goth queens that they are.
But there is something primal and introverted with characters like Wednesday and Emily. They are young, they have to fight against a world that wants to mold them into the norm, and they make wonderful merchandise. Those of us who are neurodivergent, love the macabre and enjoy alternative clothing, love to see them. They are our darlings.
Emily the Strange’s site has a section that touched me, named Mental HELLth, which is the most accurate pun. I think it proves what I’m trying to say:
“Although we usually prefer to be ALONE, please know that you are NOT ALONE when it comes to protecting your mental health. If you feel isolated, depressed, anxious, or scared, know that there are resources available to help you through the tough stuff.
“We here at Emily the Strange love people who are different and strange. Unfortunately, the rest of the world isn’t always so accepting. Sometimes, you’ll have to deal with bullies—people who put you down and make you feel less than. Sometimes, these bullies are at school or work. Sometimes, they live in your own house. Sometimes, you can be a bully to yourself, by telling yourself you’re not good enough, or that you should be different than you are. We know that you’re AWESOME just the way you are, no matter what anybody says, but it is easy to forget this fact in a world of harsh words and challenging hurdles.“