Welcome to the Dollhouse
Welcome to the DollhouseA Need for Change
Popularity has a very high price tag today. The pressure and importance of fitting in has become a big challenge for the everyday teen-ager. We are taught at an early age that being different from the rest leads to criticism and ridicule from others. America boasts equality and freedom of speech, but the consequences for being different from the majority are huge. Alienation from society causes a devastating effect, especially where children are involved. America would be a much better place to live if people would accept people for what they are instead of criticizing people for what they are not. Many of today’s problems can be solved if people can be secure enough to the point where they can accept the fact that people are different, but at the same time equal.
Unfortunately, the majority of people today are very cruel to each other. The character Brandon is a great model of how cruel kids can be. Everyone at one time or another has come across a person like Brandon. He portrays the kid in school that is always getting into fights, trying to prove himself to his peers. He represents the bully who does not quite fit in so he results to violence to balance his insecurities. In middle school this misguided child threatens to rape the poor innocent Dawn. He has so much anger built inside of him because, similar to Dawn, he cannot get into the “in crowd.” The news that he is not invited to a popular girl’s party breaks his heart. He tried to be gracious to Cookie, the most popular girl, in hopes that she might accept him, but in turn he gets rejected and the hurt it caused was evident in his expressions of disappointment. He finds it extremely hard to accept that he is not popular. For some reason society judges popularity as a measure of self-worth. This causes serious emotional effects on children such as Dawn and Brandon. They would do anything to fit in and be respected. This is the cause of Dawn’s desperate and disappointing outlook on life, and Brandon’s hatred for others.
Children in this situation are begging for attention, but no one is there for them. Dawn’s own parents paid no attention to her because they had another daughter that demonstrated the qualities needed to be accepted and liked. No one seems to care much about her but her one friend Ralphie. The two of them create their own club called the special people club. This club symbolizes a place where the unaccepted people go. Dawn later realizes that the world views theses types of people as retarded. Dawn is seen as retarded for the simple fact that she is different. Differences are supposed to make us who we are but they can also separate us from society. For example, a person with a handicap will never fully conform to the normal image. They will never get the same treatment as a person without any disabilities. I believe that differences are very important and should not be criticized, but rather they should be admired. Society, as a whole, needs to shape up and mature.
Everyone should be given the same opportunities to socialize and should not feel the need that they must change for other people. Society makes Dawn struggle in order to maintain her true identity. Dawn was forced to battle such an assortment of adversities everyday of her life. She gets ignored, beat up, and threatened all in one day. The worst part is that she has no one to talk to. Society has deemed her an outcast and not worth any real attention. Just because she is not as pretty and talented as some of the other girls, people think that gives them the right to physically and mentally abuse her. Her decision to turn her back on Ralphie, her one true friend, illustrates Dawn’s understanding that if she wants people to accept her, then she must change her friends and beliefs. This plays a key role in the meaning of the film.
This film is a wake up call to those who think it is acceptable to degrade people who are different. It provides an excellent depiction of how it would feel to be on the other side of the harsh criticism that flourishes between children. It is impossible not to feel sorry for Dawn. No one should be forced to feel that his or her life is so unimportant and meaningless. The sad part is that this will never change. There will always be those who feel they need to combat their own insecurities by ridiculing others. The popular kids will never fully understand what it is like to be insulted and mistreated day after day. They cannot comprehend the damage created when we alienate others. People actually have the outlook that they are better than everyone else.
Luck and the ability to conform appears to be the only determinants on whether we are liked or not. If someone cannot adjust to society’s “standards” then they are at a huge disadvantage. Socially, these people have no chance and when it comes to employment the more attractive and socially acceptable person will always get the job. We are taught that the better man for the job gets it, but reality tells a different story. The pressure to conform is everywhere. The school system is a great place to visualize that. After schooling, we can take a look at those who get invited to Christmas parties and have lots of friends. More times then not, these are the people who have given into society and have learned how to fit it.
In Welcome to the Dollhouse, Dawn is faced with the constant task of changing her true self so characters like the popular Cookie and the arrogant Steve Rogers will take her seriously. This happens to hundreds of thousands of teens that are forced to make a decision. Do they give up their true identity to fit in, or do they be themselves and suffer emotionally from social degradation? This is a decision that will affect the rest of their lives. No one should be made to feel guilty or embarrassed for who they are. We should take pride in who we are and what we believe in.
This film examines how insecure and stubborn we have become. Through the eyes of an innocent youth, we see the harsh reality that is present in today’s society. We need to lose the conceited attitudes and realize that everyone is special in their own way and should be treated with respect. We don’t have to necessarily like everyone, but being cruel to someone just because they are different is wrong. Dawn was forced to live a horrible childhood over the simple fact that she was different and could not conform. This is the land of the free and people should not have to worry about being different. We have created this perception in America that you must conform to society’s standards or you will be divided from the majority and pay the consequences. It is time we wake up and realize the damage we are causing by expected others to change. We need to accept people for what they are and treat everyone equal.