Every story has its heroine: The captivating young princess beloved by her people. The beauty in the tower, destined to be rescued. The woman in the red dress- sexy and powerful. Growing up watching Disney princess movies and now seeing the glamorous Hollywood stars of today, I yearn to inspire such admiration and praise as well, to be a leading lady. But with the abundance of seemingly perfect portrayals of femininity in the media, it often feels like I don’t have what it takes to be a leading lady.
Hollywood also seems to label some people as leads and others as villains or side characters. In The Holiday, a young woman struggling in love befriends a retired screenwriter who encourages her and tells her that she is a “leading lady.” (And the young woman was played by Kate Winslet, certainly considered to be a leading lady). While his kindness is heartwarming, it was striking to me that some people get labeled (and many actors/actresses certainly get type casted) into certain roles: the funny best friend, the main love interest, the wise woman, the villain, the lead. But don’t we all yearn to be the lead? Don’t we crave to be seen and have our voices heard, our stories remembered?
But sometimes I think we may all feel a little unseen. For me, I want to be prettier, to look more like a leading lady, but we may also not feel loved, appreciated, respected, or wanted. We may wish for more attention from the people around us, or more followers to admire us. The world also has a way of telling us that we are only worth something if we are someone: if we are wealthy, beautiful, or talented. Because they are not bright and flashy things and are unmeasurable, the world fails to take note of character, goodness, and charity, and definitely fails to teach us that the Creator of this world loves us always, even when we fall short on a worldly or a moral scale. It’s easy to forget our innate worth as individuals (and as children of divine Parents) when the Hollywood lights are flashing, and influencers are flooding are social media pages.
Perhaps you feel similarly to me, a Plain Jane trying to stand out in a sea of Beauty Queens. But maybe the point is not to try to compete and stand out- but to recognize our own true worth, and the true worth of the people around us. Isn’t it amazing to think about that in God’s eyes, we are all equal before Him! In our Heavenly Father’s plan (how I look at it), we are all meant to have the lead role and be supporting characters in everyone’s stories. I like that combination- that in God’s view, we are ALL leading ladies, and we have a helping hand to give in other people’s narratives. We each landed lead roles before this life, and our eternal destiny is brighter and more glorious than we can imagine (Romans 8:18). We can write our own narratives, pursue our own stories, while also participating in the unfolding of the stories of the people around us.
Maybe you are like me and are still prone to comparison and getting caught up in all the dazzling glamour and lights…how can we stop yearning to be Hollywood’s version of the leading lady and comparing ourselves to others? It sounds cliché, but I think there is power in focusing on being an individual and realizing one’s own innate worth, that there is only one YOU in the whole world. Jenna Lucado said, “God made you to be you for a reason, so learn to love you!” We don’t need to worry so much about fitting the princess box or the careerwoman box or the “perfect etc.” box, because we just need to strive to become the best version of ourselves. Focus on being an individual, and remember that in God’s eyes, you are already a star. 🙂 *originally posted on January 3rd, 2022
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