When New Girl was announced, I was excited to see our lady Zooey in a new role, particularly one that we could enjoy weekly. And when I saw the promotions and teasers, I was intrigued by her character. And when I watched the show, I thought, “Oh my goodness, she is me.”
I can’t lie and tell you guys that I wasn’t completely tickled pink when I had friends and family tell me the exact same thing. “She’s just like you!” I was flattered by the comparison and still am. I know Jess Day isn’t a perfect person and I love that about her, but she’s also completely delightful. Certainly she and I have some qualities that differ (I have a pottier mouth, oops), but there is so much that I relate to (I can’t say the p-word either, Jess!) that I can’t help but feel a real connection with her, and I think a lot of other girls do, too. It’s one of the many brilliant reasons why New Girl is such a great show.
But I feel I need to make something super, duper clear: I’m not trying to be Jessica Day.
I’m also not trying to be Summer Finn. I might view relationships similarly to her, but I’m not doing it on purpose. I’m also not trying to be Meredith Grey, it just so happens that I’m in a dark and twisty place that resembles her’s. And I am really not trying to be Hermione Granger (actually, that’s a lie, I actively try to be Hermione every single day).
While it’s one thing to have someone say, “Hey, you remind me of so-and-so!” or, “Oh em gee, so-and-so was so you in that new ep!”, it’s a whole other thing to have someone tell me, ”LULZ, that was such a so-and-so thing to say!” No, it wasn’t. It was a me thing to say. That’s why I said it.
With millions–billions, maybe?–of characters out there at this point, and so many of them famous and referenced in everyday culture, I’m starting to feel like we as individuals are starting to lose ourselves. In one way, it makes it easy to figure people out: he seems like a Gale, so I want to be his best friend forever; she seems like a Katniss, so I won’t mess with her; he’s a total Peeta, so I want to make-out with him immediately and also he probably bakes bread and mmmmm I loaf him already. But I think when we do this, we gloss over the actual person and try to fit him or her into some weird, author-contrived mold that doesn’t necessarily exist in this world.
The worst is when I find myself putting myself into those molds. “Oh my goodness, Jess would totally wear this dress.” Why do I do this to myself? I should not want to be a character in someone’s fantasy world. I should want to be me. As soon as I start making any decision, from the style of a dress to the way I handle a fight with a friend in the manner that I think a character would handle it, I lose myself entirely. Not only do I cease being honest with myself, but I cease being honest with the entire world. I become something other than real.
I’m not trying to be a character, I swear. When I find myself thinking those things, I put an end to it. I think it’s great that we can find pieces of ourselves in characters (and I fully admit to loving the fact that my father and sister actively look for the moment in New Girl when Jess “pulls a Becca”, it completely fills me with joy), but I hate when people make the accusation that I’m trying to be Jess. No, I’m not. I’m trying to be me. It’s just a very happy coincidence when the two coincide.
(On a side note though, oh my gosh, when Jess and Cece fight? That was so me and my bestie, it made me so happy. Okay, I’m done comparing, I swear.)
featured image courtesy of hollywood reporter
I came home from work one day to find my boyfriend having a “New Girl” marathon. I’d never seen the show, and when i asked him why he was watching something that usually would register as “a lady show” to him he simply stated- “It’s like you’re in the box making me laugh.”
My mother, sister & I always tease each other about how similar we are to some tv characters and my we’re guilty of doing the “This looks like something *insert charcter here* would wear”
Sorry, “had”. I have seen about 2 and a half episodes now
Oh dear. I have never watched New Girl and asked my brothers for a description. They said basicaly it was about me :/
I get the excat comments but mainly because I am always breaking out in song.
seems to me like people just want to be Zooey Deschanel (seriously how can you be Jess Day and Summer Finn, that’s just not possible). I camped out for SNL tickets to see her host and the standby line was just a sea of bangs, anthropologie dresses, and an alarming amount of ukuleles.
I remember I went to a She & Him concert and someone from tumblr said they’d look for me there. We didn’t end up finding one another and he said, “I couldn’t find you; too many girls with bangs thinking they were Zooey,” which was a condescending remark towards me, as I have “the Zooey bangs.” I have bangs because they look good on me. I’ve been a singer my entire life. I’m jaded on love from my past; I sing to myself; I’m a teacher; I believe music can make a difference; I love Octopus’s Garden because RINGO IS THE BEST. These things made me relate to these characters, but these characters didn’t make me do or feel those things. I didn’t suddenly change my personality because of any character. I relate to them, I don’t live to be them, and that’s what I’m trying to get across. Maybe some people are, but I’m NOT. It is possible to be like Jess and like Summer. It is possible to be like any number of characters all at once, because we are not flat, we are constantly changing, evolving, and growing. So yes, I’m like them both, but I am not the way I am BECAUSE of them.
Also… Charlotte King. That is all.
brb loving on your face forever.
I LOVE THE CRAP OUT OF YOU BECCA COLLEEN! xo
I’ve noticed since I began watching New Girl that I do more Jess-like things. Or maybe I am just recognizing these quirks more. Because I totally make up stupid songs for mundane things.
I was singing something one day and caught myself doing it and said, “Oh my gosh, I’m being such a Jess,” but my friend just looked at me and went, “You always do that. Since high school. How have you not realized that?” I think we just pick up on it now!
Awww, Jess reminds me of my best friend. It’s hilarious! I laugh every time she does something on the show that makes me think of her. And then text her immediately. Don’t worry about what other people say, obviously your family and real friends will always know it’s you, not someone else.
Love this comment, girl! There are definitely times that Cece and Jess remind me of my relationship with my bestie, and it really makes me smile.
Oh gosh, I identify SO much with this. I’ve been wanting to BE Haley James Scott for the better part of five years so…
I can totally feel you on this, its amazingly hard to not pattern yourself after someone, especially when people are always comparing you to a character, or an actor. It is uber flattering and always gets me a-glow, but then I get to caught up and lose sight of myself. Thanks for this really insightful post!
I’m so glad you could relate! We can help each other stay true to ourselves. I got your back if you got mine, girl!
I actively try to dress like Jess on New Girl. “Oh my goodness, Jess would totally wear this dress” means BUY!
I love the show New Girl. I wish New Girl can come out on DVD this summer. And I wish that me and Zooey Deschanel can be friends on facebook.
My name is Jessica, and my last name starts with a D, I’m dorky, usually in a very happy mood, I’m not afraid to make a fool of myself …. When I started watching the show I was like that’s totally me, after my character crush went away I realized yeah Jess Day and Jess Dolensky have a lot a things in common but also a lot of things in which we differ.
Exactly, girl! <3 It's always fun to have similarities to such a great character, but it's even more fun finding the differences that make you, you!
As soon as I saw 500 days of Summer, I thought yes that’s my life, my thoughts, I love her and you kind of get the feeling she shares her characters’ feelings. Then when I saw New Girl being promoted in the UK I had to watch and loved the first series and Jess is as it says adorkable and yeh I can’t help see comparisons but more I have admirations because it’s a girl I’d love to be and maybe am.
Ahhh, I positively LOVE this article! I know I make movie comparisons and references all of the time, and I don’t want to lose who I am just because I love Zooey, or Emma Watson (I always try to be Hermione as well!!!), or any other amazing character in a book or movie. And by the way, Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders, so if you’re really good at finding things, you could be a Hufflepuff. Thank you for writing this!!
It happens to me with Brennan from “Bones”. And it just so happens that her bestie is almost exactly like my bestie!
Omg, are you…me?
I feel like that point of shows, is to allow the audience to connect with the character. If they didn’t feel some sort of connection, I doubt they would continue to watch. With that, I tend to be found randomly singing about things that aren’t really sing-able. or my ‘new girl’ voice, which was really mine before it was Zooey’s!
Definitely. If we can’t relate to the characters, then the audience has no reason to watch. I just hate when people assume I’m trying to be them, you know? I enjoy finding the similarities, too, but always have to remember that I’m still my own person