I decided to reflect on the classic Disney Channel show, Wizards of Waverly Place, as my cultural artifact. The show aired in 2007 and ended in 2012. One if the main characters, Alex Russo (played by Selena Gomez), was someone I looked up to from the age of 8 to 13. The series was about a quirky family of Wizards (excluding their mom) who lived above their subway shop in New York. It followed the kids' human and magical lives.
About a year before this show came out, I was smitten with Hannah Montana. I vividly remember replacing my posters of blonde wigged Miley Cyrus with wand bearing Selena Gomez. Despite being 8 and letting pop culture decide 99% of my life and taste in anything, handing my Hannah Montana fan phase over to Wizards of Waverly Place was pretty crucial to my adolescent years. At the time, I was sharing a room with my grandma so I was never able to deck my room out the way I wanted to beyond hanging up a couple posters on my side of the room. The main way I was able to express myself was through the way I dressed. Around 9 or 10 I started trying to dress like Alex Russo. She would wear interesting/edgy pieces of clothing that would constantly catch my eye; it was a different take on the things I would see my older sisters wearing and I loved it for that reason. Gaining inspiration from her also kicked off the start of sibling disputes for me; I started stealing clothes and jewelry right out of my older siblings' rooms. I specifically remember wearing their clothes on days where I knew I would get home before them so I could just toss the stuff right back in without them knowing. This was also one of the first times I realized that I loved clothes which foreshadowed my later (now) unfortunate characteristic of hoarding them. Beyond its influence on my outside appearance, a good chunk of my humor was also shaped by these characters. There was always a sarcastic, witty nature to their interactions and I remember picking up on certain aspects of it that I thought was hilarious at the time. A lot of it reminded me of the way my family and relatives interacted with each other: comical and quick. This show had a number of underlying themes that really appealed to the type of person I didn't know I was becoming. Looking back and thinking about why I treasured the show so much made a lot of sense to me. Of course re-watching an episode or two made me realize how cheesy the show actually was, it was also severely nostalgic and held a lot of memories that was definitely worth overlooking the slight tackiness of it... Alex Russo wasn't necessarily a girls girl but she was always being herself, I was constantly inspired in ways further than humor and appearance - I just didn't know it. A good portion of my adolescence was an upward battle with being able to completely showcase who I am, and that's what this show helped influence me to do in a weird way.
Hiya there, Anika!
ReplyDeleteAlex Russo is a fashion icon. Reading about how her style influenced you hits home. The 2000's Disney style was a major piece in pop-culture: from the Hannah wig, to the Joe Jonas infamous fedora, to Alex Russo keeping her wand in her boot. Being exposed to these certain trends at such a young age makes it even more influential and detrimental to who we become. Just like you mentioned, these characteristics of Alex being herself inspired you to be yourself, and that's what pop-culture aims to do.
Hey Anika! Wizards of Waverly Place was definitely one of my favorite shows while growing up. Just like you, I was obsessed with Hannah Montana. I went to her concerts, had her blonde wig and even had a cardboard cutout of her in my room lol. I like that Alex Russo being herself had inspired you to also be yourself because she was showing that being yourself is a good thing (which it is) but you looked up to her and saw how she acted and that Made you want to act that way as well.
ReplyDeleteThe show reminds me a lot of Sabrina, whether the new one or the sit-com. The way they use magic to solve little problems in human life did make me jealous. If only I could give my best friend a cupcake in space.
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