The Dynamics of Two Flowers. What i learnt from Netflix’s Sierra…
By: Aisyah S Spaceship
Tags: Body Positive, Netflix, Bullying, Catfishing

What i learnt from Netflix’s Sierra Burgess is a Loser

Their friendship was the most powerful thing in the whole story.

I was scrolling down comments on Netflix’s Sierra Burgess is a Loser trailer on YouTube, and i was in complete disbelieve. Those people showed what this movie has trying to say: Pretty faces will always “win”.

Justice for Sierra

Statistics still speak for all. National Center for Educational Statistic shows that 13% of bullying including physical offense (e.g shoving, shoulder-bruising), name-calling, and insults. More than half of the insults are related to body image, racial/social/financial status, gender, disability, and religion.

Sierra is bullied. The movie really did started off with that. People in the comments are expressing disgust towards Sierra’s catfishing behavior and her humiliating Veronica at the half-end of the movie. However, they forgot who were initially suffered on daily basis.

Let’s talk about Sierra’s parents first. Her parents are strict as fuck, they basically value her daughter solely from the image they trying to mold her into: the perfect overachiever that “just like mama and papa”.

Her teachers too. If you look closely, the teachers would scold the popular chicks when they made any drama in class, but then let it slide. Excluding the pretty badass English literature teacher that stand up for Sierra, the teachers look like they have less to no power to make those girls listen to them, let alone respect them.

Even the English literature teacher expects highly of Sierra’s achievement. Remember when she looked mad when Sierra forgot to finish her homework?

Yeah, that shows. That disappointed look when Sierra made a single mistake because her life has been messed up recently really shows.

How the fuck do the audience would handle being Sierra for just a day? They would’ve no clue. They would’ve no clue of being an unattractive nerd who has low self-esteem that works so hard to meet everyone’s expectation, bullied, and everyone going mad at her whenever she made a single mistake.

Imagine the role is reversed. What if Veronica being the one who humiliating Sierra? No one would give a shit. They would still think Sierra is the loser. They probably would cheer Veronica for providing them a laughing stock.

Besides, all her did was helping Veronica reaching her character growth. Well is not what she initially wants to do, but in the end, Veronica ended up being the most privileged character in the story. She has grown smarter, kinder, and well, still beautiful, while Sierra turned down by everyone around her whenever she made a single mistake.

I repeat, Sierra always judged whenever she made any mistake.

The audience made Veronica seems like she has the “freepass” over her past mistakes just because she’s attractive. People sympathized with her backstory, that basically the same as Sierra. Why wouldn’t they said,”Yeah Veronica’s mother is emotionally abusive but that can’t justify her cruel remarks towards Sierra.” just like what they commented about Sierra’s moment of weakness?

Because Veronica is attractive.

That’s what the movie is trying to fucking tell us. The movie gave us perfect example of the Halo Effect. The phenomenon of Halo Effect is fucking real. At school. At college. At job interviews. People would favor those who have pretty faces.

Redemption and Happy Ending for Veronica

Well yeah, your favorite villain-turned-good character got a happy ending.

But can just people accept that before Veronica has to undergo a long road of redemption before she got her happy ending?

Let’s take a look on the scene after Veronica “kissed” by Jamey.