Wednesday’s influence

So we know where Wednesday came from. But where has she taken us?

There’s never been a shortage of goth-leaning characters in popular media. However, given Wednesday’s expansive reign over our screens throughout the years, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that she could perhaps be considered the grandmother of this genre of fictional girls. After igniting the craving for more sardonic and morbid female characters, Wednesday’s legacy has not only provided us with the company of familiar characters but also the feeling that we are allowed to enjoy such moody and dark personas. Lydia Deetz, Nancy Downs, Allison Reynolds, Samantha Manson… these fictional figures are the reasons that we felt we could blanket ourselves in black eyeliner and utter monosyllabic responses to everyone we met.

Wednesday’s influence has also leaked into our lives in a more tangible way. With gothic fashion eternally evolving and Dark Academia becoming a widespread aesthetic, it looks like Wednesday Addams has inspired us to bring a little darkness into every corner of our lives.

It’s not hard to understand the appeal of this devilish and brooding young woman. But perhaps what is most appealing about her, strangely, is her relatability. Wednesday is sarcastic, a little odd, peculiar and unconventional, but she has always been depicted as leaning into her strangeness. We all have a small part of ourselves that leans towards the morbid and is fascinated by the dark and unusual.

Over the years, her character has also proved that there is no one way to be unconventional. Weirdness can exist in all forms. From Lisa Loring’s slightly sweeter and softer version of a younger Wednesday to Christina Ricci’s violent and borderline homicidal interpretation, her very being proves to young girls that consistency and variety are not necessarily mutually exclusive when it comes to our quirks.

The history and legacy of everyone’s favourite macabre teen: Wednesday Addams