At first glance, Elle Woods and Wednesday Addams couldn’t be more different.

One wears pink.

One wears black.

One lights up every room she walks into.

The other barely cracks a smile.

If you judged these two by appearances alone, you’d probably assume they have nothing in common. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized they might actually be teaching us the exact same lesson.

Both women walk into a world that immediately underestimates them.

Elle is dismissed because she’s fashionable, bubbly, and unapologetically feminine. People assume she can’t possibly be intelligent.

Wednesday is dismissed because she’s quiet, dark, and socially unconventional. People assume she’s cold, disconnected, or incapable of forming meaningful relationships.

Different assumptions.

Same mistake.

Neither woman changes herself to make other people comfortable.

Elle never trades in her pink wardrobe to be taken seriously.

Wednesday never softens her personality just to fit in.

Instead, they both become better versions of themselves while staying true to who they already are.

That’s confidence.

And I think we’ve spent a long time defining confidence far too narrowly.

We tend to picture confidence as loud, outgoing, and charismatic.

But confidence can also be quiet.

It can be reserved.

It can be sarcastic.

It can wear black every day.

Or it can wear pink from head to toe.

Both women are incredibly intelligent, but people rarely notice that first.

They’re judged by appearances before anyone takes the time to discover what’s underneath.

Sound familiar?

How often do we do the same thing in real life?

One of my favorite similarities is the way they use fashion.

For both characters, clothing isn’t about impressing other people.

It’s an extension of identity.

Elle’s pink isn’t a weakness.

Wednesday’s black isn’t sadness.

They’re both saying the same thing:

“This is who I am.”

Neither asks for permission.

Neither apologizes.

And maybe that’s why these characters continue to resonate with audiences decades apart, with each new version of movie and show.

They remind us that authenticity doesn’t have one look.

You don’t have to become someone else to earn respect.

You don’t have to dim your personality.

You don’t have to edit yourself until everyone approves.

Whether your personality is bright and optimistic or quiet and unconventional, the lesson is the same:

The people who leave the biggest mark on the world are usually the ones who know exactly who they are.

Maybe confidence isn’t just bubbly.

Maybe confidence isn’t just stoic.

Maybe confidence is simply refusing to become someone else just to make everyone around you more comfortable.

And I think Elle Woods and Wednesday Addams would both agree with that.

*I would also add they both of them use this confidence in trusting their gut. Both of these shows, while fantastic in the whole "getting along in high school", also revolve around a huge mystery that needs to be solved. Both shows intricately weave this mystery into the storyline. Go watch!

Wednesday Addams is on Netflix

Elle Woods is on Prime TV

Find my books, blog and other stuff - http://rachael-lee-mohr.com/