"Z: The Movie That Changed My Life" by Louise Erdrich
Medium Prompt

Prior to watching Little Miss Sunshine, I have always been pretty self-conscious. I did not feel comfortable having my picture taken, and I preferred to have my bangs hanging in my face to cover me. I got along with my family, but there was always this slight embarrassment while my friends came over my house. Little Miss Sunshine, however, changed my life completely. It changed not only how I view myself, but how I view my family, and what they mean to me.

In the movie, a dysfunctional family travels across the country in order to get the young daughter to a beauty pageant. The grandfather is addicted to drugs. The uncle is suicidal. The father is a motivational speaker whose plan ends up failing financially. The mother is struggling to keep the family together, and the son has taken a pledge of silence because of Nietzsche. Meanwhile, the young daughter Olive is entirely concerned with winning the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. Not to mention that just about no one gets along in the family. Yet, once they arrive at the pageant, the family comes together. They see the little girls (approximately nine years old) parading around in skimpy bathing suits and fixing themselves constantly in the mirror. The family then sees just how superficial the other contestants are, and how Olive, a real girl, does not belong in the pageant. In the end, the family comes together to support each other, no matter how ridiculous they seem to everyone else.

Leaving the movie theatre that night, I felt like crying. Why did I ever let what others think concern me? And how could I ever feel ashamed of my family? At the end of the day, my family members are the ones to comfort me. They are always there for me, and always accepting of me regardless of what I wear or what I say. They are the ones who tell me it does not matter what others think of me. So what if I do not look like a model? So what if I do not follow all the latest fashion trends? So what if my family is silly and quirky? The fact is, this is me. And this is my family. I will not mold myself to be acceptable by others. And I certainly do not expect my family to mold themselves to look more “normal”. The truth is, I love my family and I would never want them to change. I am happy with myself, and I am not going to change. If the others do not like me or think I am strange – oh well. This movie has influenced me more so than any other film I have seen so far. From this, I have learned a lesson I plan on carrying with me throughout my entire life.