Nuffnang Movie: Brave

Disney, Pixar's Brave

BRAVE.

One thing I have never been is brave.

All my blog readers would know by now that I am, in fact a coward. I am scared of pain. I am scared of the dark, I am scared of many many things which is exactly why I cannot discuss with you the unseen side of The Academy that I so badly detest and want to talk about.

I love people, who are brave, who have the courage to speak up, unwaveringly, and stand strong behind their opinions. I admire their guts, I admire how they can rise against all the negative comments that are hurled upon them again and again like flaming missiles, pelting hard against them.

Blog about the heroine in your life and how she was the bravest in a situation.

Heroine in my life?

I think the bravest person I have encountered by far, and whom I hailed as a heroine, would be again, Xiaxue.

Don't sigh, folks, but instead, nod your head and agree.

Why wouldn't she be brave?

She started a blog for her own opinions, it got popular because she was so honest, yet, people are criticizing her, hating her, and dissing her for her opinions. So much criticism poured in, there were so many people that loved wasting their time hating her, sending her hate messages that reeked of spite, and perhaps even a tinge of...

Jealousy.

Xiaxue did not just back down. She did not even close her blog as I would have done in the face of criticisms. Instead, she grew stronger, more able to withstand the harsh comments others lashed upon her, and kept her blog, her candid personality and her admirable character intact.

She is brave because she did not conform to our social norm.

There are so many unspoken rules and expectations that our society have for us. If we are not confining to the social norm, weird looks and shakes of heads are often directed at us. It is easy to be the same, but it is not easy to be different, to be who you really are.

Some are going to ask, how exactly, is Xiaxue a heroine? Who did she save? What did she do?

I am saying that a heroine does not have to fit your usual stereotype of a heroine who is probably this person with some special skills somehow or with a very very kind heart that goes around shooting arrows and slaying dragons that are attacking the town folks.

There are things in life scarier than your dragons, demons and villians.

These are:

1. Stress
2. Lack of confidence
3. Social Stigma
4. Judgement and criticism

These exist everywhere. Xiaxue is brave and no, she does not have to come to us and save us physically, but the things she write on her blog, does save us, doesn't it?

It saves us from boredom and stress.
She told us to be confident, and forget about how others look at you. So long as we are satisfied with how we look and happy, why would we care about how other people look at us?
She was open and honest about plastic surgery, and personally I feel that she has removed any negative feeling I have towards the idea of altering one's looks. What is wrong with improving our looks? There is nothing wrong, but everyone looked at it with a strange eye, and thus decided for it to be wrong.

How she was bravest in a situation

Xiaxue had multiple plastic surgery, and she chose to be frank about it. She was honest and open and she told us all the truth, yet she was judged for it. But she did not choose to hide it despite all the negative remarks, some terribly hurting even, and kept going.

To stand strong behind one's opinion, to keep going forward even though you are being loved and hated at the same time is being brave.

You can't be a heroine if you don't save yourself or protect yourself.
So my heroine, ultimately, begins from her fundamental self.
And yup, that is Xiaxue for you! (:




Remember to Catch Disney • Pixar’s BRAVE in cinemas this 8 August 2012 and like the Official Walt Disney Studios Singapore Facebook Page, follow the @disneystudiosSG and subscribe to Official Disney Studios Singapore YouTube Channel!