[bedknees]

On Lars

I wish more people would understand that, unlike what most media tells you, people who have low self worth are actually hardly ever “uwu soft bbys that are pure and sweet and fragile”. In reality, low self esteem is often UGLY. Someone with issues in self worth is very prone to lashing out, is very prone to getting paranoid because they already have such a low opinion of themselves that the thought of other people disapproving and/or rejecting them is unbearable. They need constant reassurance and approval because they cannot give that to themselves. They cannot offer themselves that comfort.

So being a sufferer of the less glamorous symptoms of low self esteem myself, seeing people boil down Lars’ mini breakdown to merely him being jealous really grinds my gears. Time and time again it is heavily stressed in the show that Lars acts the way he does due to having such a low self esteem and low sense of worth. Coupled with that, the thought of Sadie–who he loves is his best friend–and the Cool Kids–who he basically idolizes–rejecting him and moving on without him is world shattering.

He has no way to comfort himself, no way to talk himself through a situation like that–at least, not yet. Notice that Steven and Connie had to offer him that validation and reassurance for him to snap out of it. And he’s getting better; he recovered rather quickly. But it still stands that Lars still has a long way to go towards truly accepting himself.

Lars’ problem isn’t jealously; his problem is a staggering lack of self esteem and I wish more people would understand that. It’s the key to getting his character.