I have claustrophobia but was still so drawn to the cupboard under the stairs vibes so I can totally appreciate the draw of the hidey hole 😂
I would curl up in a blanket and shiver there while I imagined the cruel world outside me, where my parents were corpses in the Atlantic and whoever the hell was making spaghetti in the kitchen was merely the orphanage cook”
I am laughing, because not only was I an orphan girl, not only did my parents take me to the Laura Ingals Wilder house in Mansfield MO for summer vacation (they had to bribe my brother with a side trip to an amusement park), not only did I run around in a sun bonnet my mom had sewn for me, not only did I imagine myself to be put-upon Sara Crewe whenever I had to do chores, but my favorite childhood game—which I invented—was actually called Orphanage.
And yes, I graduated to a goth and drama-club phase in high school. So glad to hear I’m not the only one!
I love this. I was a "Victorian orphan girl" too - I stuck with it until I was about eleven. I actually knew several girls like this, probably because I went to a private school where 80% of the girls had at least one American Girl doll. Did you ever see "FairyTale: A True Story" from 1997? It's not exactly a "Victorian orphan movie," but it's got one girl with a dead mother and one girl with a dead older brother, circa WWI. Plus lots of pinafores and hair ribbons. (Minor quibble: I never read the book "A Little Princess," but I don't think Sara in the movie imagined all the stuff in her room, because later on, Miss Minchin could see it. Aren't we supposed to conclude it's from the mystical Indian guy next door?)
The 1993 version of "The Secret Garden" was awesome. It was only moderately successful at the box office, though, because that was the summer when kids whose parents offered to take them to see a movie all wanted to see "Jurassic Park" for the third time.
I remember a while ago there was some discussion on Twitter about the 90s Bow Girl archetype that I found very relatable. The vibes feel very Victorian Orphan Girl-adjacent
Relevant SNL clip: https://youtu.be/eWBNCnU_PK0?si=3hmdhIxGIfOEsyVl
Somehow I knew what it was even before I clicked! LOL
I have claustrophobia but was still so drawn to the cupboard under the stairs vibes so I can totally appreciate the draw of the hidey hole 😂
I would curl up in a blanket and shiver there while I imagined the cruel world outside me, where my parents were corpses in the Atlantic and whoever the hell was making spaghetti in the kitchen was merely the orphanage cook”
I am laughing, because not only was I an orphan girl, not only did my parents take me to the Laura Ingals Wilder house in Mansfield MO for summer vacation (they had to bribe my brother with a side trip to an amusement park), not only did I run around in a sun bonnet my mom had sewn for me, not only did I imagine myself to be put-upon Sara Crewe whenever I had to do chores, but my favorite childhood game—which I invented—was actually called Orphanage.
And yes, I graduated to a goth and drama-club phase in high school. So glad to hear I’m not the only one!
The Victorian Orphan to Goth pipeline is real!
I love this. I was a "Victorian orphan girl" too - I stuck with it until I was about eleven. I actually knew several girls like this, probably because I went to a private school where 80% of the girls had at least one American Girl doll. Did you ever see "FairyTale: A True Story" from 1997? It's not exactly a "Victorian orphan movie," but it's got one girl with a dead mother and one girl with a dead older brother, circa WWI. Plus lots of pinafores and hair ribbons. (Minor quibble: I never read the book "A Little Princess," but I don't think Sara in the movie imagined all the stuff in her room, because later on, Miss Minchin could see it. Aren't we supposed to conclude it's from the mystical Indian guy next door?)
The 1993 version of "The Secret Garden" was awesome. It was only moderately successful at the box office, though, because that was the summer when kids whose parents offered to take them to see a movie all wanted to see "Jurassic Park" for the third time.
My goodness, I also participated in the American Girl doll video competition!
I remember a while ago there was some discussion on Twitter about the 90s Bow Girl archetype that I found very relatable. The vibes feel very Victorian Orphan Girl-adjacent
https://x.com/rachsyme/status/1364963666886541312?t=CshhC6F3KtQgaLHhm1exUQ&s=19