As soon as Netflix released Season 4 of Strange things, the series quickly became the most popular thing in the entertainment industry. The audience skyrocketed, making the show Netflix’s biggest English series. There were many reasons for Weird Stuff‘ hit, including a poignant horror vibe, a terrifying villain and a spike into the mythology of the Upside Down. Now, a month after the release of Volume 2, the internet is still ablaze with all kinds of wacky fan theoriesincluded one involving Mrs. Karen Wheeler.
However, fan theories are not the only ones. Strange things-Related content is going crazy on the internet right now. Natalia Dyer (who plays Nancy Wheeler) recently received some unwanted beauty advice from a nurse practitioner on TikTok. Completely unsolicited Miranda Wilson he suggested multiple plastic surgery options that would help improve Dyer’s appearance. There are so many problems with the hypothetical query, but here’s a good starting point: Natalia Dyer’s appearance was never an issue.
The viral TikTok suggested a slimming procedure for Dyer’s masseter muscles (attached to his jaw), chin padding (to make his chin more pointy), and lip padding (for a stronger pout). He even suggested Botox to lift Dyer’s eyebrows. The entire “consultation” was designed with the intention of making Dyer’s head “heart-shaped” with more defined features. Immediately, Strange things fans rallied in Dyer’s defense, calling TikTock rude, offensive and unnecessary. Due to the backlash, Wilson removed the “query” from him and released an apology video with a caption that says,
“#greenscreen hoping to clarify that I wasn’t suggesting that Natalia NEEDED any of that work, it was just an example. Of course Natalia is absolutely stunning the way she is… that’s why she’s so successful. Her photo was just an example. I’m sorry if people took that as mean or rude, that was not my intention at all.”
While Wilson’s apology may or may not have been accepted by Strange things fans, just prove their madness. It is clear that she was trying to take advantage of Strange things‘ popularity in order to promote in their own profession. While some would consider this to be good marketing, it is ultimately a problem because it was produced to the detriment of someone else. So far, Natalia Dyer has not responded to TikTok, as she maintains a limited presence on social media, but the problem persists.
In fact, the problem goes beyond Natalia Dyer. Wilson’s “query” is really just a symbol of the unrealistic beauty standards that define social media. Many people (especially young people) spend countless hours trying to get the perfect angle, filter, and background for their statuses and profile pictures. It’s like their Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat profiles are worth more than their real lives. So when someone who specializes in plastic surgery suggests that a super-successful movie star doesn’t even look good enough for social media, it’s more than just a commercial. It influences how children see themselves.
The bottom line is that individuality should be celebrated, regardless of what agenda social media tries to push. Trying to make everyone fit into some sort of so-called mold is a complete disservice to the well-being of society and people’s self-image. People need to be built up, not torn down, and too often social media is used to promote an unrealistic and unnecessary standard. Fortunately, Weird Stuff fans took notice of that for Natalia Dyer. Hopefully the rest of social media will take notice.
Stranger Things Seasons 1-4 is streaming now on Netflix.