Lessons We've Learnt from Lizzie McGuire

Hello again blogosphere! Today, I thought I'd take the opportunity to celebrate the 27th birthday of the one and only Hilary Duff (admittedly, 2 days late). Why you may ask? To you I say, why not? If you were a Disney lover throughout your youth just as I was, there's no doubt that the first thing that comes to mind upon hearing Hilary's name is the legendary show 'Lizzie McGuire'. This series was seriously my pre-teen 'Glee', and Hilary was definitely my number one idol. I went to every one of her concerts whenever she came to Sydney, and I'm pretty sure I watched every single episode 'Lizzie McGuire' had to offer. Let's face it, I was a fangirl before it was mainstream. So, in order to honour the birth-a-versary of someone who was so influential in shaping my childhood, I've decided to list some of the vital life lessons all of us have learnt from watching the show. Without further ado, here they all are . . .

Outfit Disasters Never End Well

Unfortunately, I am seen wearing the same outfit as all of my peers, arch-enemy or not, everyday of my high school life. However, if uniforms were taken out of the equation when this fashion tragedy occurred, I don't think everything would go down was easily. I mean, when you think about it, turning up to school in the same outfit as someone you loathe can mean a number of awful things. You guys could have the same sense of style, or even worse, deep down you could have the same personality. They're some serious mental breakdown triggers right there. But wait, there's more, the catastrophes do not stop there. Do you remember in the 'Lizzie McGuire' movie when Kate revealed that Lizzie had worn her middle school graduation dress previously?

Oh, the horror.

Friendships can get Cray

Luckily for me, my little group of friends seem to remain relatively drama free, however this isn't the case for the majority of people. For some reason, entering into the gates of high school can turn some people into real tyrants. Why exactly? No one knows. Things change pretty rapidly, and I know that now, I probably only speak to a handful of people who went to my primary school, and I'm pretty sure that's the case for most people. In 'Lizzie McGuire', there was always the whole 'Lizzie vs Kate' debacle once the two entered into middle school, but not everything was always smooth sailing for best friends Lizzie and Miranda either. Also, remember the time Gordo was almost accelerated into high school? So much drama, so little time.

Rebel Phases Aren't Cool

To us youngsters in the early 2000's, the phrase 'take a chill pill' was not only super offensive to use among friends, but when said in response to an adult or parent? Practically unthinkable. So it was a massive understatement to say that everyone watching at home was extremely shocked to see goody-two-shoes Lizzie blurting it out to her mum and dad. If you were an avid viewer of the show, there's no doubting you remember when Lizzie met bad-girl Angel and totally changed up her look. Sure, this phase literally only lasted one episode, but she managed to do quite a bit of damage in that short amount of time. She forged notes, acted out, and alienated her friends and family whom we'd all grown to know and love. Of course everything sorted itself out before the end credits rolled, but I was still pretty freaked out. We may not have had fully formed consciences at the time we were watching the show, but we could certainly pick out that this behaviour was totally unacceptable. I don't know about you guys, but by the end of the episode, I was determined not to get up to mischief in my teen years (and guess what? I've done anything but). 

Don't Try and be Someone you Clearly Aren't

Just writing this subheading makes me feel ridiculously cheesy and cliché, but after all, this was a kid's show. There is something to be said about refusing to conform, and that is something I can fully get behind. I think we can all take a leaf out of Lizzie's book and refuse to become the Kate Sanders' of the world. Lizzie, Miranda and Gordo's sense of self was tested a few times along the way, but they always came out on top and maintained their originality in true Disney fashion. I guess we all just have to face the fact that not everyone can be vapid and popular, and that some of us humans actually need to have a little substance. Do you think you can handle that burden? I for one must now accept that I will never be a professional athlete, and am simply destined to live my life on the Broadway stage. Oh well, I guess I'll have to live with that.

You Need to get your Priorities Straight

When you're in your teens, sometimes it can be a bit difficult to truly straighten out your priories. Some people are massively obsessed with partying, while others are constantly obsessed with getting good grades. While only one of them is important to me (because seriously, what would partying even entail?), I think that there's a lot to be said for just lounging about and having some major TV and movie marathons. In fact, I am the number one advocate. Lizzie, Miranda and Gordo weren't really ever seen out on the town, but you can bet they spent some quality time with their DVD player (or possibly they're VCR) and a bucket full of popcorn. That my friends is the meaning of life (well that, and 42).

So that's now officially the end of my little list of morals. I hope this acted as one massive throwback to your pre-teen days, and who knows, perhaps you learnt something? Anyway, I'd just like to end by once again wishing Hilary a super awesome, albeit belated birthday. Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx