Do we need #MainCharacterEnergy all the time?

We can’t all have main character energy all the time. Some of us are fab sidekicks. Some moments call for stepping back. And some may just be narcissists

Was it just the pandemic, or was camera-facing humanity hurtling toward this, anyway? By 2022, once lockdown restrictions were finally lifted, and people started to celebrate ordinary days and mundane routines, one hashtag, #MainCharacterEnergy, became a quick shorthand for the general global mood. Everyone went about believing they were the hero in the story of their life. They were. We are. But, honestly, if everyone’s special, it means no one’s special, right?

Elle Woods embraces her #MainCharacterEnergy in Legally Blonde in 2001.

Iris finally comes to terms with her #MainCharacterEnergy at the end of The Holiday ( 2001).

Some of us shine better as sidekicks. Think of Genie in Aladdin (1992).

Kerry Washington has spoken about breaking generational trauma by putting herself at the centre of her story, so that she feels like she’s living her story and not chasing somebody else’s.