Human beings are social creatures. We like to feel we belong to something bigger than ourselves. We like to be part of a family or some other group that will protect us and support us either physically or emotionally. And for some people the most important thing is to belong to an elite group that excludes other people. Only if you are “very special” will you be allowed to be part of this particular exclusive club or clique or fraternity or sorority or some such thing. And for some of these “clubs” or cliques it seems like the most important reason to become part of it is so that you can look down on those who have not gained admission to this exclusive group.
Most schools (whether elementary, middle, high school, college or beyond) have clubs and cliques, both official and unofficial, where the members share common interests. And in school like Magnolia Academy of Arts and Science (MAAS) where Finnley and Hadley attend, the most coveted group to belong to is the “Popular Set.” My wife remembers one of our sons coming home from elementary school one evening looking unhappy and puzzled. When she asked him why he was sad he said that one of the other boys in his class had teased and taunted him by saying, “I am really popular, you know!” The implication was that our son was not popular and so this other boy had elevated status over him. Luckily our son is a thoughtful person. He wrinkled his brow and said, “Nathan says he’s popular but I’m not sure if he is or not.” This fueled a conversation about what it actually meant to be “popular” at school. All of our kids quickly figured out that most of the “popular set” were actually mean and unkind and spent most of their time trying to put other kids down.
In Blackhope Scar Hadley gets teased relentlessly by the “Popular Girls” because Hadley thinks for herself, has lots of interests, is open-minded and kind to strangers and does not spend her time trying to impress others. To make matters even worse Hadley’s mother tells Hadley that she wishes she was more like Tiffany Kistlebutt, the leader of the “Popular Girls.” Here is the first exchange that Hadley has with them:
Their leader was Tiffany Kistlebutt, a petite, skinny, blond-haired girl with an upturned nose. Some people might say she was cute if you happened to like the sneering, pouty, anorectic look.
“Hey Hadley, isn’t that the same sweater you had on yesterday AND the day before? Don’t you own any new ones? Or maybe your mom doesn’t have time to wash your clothes. She’s too busy taking tennis lessons from Loo-eee-gee!”
The other girls giggled enthusiastically at Tiffany’s hilarious remarks. Hadley kept walking.
“Or maybe you can’t find anything cute to wear in amongst all your… secret, exciting spy gadgets.”
Tiffany’s followers erupted in laughter. There was just no end to their leader’s dazzling wit. Hadley kept her head down and brushed past them on her way up the steps.
Tiffany raised her voice. “Actually girls I was wrong. Hadley HAS changed her outfit today. It’s not exactly the same sweater she had on yesterday. Today she has managed to get dirt and mud all over the sleeves. Isn’t THAT a cute touch?”
Hadley and Finn stumbled through the doors to escape the scornful squeals of laughter from the popular crowd.
“How does she know about Luigi?” Finn asked.
Hadley shrugged. “My mom and Tiffany’s mom are so-called friends. In fact my mom is always telling me that I should be more like Tiffany Kistlebutt. Nice, huh?”
The MAAS “Popular Girls” feature in several of the Wullie stories. I highlight two of them, Tiffany Kistlebutt and Amanda Teaserville, and describe them in some superficial ways. They are both pretty, rich and snobbish. They always wear the latest fashion and look down on anyone who can’t afford to keep up with their latest “look.” I hope that my readers can relate to being on the receiving end of this kind of behavior and can shrug it off for the shallow and trivial statement it makes about those people. Those “popular” kids never seem truly happy. Instead of feeling jealous or envious of them we should feel sorry for them.