I watched Inside Out this past weekend. The movie had been getting great reviews, and I was stoked to see it, especially since it’s Disney and Pixar. When the movie first started, I was entranced by the way in which Disney Pixar has reimagined how the mind works: memories are stored in balls which are associated with a certain emotion, and certain memories are considered “core” and make up the personality. There are five agents that represent different emotions: Anger, Disgust, Fear, Sadness, and their trusty leader, Joy.
It’s Joy’s job to keep Riley, the pre-teen they inhabit, in a good state. So it’s no wonder that she has a lot of trouble when it comes to the character Sadness. Although she is told repeatedly not to touch anything because her sadness will affect the memories, she just can’t seem to remember. Heck, even I was extremely frustrated her within the first 10 minutes. Why does she keep messing things up? Why can’t she doing anything right? Why does she have to be so SAD and MOPEY all the time? When Joy and Sadness are accidentally ousted from headquarters, everyone freaks out about Joy being gone, but not Sadness. But can you blame them? Even my friend whispered “What is wrong with her? Joy should just kick her off the cliff.” I laughed.
But as the movie went on, Sadness’s usefulness started to show. She knows how to navigate around the walls of Riley’s long-term memories, warns against entering the chamber of abstract thought (to no success unfortunately), and is able to comfort Bing Bong (Riley's imaginary friend) when Joy is unable to. The twist comes when we discover that it is not Joy who will save Riley from making the mistake of running away—it’s Sadness. It’s Riley admitting her distress and her parents being there for her that saves them all.
This is huge in our society, where we are taught, directly and indirectly, to mask our feelings. When we’re sad, we’re told to stop being so depressing. When we’re afraid, we’re told to suck it up. When we’re angry, we’re told to calm down. Being anything but happy is seen as a disturbance, a burden upon others. It’s no wonder that many people tend to feel as if it’s impossible to share their feelings with others.
And that’s what Sadness represents. She’s the feelings that we are made to believe we need to repress. This is literally shown in the movie when Joy decides to stick her in a chalk circle so she wouldn’t cause any “trouble.” Although Joy has the best intentions (as many people do), instead of attempting to understand Sadness or accept her feelings, she pushes them aside as nuisance.
This is a problem. No one should believe their feelings aren’t valid. Being sad or angry or scared isn’t wrong or bad. It’s how we work through our problems, and they’re part of what makes us human. By disregarding someone’s emotions, you’re not fixing the problem they have but just setting it aside. Think back to Bing Bong: while Joy attempted to merely distract Bing Bong, Sadness acknowledges his grief and is there to provide comfort.
Now I’m not saying we should all become overly emotional and share our feelings with everyone we meet. But we shouldn’t feel as though we need to hold back our problems and emotions in order to save anyone else the trouble. Emotions aren’t meant to be boxed in (or placed in a chalk circle)—they should be expressed. Remember: your feelings are valid. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
