If you know anything about me, let it be this: I’m a T.V. show fanatic. I live for new shows to watch (and by watch, I mean finish a seven season series in three days). Recently, I’ve gone back to the basics and re-watched an old favorite of mine, That 70s Show. I love everything about this show and it really lets me embrace my inner hippie. While re-watching the series I developed a brand new love for the very dynamic Jackie Burkhart (unpopular opinion? I think not).
I feel like most people secretly love Jackie as much as I do. I mean come on, she’s one of the most entertaining characters and undergoes so much character growth. Jackie, who started off the series as Michael Kelso’s on again-off again, dumb cheerleader girlfriend became a lovable fan favorite. I think what makes Jackie so lovable is how unapologetically selfish and self-absorbed she is.
In the series (spoiler alert), we see Jackie deal with the unemployment of her father, her mother going completely MIA, Kelso's constant cheating, and some unpredicted romances within the friend group. These plot developments really helped shape much of Jackie's character growth-- she gets her first job, quits the cheerleading team, and finds an surprising best friend in Donna Pinciotti (the total anti-Jackie). Despite Jackie's maturation throughout the series, her self absorbed demeanor never falters to be her tool of defense (proving to make her one of the most humorous and surprisingly lovable characters).
Throughout the series, it's obvious that Jackie is well aware of being a spoiled brat and wears it with pride. Underneath her perfect, pink, and hyper feminine exterior, Jackie is a strong girl with killer comebacks, blunt humor, and an unyielding love for herself. While often seen as vain, I think Jackie’s love for herself can be very empowering. There’s nothing and no one Jackie loves more than herself, which is her greatest power throughout the series.
For the record, I’m not saying that we should all strive to be vain, self-absorbed Jackie Burkhart clones. I do believe, that we can appreciate the strength and humor that comes from a character so high strung and in love with herself. To be able to be so sure and unapologetic of who you are is not an easy task. I’d argue that it wouldn’t hurt for all of us to have a small sliver of Jackie self-love every once in a while.
