I Remind You of Whom?

That person from that thing?....Um, Thank You?

So you've been, perhaps insultingly, compared to a pop culture icon.

Or a more obscure presence in nerd culture.

Or someone who doesn’t resemble you at all, either physically or in terms of personality, but has the same slight gap between their teeth that you have. When that happens it’s almost never someone impressive, such as Madonna. It’s usually more like, “That man by the subway that tries to feed dead pigeons to other dead pigeons.” Well, OK, so long as it’s just the tooth-gap thing that strikes you as similar. I know not to feed dead pigeons to other dead pigeons; I’m in grad school.

We’ve all been there, am I right? People says we remind them of some celebrity or fictional character. Depending on said celebrity/character’s General Greatness Quotient—including, but not limited to, sex appeal—we find ourselves either happily accepting of the compliment or deeply offended at the “compliment.”

Sometimes it can be both, like if someone compares you to Miss Piggy and at first you’re like, “Aw hell yeah, she rules!...Wait, are you calling me fat? Oh, just narcissistic. Well that’s much better, thanks. You know what, you don’t understand me, and you don’t understand the subtle magnificence that is Miss Piggy!”

Or once someone said I reminded her of “the brown-haired girl from 'Real Genius.'” Not having seen "Real Genius," I was nevertheless gratified by the implications of the title. “Fantastic, I remind her of some genius because of my excellent brain-smarts!”

Then I saw the movie and I realized, oh. The “genius” of the title is a masculine one. She was just saying I talked too much. The worst part is I think she found it endearing and wasn’t trying to be mean. Still, though. Burn.

Anyway, here are some experiences I’ve had. Your level of geekiness will determine how universal you find them.

(My Teens—Mid-Twenties)

People: Alaina, you know who you kinda remind me of? The Basket Case from "The Break"—

Me: How dare you; she's disgusting! She has terrible hygiene! Are you saying I'm gross? I'm not gross! I take much pride in smelling good and showering! Even when my hair appears unbrushed, I assure you it's brushed, and not in a gross way!

People: No no, I just mean you're sexy in a quasi-goth—

Me: Also, there's no way she'd be interested in the jock over the brain. Do you think that's what weird, artsy girls like me want, deep down? Hell no! We're much more into Anthony Michael Hall than we are into Emilio Esteves! We ourselves are intellectuals so that’s who we prefer to date.

People: Oh. OK. Sure.

Me: She’s such an outcast she doesn’t even really belong to a clique! I have friends. I’ve always had friends! DO YOU HONESTLY THINK I WOULD GO TO DETENTION ON A SATURDAY MORNING BECAUSE I HAD NOTHING %^&*ING BETTER TO DO?

People: I see I've offended you. Are you upset about her title? Should I have referred to her as Ally Sheedy's character?

Me: No, the title of “Basket Case” I have no problem with. This is just about the character's lack of hygiene, social capital, and taste in men.

(My Late Twenties—Present Day)

People: Alaina, know who you kinda remind me of? Luna Lovegood.

Me: Thanks! I'll take it.

People: I mean if you were a teenager. And British. And a wizard.

Me: I have absolutely no objection.

People: Also, I could totally see you dressing that way, even in real life.

Me: Yeah OK I'm already flattered. You don't need to keep going.

People: Also you—

Me: Please stop.

People: You know what? You're basically Kaylee Frye from "Firefly."

Me: Fine, I'll marry you.

People: ....