Hey everyone! Today I’m going to discuss comfort characters and media and why they’re especially important for autistic people.
What is a Comfort Character/Piece of Media and How Do They Help?
In essence, a comfort character, book, movie, etc. is a person or work that helps someone calm down and relax. Anyone can have a comfort character or piece of media; however, in this post, I’m going to be writing about how they’re helpful to autism specifically. These creations are beneficial for autistic people in a variety of ways.
They make the person happy. When you’re reading a book or watching a movie in your spare time, the overall goal is to feel good. Whether it’s comedy, fantasy, or even horror, the media you’re likely to choose is enjoyable to you. In the same way, comfort media and characters provide joy to autistic people.
They are a source of familiarity. In cases of anxiousness, overstimulation, and stress, comfort media and characters provide familiarity and help the autistic person feel a little more at ease with the situation.
The autistic person relates to them. A lot of the time, an autistic person may find a bit of themselves in the character, storyline, or universe. It’s nice to see something or someone that you feel represents you in media.
They help the autistic person learn or inspire them to do more. Since the autistic person enjoys the work, it is more likely that they can learn lessons associated with it. If the autistic person is facing a similar situation as the plotline of the work or if they find traits in common with their comfort character, they can use it to help find a next step and achieve personal growth – something we all need.
See why this is all so important? I think it’s really amazing! I can’t speak for everyone, so I’m going to share some of my comfort media and characters next so you can get an idea of how this can be so impactful to an autistic person. If you have any comfort characters or media and would like to share, please drop a comment down below! I’d love to hear from you!
My Comfort Media
Anything Disney. Disney movies have always been a huge part of my life. They’re filled with so much joy and nostalgia and each storyline has something unique. There are so many little details among different movies, but as a whole, Disney is really comforting to me.
Mean Girls. As a young teen, I struggled a lot understanding how to start growing up and fitting in. Everyone’s attitudes and behaviors were changing rapidly, and I was just trying to make sense of why. I watched Mean Girls just before eighth grade, which ended up being the toughest year of my life thus far. Even though it’s a comedy with plenty of satire, it taught me to an extent how teenagers worked. It also helped me sort out who was a positive influence in my life and who was actually negative and what I could do about it. Now, I still enjoy watching it, even if it is just for the comedy at this point.
Miraculous. I started watching Miraculous when I was 15. Although it’s animated and widely described as a “kid’s show,” I found the colorful scenes and simple plotlines comforting, yet there was still enough detail and tension to have me drawn to it. I could just sit down after a hard day and relax. That was enough for me.
Anne of Green Gables. When I was really little, I had a summarized, shortened version of Anne of Green Gables that I fell in love with. A few years later, I read the original by L.M. Montgomery and was even more enchanted. I always found the story so charming and witty. Anne with an E came out on Netflix in my later teens and added a darker layer to the plotline, a change that fit amazingly well. In 2019, my local theater did a production of Anne of Green Gables and brought me in to paint the set (I would’ve auditioned, but I had just started college and was still adjusting to the new schedule.) That was when I realized just how much the whole Anne universe meant to me, and my appreciation for it only grows!
My Comfort Characters
Elsa – Frozen. I got a lot of teasing in middle school for liking Frozen, especially Elsa and her song Let it Go. What I couldn’t quite articulate at the time was that for me, Elsa’s life and personality was strikingly representative of my own. Growing up autistic, I’d been taught that I had “special abilities,” but that I had to mask the symptoms of autism neurotypicals viewed as weird or worse. Much of my time was spent alone, and when I was around other people, I’d get anxious and fall into meltdown. I had very low self-esteem because of this. Elsa, while her powers were magical, also feared that her differences made her a monster. She ran away to live a happy life, a point in the movie that made me hope I could do the same (related – Break Strategy for Autistic People.) Secretly, I wished that Anna had just left her alone and found another way to fix the winter – but I still enjoy the rest of the movie that was written. Besides, Elsa does find happiness again.
Adrien Agreste – Miraculous. In Miraculous, Adrien is one of the protagonists. Aside from being the superhero Chat Noir, he is a high school student and son of a famous fashion designer. He himself is a famous model for his father’s brand. His father sets very high expectations for him and often keeps him in isolation (related – Should You Shelter Your Autistic Child?) When Adrien gets to be Chat Noir, he gets to do what he wants. Though I’m not rich and juggling superpowers, I definitely relate to the pressure of conforming to high standards and being able to do what I want only in my spare time. Again, I’ve also been alone most of my life. Both Adrien and I can be awkward in social situations, as we don’t have the right skillset to navigate as smoothly as our peers do. However, what we both desire to do because of what we’ve been through is try to make life better for others. I see Adrien both as a mirror and a role model.
Anne Shirley – Anne of Green Gables. As mentioned previously, Anne of Green Gables has been part of my life for a very long time. One of these reasons is Anne herself. As a kid and even today, I daydream a lot. Anne’s ideas and adventures were very inspiring to me. I also was a “gifted” kid and found joy in seeing her succeed in school. When I was in college, my English professor assigned us an analysis essay on a topic of our choice. I decided to write about why the Netflix show Anne with an E is so beloved by fans. One of the articles I used in my research was titled ‘Anne with an E – and C-PTSD’ by Elizabeth Galen, PhD at Green Heart Guidance (read it here!) At the time, I was using it to demonstrate the depth of the show and how it employs darker, more realistic themes in the subtext of the plot. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I too likely have C-PTSD. Anne’s flashbacks likely were not as visual to her as they are portrayed in Anne with an E – they are emotional. That is how I experience them. I’m rewatching the show now and though Anne and I have not gone through the same circumstances, what happens before and after her flashbacks is very familiar. Altogether, I really resonate with Anne’s personality and possible mental health challenges and she’s a huge inspiration to me.
That’s all for this article. I hope it was interesting for you and that you were able to learn or relate to something. Once again, please feel free to comment your comfort characters and media! Be kind and respectful and have an amazing day.