Ode to the Drama Queen(s)

According to Urban Dictionary a drama queen is “someone who turns something unimportant into a major deal. Someone who blows things way out of proportion whenever the chance is given”. Well done Urban Dictionary, I can truly say that you hit the nail on the head with this one. We all know one, two, three drama queens in our life. We may actually be a tad bit dramatic about things ourself. Growing up we have encountered drama queens every place we turned. We tried to steer clear of them and sometimes on rare occasions may have seen ourselves turn into one, much like Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. As we reached high school we saw drama queens more than ever. They were around every corner, down every hallway, and most of the time wanting to be at cheerleading practice or shopping at the mall. High school has been the natural habitat of these drama queens for years, the media even portrays it as such. Basically a classic movie that portrays this perfectly is none other than a personal favourite of mine MEAN GIRLS!

Mean Girls, a movie in which Rachel McAdams plays a perfect drama queen out to make sure that everyone does everything her way. She is followed around by two “best friends” that really just hang around with her because everyone “loves” her when really most have just fallen victim to that of here dramatic ways. She freaks out when given a kalteen bar and pushes friend Gretchen out of the way because something didn’t go her way. Rachel McAdam’s character loves the spot light and all of the attention on her. She even in the one scene rocks a sleeveless shirt that says “A little bit dramatic”.

We expect when we graduate, to leave the drama behind us. However, in some cases,that doesn’t happen. We are perpetually stuck in an ongoing cycle of high school. The drama queens are everywhere we turn, and perhaps like I mentioned earlier there is even a slight strain of it in us. According to Webster’s dictionary, drama queens or “persons that give to often excessively emotional performances or reactions” have been around since 1979. The word drama queen is much younger than I might have guessed it to be. Thirty-four years old! Now I ponder what they used to call drama queens prior to 1979!!

Now that we have covered a brief history here are some things you can do to lower your dramatic outbursts or tendencies if you feel one sneaking up on you:

• Think to yourself “am I being rational? Is this something to get this upset about?” 9/10 chances are it is nothing to get yourself worked up about and chances are it doesn’t actually pertain to you.
• Take some time away from the situation, walk away from it. Taking a few steps back or away allows you to better assess the issue with a clearer head.
• Do you need the added stress? Life is tough, why add more fuel to a stressful life when it can all be avoided to begin with.
• Surround yourself with people who create an environment you want to be in and who fit with your personality. Keep everyone on the same level, don’t have a leader or one person who leads the pack. [i.e. Mean Girls]
• When all else fails, bite your tongue…until it hurts.

Lesson to take from this: Don’t be a drama queen. If you’re a teenager and you’re reading this and you are the drama queen break the habit; ditch it before you leave high school. If you’re already out of high school and you’re a drama queen reading this I hope you realize you are and make a quick fix. If you prefer to stay dramatic I hope your friends are alright with your ways, perhaps they themselves are dramatic… in that case; stay away.

Save the drama for your momma!