Dreams and Aspirations of Bliss
Bliss is curious about joining the roller derby team while in Austin, TX for the derby event, but her friend, Pass, is doubtful about her actually trying out for the team. Pass brings up several factors about why Bliss wouldn’t try out Including her not having the guts to try out, her not being as tough as the other roller derby girls, and the fact that her mother would disapprove of It. Plus, although Pass TLD exactly mention It, Bliss wasn’t the appropriate age to Join the team. She had to be 21 to join the team and she was only 17.
I felt like Pass was bringing up all of Bliss’ flaws not to put her down, but to make her want to prove her wrong and go for it. As the movie explores the relationship between Bliss and her mother, I feel like nobody’s really happy with each other’s decisions. Bliss wants to find direction in her life and follow her heart’s desire while her mother aspires for her to be a beauty queen like she once was as a teen. Even though they both don’t really see eye to eye about their differences, Bliss goes along with her mom’s wishes o please her, so in a sense, I suppose her mother is happier in the situation.
The things that they have In common are their love for each other even if it’s not shown too often throughout the film, and their passion for what they love to do In life: Bliss’ roller derby racing and her mother’s beauty pageants. How Bliss and her mother view each other Is pretty similar. Her mother sees beauty and Intelligence wealth Bliss, and feels that both can surface by competing in the beauty pageants. Bliss also sees the beauty in her mother, although her mom feels like this has faded away wrought the years.
Bliss’ mother sees herself as a former beauty queen who has aged and often reflects on the days when she was younger. Bliss sees herself as a girl who just isn’t the beauty pageant type, but has other special qualities about her that may not set well with her mother. I view Bliss as a girl who knows that there’s courage and strength within her and strives to bring them out. From the very beginning of the movie, I felt that she knew there was a certain path she was supposed to be following but was uncertain of what It was.
From her dyeing her hair blue and becoming Interested In roller derby at the head shop that day, I think she knew that she was different and was destined to be a free spirit. I view her mother as someone who honestly just wants the best for her daughters, but can be too overprotective of them and unreceptive to what they truly want out of life. She’s definitely strong and stands firm in her beliefs, it even showed in her facial expressions that she was a woman of dignity. I got the feeling that she knew how tough life can be and she didn’t want her daughters going through any mind of pain if she could help it.
I could see her reasons for wanting to protect Bliss from the world, but I feel that she shouldn’t have pushed her beauty pageant dreams onto Bliss. With Bliss’ participation in roller derby racing, I feel like it liberated her and helped her confront her mother about what she really wants to do with her life. I also feel that she gave her father a sense of pride which we can see by him putting her Jersey number In the yard at the end of the movie. We could see how her decision affected her family as a whole.
What roller derby almost costs her was her almost consumed by her newfound life of roller derby, and she had to really face the good and bad that came with it. Vive experienced this as well with some of my leisurely choices. Vive learned that no matter what you’re passionate about, there’s always an upside and downside waiting for you Just down the road. The key to not letting the downsides knock you off your axis is to stay focused and to never let friends and family fall to the wayside while pursuing that passion.
