Alison Dilaurentis
Okay I have to talk about this some more, because I just can't stand it. Look, it's alright if you don't like Alison, everyone has a right to their opinions, plus Ali has done some awful things. All I'm asking is for people to step back and ask themselves why they hate Alison. Did you ever ask yourself? At first I wasn't even sure this that this is a feminist thing, because people don't hate Mona the way they hate Alison and Mona is also a girl. Then I thought about it and I thought; okay so maybe it's sort of a feminist thing after all.
Let's compare Mona and Alison for a minute. At a very young age both of these girls realized what most girls don't realize until they are in their 20's. Some don't ever realize it at all. At around 13 years old Mona and Alison not only realized that women and girls are treated unfairly and judged based on what they can do for men, they both mastered manipulating this fact as if it were a game of Mario. No matter what you do you will be valued by your sexual appeal to men (even adult men), especially if you are pretty girl, who is also a teenager. Especially in Rosewood.
Mona at that time was nerdy, so she learned it by observing it happening around her over and over and also because of her super genius brain. I'm convinced that at any time Mona could have easily been just as pretty as Alison, because she is. You can't tell me someone that smart didn't know how to use makeup and dress stylish. The girl can probably make, make up from scratch, and sew clothes out of doll hair (we've practically seen her do this). I think Mona chose to be nerdy, so she could watch Alison, so she could see exactly how Alison behaved in order to control everyone around her. Mona did this so she could eventually take over and not only play the game Alison was playing but also so she could beat Ali at her own game. She didn't want to be Ali, she wanted to outdo Ali. I'm sure being part teenager (other part, Albert Einstein-Edgar Poe) some of Mona's motivation was that she did want to be popular like Alison. I'm sure the teenage girl heart inside of her did want that, but the genius brain in her head knew that, that part of it was a fun side-effect, that also worked to her advantage.
Alison did not learn this by observation, she learned it the sad/hard way, experience. Meaning very bad experiences, starting I guess when she was a one year old and her ten year old brother tried to burn/drown her in scalding water. I'm sure she doesn't remember that part at all, but it happened. And then came her other brother's friends, who were all eight years older than her. They would come to her house and probably all of them "hit on her" aka "were gross pervs". And so partly because of what Alison's mom taught her about "always fighting fire with fire", and partly because Alison realized the best defense is a good offense, and she realized I have to control this somehow because here's the truth, Alison's 13 year old self's truth- this will happen, and it will never stop, and no one will ever stop it or help me, so I have to use this somehow to my advantage or I will end up laying in the floor of a basement a sobbing molested mess, while simultaneously being blamed for it by everyone in town (which is what eventually happened anyway)
I am thoroughly convinced this is why Alison was so obsessed with "Lolita", the girls thought Alison was trying to be Lolita, that she had a crush on an older guy and wanted to impress him. My theory is that she was trying to learn how to not be Lolita, she was trying to learn how the Humbert's think, because let's face it, all but 3 adult men in this town are Humbert. She wanted to learn how they think, so that she could control them and use their weakness (young girls) as her strength. Yes, it is very gross, but Alison saw that it was going to happen regardless so instead of being attacked by these dogs on every corner, she decided she would rather lead them all around on leashes and force them to do her bidding.
But this is why people hate Alison, she absolutely REFUSES to be the victim, she has always stood up to these men, even the one's she liked. I remember Ian called her a psycho-stalker, and maybe she was in some ways. But what makes me want to punch Ian in the head when he says this, is that he is in college when he starts messing with a 13 year old Alison. And it isn't because she seduced him, he just likes girl-children. Ian did the same exact thing to Spencer but she didn't cause him as much trouble as Alison did. What Ian wanted was to date Melissa and for Alison to be his hot little child on the side to mess with, "just killing time" is how he put it. Alison overheard him say this, and what Ian failed to realize is that Alison was (even at 13) a lot smarter than him, and a lot more conniving, but she was also a lot more fragile than he realized. When you combine a fragile girl who has as much power and streets smarts and as much courage as Alison had. Then you turn around and say she isn't special, after you made her feel special, she is going to snap and the damage will last for years. Ian ended up dead, actually. I could point out all the examples for days about how Alison was, and still is in some ways. She's the strong type, like Toby said "the type that will kiss a guy and laugh in his face." She's the type of girl almost all guys hate because they can't resist her and she knows it and she uses it. And she doesn't care if they know it or not, she wants them to know it, she rubs their face in it, because she has seen the alternative and knows what they will do to her if she isn't in charge, because they have. She enjoys showing men how she has controlled them and laughs about it right in front of them. She's amazing.
Mona on the other hand does the same exact thing, but she doesn't usually use her sex appeal to get it. She is miss sweetheart on the outside and will stab you in the back as soon as you turn around. But then when you ask Mona why she stabbed you, she won't laugh in your face like Alison does, she looks at you as innocently as possible and says "that wasn't me, you must be mistaken, I am so scared right now and innocent, I think it was that mean looking man over there" And everyone believes her. They arrest the mean looking man and give Mona an award and candy. But what you don't realize is that Mona paid the mean looking guy to stand there looking mean and he doesn't even remember why he agreed to this in the first place but Mona talked and said big words and made him think it was the best idea ever, plus money. Mona being like Alison in that she became popular and started controlling people is the most terrifying and best thing to happen on TV. Because it is just so amazing to watch. She is 10 times the person that Alison never really wanted to be, but had to, to keep from being raped and murdered daily by her whole family and neighborhood. Mona simply chose to be better than Ali at being Ali because she knew she could, and because like Alison, Mona realized to only way to beat the system is with it's own bat.
Mona just does it different, in the way that after she almost kills her best friends and she then acts remorseful, people feel sorry for her. Everyone loves her, #protectmona (which I agree because I love her) BUT...
Alison on the other hand could save their lives over and over (she did) and then make a face that makes it seem like she thinks she's better than most people (umm? she isn't? lol) and then everyone hates her.
People don't hate Alison simply because she is a strong woman, well yea they do and they would hate Mona for the exact same reason but Mona is smarter than Alison. So she tricks people into thinking she isn't what Alison is (only better and/or worse) not just because she wants people to like her because she wants friends, but because she knows people liking her will make it easier to later use them to play with them like human chess pieces because she is too much of a genius to be entertained by regular life or regular chess.
Alison has simply been playing the game trying to survive it, and occasionally flips the board over because she is scared it will never be over and that's all she truly wants is for the game to end and for people to stop treating her like the "mean girl" that ruins lives, and she wants to get a dog and gather the 3 people that trust her around her and live a peaceful life.
The look on Alison's face when someone truly isn't scared of her, and doesn't treat her as if she is the worst thing to happen to Rosewood, that look of joy and innocence, and relief when someone listens to her and trusts her, like Lorenzo did, and like Jason did when he let her run from the cops, it's so sad. Now think about all this and tell me why don't you like Alison Dilaurentis?
Let's compare Mona and Alison for a minute. At a very young age both of these girls realized what most girls don't realize until they are in their 20's. Some don't ever realize it at all. At around 13 years old Mona and Alison not only realized that women and girls are treated unfairly and judged based on what they can do for men, they both mastered manipulating this fact as if it were a game of Mario. No matter what you do you will be valued by your sexual appeal to men (even adult men), especially if you are pretty girl, who is also a teenager. Especially in Rosewood.
Mona at that time was nerdy, so she learned it by observing it happening around her over and over and also because of her super genius brain. I'm convinced that at any time Mona could have easily been just as pretty as Alison, because she is. You can't tell me someone that smart didn't know how to use makeup and dress stylish. The girl can probably make, make up from scratch, and sew clothes out of doll hair (we've practically seen her do this). I think Mona chose to be nerdy, so she could watch Alison, so she could see exactly how Alison behaved in order to control everyone around her. Mona did this so she could eventually take over and not only play the game Alison was playing but also so she could beat Ali at her own game. She didn't want to be Ali, she wanted to outdo Ali. I'm sure being part teenager (other part, Albert Einstein-Edgar Poe) some of Mona's motivation was that she did want to be popular like Alison. I'm sure the teenage girl heart inside of her did want that, but the genius brain in her head knew that, that part of it was a fun side-effect, that also worked to her advantage.
Alison did not learn this by observation, she learned it the sad/hard way, experience. Meaning very bad experiences, starting I guess when she was a one year old and her ten year old brother tried to burn/drown her in scalding water. I'm sure she doesn't remember that part at all, but it happened. And then came her other brother's friends, who were all eight years older than her. They would come to her house and probably all of them "hit on her" aka "were gross pervs". And so partly because of what Alison's mom taught her about "always fighting fire with fire", and partly because Alison realized the best defense is a good offense, and she realized I have to control this somehow because here's the truth, Alison's 13 year old self's truth- this will happen, and it will never stop, and no one will ever stop it or help me, so I have to use this somehow to my advantage or I will end up laying in the floor of a basement a sobbing molested mess, while simultaneously being blamed for it by everyone in town (which is what eventually happened anyway)
I am thoroughly convinced this is why Alison was so obsessed with "Lolita", the girls thought Alison was trying to be Lolita, that she had a crush on an older guy and wanted to impress him. My theory is that she was trying to learn how to not be Lolita, she was trying to learn how the Humbert's think, because let's face it, all but 3 adult men in this town are Humbert. She wanted to learn how they think, so that she could control them and use their weakness (young girls) as her strength. Yes, it is very gross, but Alison saw that it was going to happen regardless so instead of being attacked by these dogs on every corner, she decided she would rather lead them all around on leashes and force them to do her bidding.
But this is why people hate Alison, she absolutely REFUSES to be the victim, she has always stood up to these men, even the one's she liked. I remember Ian called her a psycho-stalker, and maybe she was in some ways. But what makes me want to punch Ian in the head when he says this, is that he is in college when he starts messing with a 13 year old Alison. And it isn't because she seduced him, he just likes girl-children. Ian did the same exact thing to Spencer but she didn't cause him as much trouble as Alison did. What Ian wanted was to date Melissa and for Alison to be his hot little child on the side to mess with, "just killing time" is how he put it. Alison overheard him say this, and what Ian failed to realize is that Alison was (even at 13) a lot smarter than him, and a lot more conniving, but she was also a lot more fragile than he realized. When you combine a fragile girl who has as much power and streets smarts and as much courage as Alison had. Then you turn around and say she isn't special, after you made her feel special, she is going to snap and the damage will last for years. Ian ended up dead, actually. I could point out all the examples for days about how Alison was, and still is in some ways. She's the strong type, like Toby said "the type that will kiss a guy and laugh in his face." She's the type of girl almost all guys hate because they can't resist her and she knows it and she uses it. And she doesn't care if they know it or not, she wants them to know it, she rubs their face in it, because she has seen the alternative and knows what they will do to her if she isn't in charge, because they have. She enjoys showing men how she has controlled them and laughs about it right in front of them. She's amazing.
Mona on the other hand does the same exact thing, but she doesn't usually use her sex appeal to get it. She is miss sweetheart on the outside and will stab you in the back as soon as you turn around. But then when you ask Mona why she stabbed you, she won't laugh in your face like Alison does, she looks at you as innocently as possible and says "that wasn't me, you must be mistaken, I am so scared right now and innocent, I think it was that mean looking man over there" And everyone believes her. They arrest the mean looking man and give Mona an award and candy. But what you don't realize is that Mona paid the mean looking guy to stand there looking mean and he doesn't even remember why he agreed to this in the first place but Mona talked and said big words and made him think it was the best idea ever, plus money. Mona being like Alison in that she became popular and started controlling people is the most terrifying and best thing to happen on TV. Because it is just so amazing to watch. She is 10 times the person that Alison never really wanted to be, but had to, to keep from being raped and murdered daily by her whole family and neighborhood. Mona simply chose to be better than Ali at being Ali because she knew she could, and because like Alison, Mona realized to only way to beat the system is with it's own bat.
Mona just does it different, in the way that after she almost kills her best friends and she then acts remorseful, people feel sorry for her. Everyone loves her, #protectmona (which I agree because I love her) BUT...
Alison on the other hand could save their lives over and over (she did) and then make a face that makes it seem like she thinks she's better than most people (umm? she isn't? lol) and then everyone hates her.
People don't hate Alison simply because she is a strong woman, well yea they do and they would hate Mona for the exact same reason but Mona is smarter than Alison. So she tricks people into thinking she isn't what Alison is (only better and/or worse) not just because she wants people to like her because she wants friends, but because she knows people liking her will make it easier to later use them to play with them like human chess pieces because she is too much of a genius to be entertained by regular life or regular chess.
Alison has simply been playing the game trying to survive it, and occasionally flips the board over because she is scared it will never be over and that's all she truly wants is for the game to end and for people to stop treating her like the "mean girl" that ruins lives, and she wants to get a dog and gather the 3 people that trust her around her and live a peaceful life.
The look on Alison's face when someone truly isn't scared of her, and doesn't treat her as if she is the worst thing to happen to Rosewood, that look of joy and innocence, and relief when someone listens to her and trusts her, like Lorenzo did, and like Jason did when he let her run from the cops, it's so sad. Now think about all this and tell me why don't you like Alison Dilaurentis?
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