“What Have You Done Today to Make You Feel Proud?”

The life lessons found in Miranda

The titular character from the BBC sitcom Miranda is everything we strive not to be: clumsy, immature, hopeless with romance, and a regular purchaser of specialist clothing (cough cough, ‘Big and Long’). To put it bluntly, Miranda is a bit weird, isn’t she?

But we all harbour a bit of Miranda in us. Boasting a catalogue of untimely caterwauling, falls, and failed romantic encounters: any embarrassing moment you’ve had, Miranda’s probably done it already. Though I consider myself to be more of a Stevie — Miranda’s pushy and slightly psychotic best friend — I’m guilty of many Miranda-isms from time to time. But if the sitcom has taught me anything, it is that you should embrace embarrassing moments. Every time my friend and I do something clumsy or unfortunate, we say: “what a Miranda moment!” Truly, Miranda is a character we can consult in times of need: the ultimate life-coach. 

Throughout the series, Miranda is consistently labelled as unattractive — namely freakishly tall and overweight. In the eyes of her pushy mother Penny, she is a failure not simply because she owns a joke shop in Surrey, but because she gradually moves closer to spinsterdom, surrounded by cats Larry, Barry, Carrie, Harry, Glengarry, and Sheila. Miranda’s physical qualities are the antithesis of the ideal bride. Yet Miranda, amidst undeserving vitriol, embraces her appearance, declaring in season three: “we have something called flesh, because we eat something called cake.” Miranda’s comfort with her body amidst everyone’s disapproval bears the message that, while people may judge you for your eating habits and appearance, your own contentment is paramount. 

Penny’s incessant methods to find a husband for her daughter — ranging from a placard stating ‘bridal sale’ pointed at daughter to keeping-it-in-the-family — place Miranda on an ill-fated pedestal; or rather a plinth in which she is treated like a zoo exhibit. Her failed romantic encounters plunge her deeper into maternal disappointment. Miranda’s tumultuous on-off relationship with chef friend Gary, which, for most of the sitcom, rarely reaches more than a peck, is certainly painstaking but teaches viewers that, while people like Gary can overwhelm us, loving oneself comes first. The pair’s eventual marriage in the sitcom’s finale follows Miranda’s realisation that her own pursuits in life are equally important. Whilst Miranda’s attempts to find love are at the centre of the show, it is not at the expense of her independence and self-fulfilment. 

Such methods of self-fulfillment are certainly unconventional: fruit-friends, upside down shower heads, jelly in a blender, snack fishing, and games of ‘Where’s Miranda?’ with Stevie are perhaps not what we get up to in our spare time, or in the aisles of M&S. Nevertheless, they are Miranda’s ways of fun, and the show is anchored by her individuality and unwavering desire to indulge in childlike, humorous activities. Miranda is the personification of not taking yourself too seriously, which is perhaps a pressing issue in this university town. Amidst discussions of recession in the library foyer, I have no doubts that Miranda would flash or giggle at the word ‘thrust’ in order to lighten the mood. 

But the heartiest message I find in Miranda is ‘who cares?’ Most of the show’s secondary characters are so concerned with how people perceive them, whilst Miranda embodies an ‘oh well’ attitude — particularly to embarrassing moments. In essence, people can think whatever they like, but most importantly: was it funny? Whilst I can’t remember a time when I’ve accidentally displayed my pants in a nightclub, there've been many incidents where I should’ve adopted a Miranda attitude and soldiered on.

So, eat cake, sing, dance, slap googly eyes on a butternut squash, do whatever you like. Do whatever you fancy, so long as you’re happy. And as you reach the end of the semester — and for some, your university career — if you can be more like Miranda going forward, well that’s just ‘Sue Perb’. 

Such fun!

Illustration by Maya Mason