I love shows that promote both the positives and the negatives of being in a group that would be considered 'outcasts' or 'weirdos. I adore Stranger Things, and I also love its popularity because not only does it represent outcasts but it also shows how even popular people or 'normal' people can feel like outcasts. It shows that even if you were once popular or are normal, but still don't feel like you belong, you can still be weird, happy, and fun. It reaches out to all audiences showing them that you don't have to be normal to be accepted. You can be yourself or even discover a new version of yourself that will make you proud and happier in life. Im mostly saying this as my own reading of why Steve is so popular, because yes, Stranger Things has reached such a wide audience that now people who are considered not outcasts are fans of it and people who have or would have bullied outcasts are a fan of it too. And that's why Steve's such a fan favourite. Because yes, he's probably one of the most 'normal' people of the cast, but he's also representative of a 'normal' person who didn't enjoy being normal, who didn't enjoy having to conform to all these standards and rules that are arguably built for them, their stereotype. because they didn't ask for this stereotype. They found that they're happier being weird and even happier being considered an outcast by others if it means they get to hang out with the people that make them feel proud and happy. Steve speaks to the people who were scared to be weird, who were scared of being ostracised, who are the definition of a stereotype that benefits from everything, yet they're still miserable because they're not proud of that stereotype nor who it has made them be. Steve is a representative of change and how changing to someone who is an outcast and considered weird to others can make someone so proud of themselves and happier in their life. ... But also yeah some fans do just like him because he's one of the most normal nd conventionally attractive and they completely missed the point of the show lmao.
















