History Main / BeYourself

* {{Deconstructed|Trope}} in ''Series/TheBoys2019'' by Stormfront in Season 2 and Homelander is Season 3. Both are characters who are forced to act in a specific manner by [[MegaCorp Vought]] to fit marketing views, and heavily desire to express their true selves. The problem is that Stormfront is an alt-right figure [[spoiler:who is later revealed to be a ''literal'' Nazi who stopped aging due to Compound V]] while Homelander is a raging SuperSupremacist with a [[AGodAmI god complex]] and a PsychopathicManchild besides. Both of them being themselves is inherently detrimental toward anyone who they don't like, as for them, "peope I don't like" equates to "ones who do not deserve to live".

* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'': [[spoiler:Listen Simon, never forget. Just believe in yourself. Not in the Simon that I believe in; not in the Kamina that you believe in... Have faith in the Simon who believes in you...]]

* Invoked in ''Film/Cherry2000'', wherein the hip, New Age Californian villain orders his henchmen to spread out and be themselves!

* One of the songs in ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'', "Stick to the Status Quo", features ''three'' people who move out of their group's normal behaviour (a geek who likes hip-hop dancing, a stoner who plays the cello, a basketball jock who bakes) and their friends exhort them ''repeatedly'' to "Stick to the stuff you know; stick to the [[LampshadeHanging status quo]]".

* Deconstructed pretty harshly in ''LightNovel/FateZero''. Gilgamesh gives this advice to Kotomine- except that Kotomine's natural inclination is [[EvilFeelsGood to take pleasure from suffering]], and [[EvilMentor Gilgamesh knows it]].

If this trope is played well, it can carry the message that you can be worthy of love and acceptance without sacrificing the things that make you who you are and to value your unique traits rather than hide them to fit in. But if done poorly or too often, [[UnfortunateImplications the message can imply]] that ''any'' kind of personal growth and self improvement are bad and [[StatusQuoIsGod you must never try a new look, pick up new interests, or make new friends]]. Or, worse, that you should be a {{Jerkass}} rather than [[TookALevelInKindness work to become a better person]]. Bonus points if a SubcultureOfTheWeek is featured to try to sway our hero to their side.

** In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'', this is key to understanding the Dragon Scroll's message, which contains the power to make whoever reads it one of the greatest kung fu masters in existence. [[spoiler: It's a blank scroll that shows nothing but the reflection of the reader's face.]] Or rather, the true secret of the Dragon Scroll is that [[spoiler: [[ArcWords there is no secret ingredient.]] The most important factor in your success is you and your desire/determination to improve yourself.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' Hiccup is told a few times that he just needs to change, but eventually becomes respected for his own abilities. The quotation below becomes a set of ArcWords.

* Iris from ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' starts off being this pompous, haughty jerk towards Ash by trying to assert her supposed "[[HypocriticalHumor maturity]]" towards Ash by teasing him about the petty mistakes he makes. She eventually learns to be herself by embracing and learning from her childish mistakes (she even calls herself a kid a few times), respecting Ash a lot more as a trainer, and becoming a lot kinder to not only him but others as well.

* The main theme of "Life's Too Short" by Music/{{Aespa}}

-->'xI'm doing me regardless//
And I don't care what you say about it//
And it don't matter if you like it or not//

If this trope is played well, it can carry the message that you can be worthy of love and acceptance without sacrificing the things that make you who you are and to value your unique traits rather than hide them to fit in. But if done poorly or too often, [[UnfortunateImplications the message can imply]] that ''any'' kind of personal growth and self improvement are bad and [[StatusQuoIsGod you must never try a new look, pick up new interests, or make new friends]]. Or, worse, that it's ok to be a {{Jerkass}} instead of [[TookALevelInKindness working to become a better person]]. Bonus points if a SubcultureOfTheWeek is featured to try to sway our hero to their side.

* ''Series/TheBoys2019'': Stormfront is perhaps a [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction]] of the trope. She's self-confident and honest with her beliefs and opinions, won't let anyone tell her what to do, and has fully accepted and embraced herself and her desire to see the light in people's eyes go out when she kills them--particularly people of color.

* In [[http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/17891421 this Heinz commercial]] this woman's being herself through her crude table manners.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', Jin encourages Mei to accept what Ming rejected, as a part of her.

Be Yourself is a popular trope, especially in shows aimed at children. One character tries to persuade another character to change their image and not be a loser, geek, etc. After the change goes amiss, FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome almost always ensues, and AnAesop is delivered about how it is better to be true to one's own nature rather than putting on a facade to impress others. Usually, that means being [[TwoDecadesBehind behind the times]], [[BeautyIsBad unfashionable]], [[GeekPhysiques out of shape]], [[KeepingTheHandicap handicapped]], [[FatSlob overweight]], [[ThisLoserIsYou uncool]], a [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption complete and utter failure]], [[NoSocialSkills socially inept]] and that especially means [[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=That%20Guy being "that guy"]]. Being yourself also requires someone to [[ICouldaBeenAContender live below his or her full potential]]. It's one of the most frequently [[BrokenAesop broken Aesops]], tying in to the StatusQuoIsGod mindset.

If this trope is played well, it can carry the message that you can be worthy of love and acceptance without sacrificing the things that make you who you are and to value your unique traits rather than hide them to fit in. But if done poorly or too often, [[UnfortunateImplications the message can imply]] that ''any'' kind of personal growth is bad and [[StatusQuoIsGod you must never try a new look, pick up new interests, or make new friends]]. Or, worse, that it's ok to be a {{Jerkass}} instead of [[TookALevelInKindness working to become a better person]]. Bonus points if a SubcultureOfTheWeek is featured to try to sway our hero to their side.

* A major theme in many early ''Manga/AstroBoy'' stories is Astro learning to deal with being different from his human friends (he's much smarter than the average human but he's incapable of understanding art and music and [[FeelNoPain can't feel pain or fear]]) and overcoming PinocchioSyndrome. In one story he gets an upgrade that lets him experience more emotions but the villains of the week take advantage of his new sense of fear. In the end, Astro decides it's better to be the best robot he can be instead of trying to be something he's not.

->''"I praise [[{{God}} you]], for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them."''

* Almost every movie from the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon post-Renaissance features this (ironically, along with very self-assured villains, and the dissonance is pretty much never addressed InUniverse):
** ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'' is a bit of an UnbuiltTrope, since Ariel being herself means she literally can't be with the man of her dreams, but her DealWithTheDevil to live on land robs her of her voice, the only means by which she could have told Eric who she was.

* Inverted in the reality show ''Series/BeautyAndTheGeek'' with an entire series being about men (and women) having to act in specifically uncharacteristic ways to ''get'' their smart or attractive partner.

* Addressed in ''Series/{{Frasier}}''. When Frasier is mocked and pranked repeatedly on-air by some shock jocks at his station, he compares it to the bullying he and his brother faced as kids. Martin is totally unsympathetic to both instances, pointing out that the reason he and Niles were picked on, both then and now, is that their high-class, stuffed shirt personalities made them easy targets, and the only way for it to stop would be to act more middle-class. Frasier realizes toward the end of the episode that while that he may get picked on for being different, the only real way for a bully to win would be for him to change who you are.

* Turns up as a lesson for a student teacher in ''Series/WelcomeBackKotter''. First she tried Mr. Kotter's personality, but her jokes fell flat. Next she tried ByTheBookCop, literally consulting her textbook every few minutes to figure out what to do next. This ended up pissing Epstein off, and she ran crying from the room. Kotter counseled her to be herself, and of course that worked.

* Music/{{Black Veil Brides}}: Their music pretty much exists to say this.

** While they never outright say it, ''VideoGame/Persona5'' inverts this with its main story. The villains have, in Persona 4 terms, accepted their true selves and yet are unrepentant in being evil. When you see their Shadow selves, they're basically the same exact character, with the only difference being in that they don't bother putting on a public persona to appear fit for society.

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'': In the endgame battle between Kira Yamato and Rey Za Burrel, the latter tries to get into Kira's head [[spoiler:by pretending to be Rau Le Crueset]], the previous season's BigBad and both are clones of Al Da Flaga. Ultimately, Kira bluntly tells Rey that he is his own person rather than living the on identity of someone he is not. This ultimately compels Rey to betray [[spoiler:and shoot]] Gilbert during his standoff with Kira.