YMMV / Welcome to the Dollhouse

• Alternative Character Interpretation: Dawn. She's either a straight up woobie, a Jerkass Woobie or even suffering from a lot of Deus Angst Machina. It helps that the film suffers a lot from Too Bleak, Stopped Caring.
• Designated Hero: If Dawn made more of an effort to actually improve her life, this would be a different film entirely. Though it seems like it was already too late by the beginning of the film.
• Jerkass Woobie:
  • Again, Dawn herself. This is according to cynical interpretations and point of view.
  • Brandon also comes across as a jerkass woobie as the film goes on.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Throughout the film, Dawn is taunted with being a lesbian. Years later, Heather Matarazzo (who played Dawn) came out as a lesbian. Even better. In interviews, she points out she didn't know what "lesbo" meant, so she asked someone on the set. That is when she figured out she was a lesbian.
• Hollywood Homely: If not for her demeanor, Dawn could pass as pretty cute in an adorkable way.
• Misaimed Fandom: Brandon has some female fans.
• Values Dissonance: Dawn being bullied for allegedly being a lesbian. Not only would this be considered hate speech today (which is typically a big no-no at schools), but most junior-highschool kids today would probably react to the knowledge that a girl was a lesbian with a "yeah, so?"

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