Like #83: Bad Memories of High School

Quote Lander:
"Virtually every white person you meet was a nerd in a high school-it is how they were able to get into a good arts program and law school. As such, their memories of high school are painful, but not tragic since they were able to eventually find success in the real world. Exploiting this information is your one way to ticket into the heart of a white person."

Fans of Deschanel will remember one particular role that resonates with bad memories of high school: her role as Nora in "The New Guy." According to IMDB, the film is about "A high school senior branded uncool in the ninth grade gets himself expelled so he can change his image to cool kid at the town's other high school." Nora is a misfit, nerdy highschooler, who is friends with the main character before he becomes popular. Playing in a band and hanging out with outsiders, Deschanel's character is shown as a typical nerdy teenager that, Lander believes, white people can all connect with based on their mutual painful experiences of high school.

Outside of this character, Zooey is often presented as a geeky or intellectual character that one can imagine being a nerd in high school. And her star image, in general, can be tied to this idea. When interviewed, Zooey has stated, "I was a kid when I started, and people really didn't know what to do with me at all," she says. "People were like, 'Uh, you're not a cheerleader, but you're not a goth.' Basically you need to convince a few people they should change their idea of what the part should be for you, which is hard." In addition, she has stated "I was labeled a 'theatre type' in high school, which made it hard to fit in and feel part of things." Because of this, white upper middle class people can connect with her on an emotional level, believing that even though they did not fit in while in high school, they are successful now, just as Deschanel is (Quotes from here).