You know how sometimes you're having a bad day, and you log into whatever social media time-waster you're using as a procrastination tool, and it seems like everyone else's life is way better than yours? Yeah, that's a lie. Take the Sykes family, for example: On the outside, they look rich and beautiful and happy, but behind the scenes, they're replacing the carpet to get rid of the bloodstains from Conner's suicide attempt. Perfect is all about how deceiving looks can be, and how easy it is to lose your real self beneath the façade.
Questions About Appearances
- Do you think most teenagers pretend to be someone other than who they are? Can you be popular if you're authentic?
- Does Conner's mom really think he'll be happier if he does what she expects, or is she simply unwilling to nurture—or even acknowledge—his true self?
- Will coming out as gay help Cara become more self-actualized in other ways? How else does she need to get to know herself?
Chew on This
The parents in Perfect don't model authenticity for their kids. It's hard to know who you are when the adults in your life don't know who they are.
There's a lot of mention of clothing in Perfect. Andre's mom, for example, wants him to be "a fashion trendsetter." Our clothes are one of the main ways we project the image of who we want to be. To quote RuPaul, "You're born naked and the rest is drag."