22 TV And Film Characters That You Said Were Relatable AFSkip To ContentHomepageSign InSearch BuzzFeedSearch BuzzFeedlol Badge Feedwin Badge Feedtrending Badge FeedCalifornia residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data.Do Not Sell My Personal Information 2022 BuzzFeed, Inc PressRSSPrivacyConsent PreferencesUser TermsAd ChoicesHelpContactSitemapPosted on 7 Jul 2019 22 TV And Film Characters That You Said Were Relatable AF Put your hands up for representation! by Sam ClealBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestTwitterMailLink To celebrate authentic representation and storytelling on screen we asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which character in film or television they could closely identify with and why Here are some of their excellent suggestions 1 Rainbow Johnson Tracee Ellis Ross from Black-ish Bob D'Amico / Via Getty Images "While I may not be a middle-aged mother, I think the show in general did a great job of creating a character who comes from a mixed heritage. Even though it's a lighthearted comedy, Bow's character really showed the many facets of coming from two cultures in lots of different ways." —hanifahrahman 2 Tara Maclay Amber Benson from Buffy the Vampire Slayer Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Mutant Enemy Productions / Via giphy.com "Bad things happened to her when she was a kid and she's still traumatised when we first see her. Then she slowly recovers in a believable way. She's kind and sensitive, yet she's never portrayed as weak, which is great. She was different (a witch) and it was okay. She was also one of the first LGBT characters I saw on TV, which was heartwarming as I was a teen who struggled with her identity." —silencesilence 3 Charlie Kelmeckis Logan Lerman from Perks of Being a Wallflower Mr. Mudd / Via lasvegasweekly.com "I hadn't really felt much personal representation until I watched that movie, and I haven't experienced anything like it since. Still one of my favourite movies and characters of all time." —cosmohernandez 4 Fleabag Phoebe Waller-Bridge from Fleabag BBC / Via sartorialgeek.com "This character hit so close to home that the thought of watching the show with other people made me feel naked and exposed. I was worried they’d link the character to me! She’s so afraid of forming emotional connections that she uses her wit and sexuality to completely sideline any kind of emotional relationship. A line from the last episode of season 2 always gets me: ‘I think you know how to love better than any of us, that’s why you find it all so painful." —bethb4756baf2f 5 Mabel Pines Kristen Schaal from Gravity Falls Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Disney / Via giphy.com "She's a strong girl whose weirdness I can really relate to. Her colourful personalities and kooky styles are very me, too. She taught me that it's fine to admit I'm not perfect, and it's okay to embrace my weirder side." —lizzyphalange "It was as if someone animated the things I like about myself, and put a delightful twist on the things I didn't. She's silly and weird but with a big, caring heart that gets her into trouble." —clairew469e28fce 6 Mindy Lahiri Mindy Kaling from The Mindy Project Fox / Via tumblr.com "I’ve loved Mindy Kaling ever since she was part of The Office, but when she came out with her own show The Mindy Project, it was the first time I really connected with a character. It was refreshing to see a lead character in a sitcom played by an Indian woman, and it was even more refreshing that her character wasn’t based on stereotypes or just there to look pretty. Mindy is funny and smart and loves wine and sex – it was amazing to see an Indian woman normalise this!" –remeepatel 7 C J Cregg Allison Janney from The West Wing Warner Bros. Television / Via news.avclub.com "The West Wing did a pretty bad job of diversity at first. All but about three characters were Ivy-educated white men, but C.J. was there from the start. The show does a fantastic job of showing how she deals with sexism and her growth from a press secretary to the White House Chief of Staff is absolutely fantastic. Plus, her relationship with Danny is never framed as if she needs him; she actually makes it clear that she is fine on her own and he is a complement to her life." —olliemariej 8 Annie Easton Aidy Bryant from Shrill Broadway Video / Via tvinsider.com "It's nice to see a plus-size woman whose main storyline isn't her trying to lose weight. She looks great and just has a normal life. The show also highlights things that plus-size girls experience, like random strangers trying to "help you" by suggesting you lose weight. I cried the first time she had a sex scene because she didn't look as gross or weird as I imagined I look when I have sex. That made me feel better about myself and helped me feel less insecure." —n48656c421 9 Miguel Anthony Gonzalez from Coco Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Disney Pixar / Via tumblr.com "Even though I'm not Mexican, I identify with Miguel and his family in Coco. It's not often that you see a Latinx character who isn't a cheesy stereotype! I love how Pixar emphasised the importance of family and tradition to Hispanic culture. When it came to the jokes and the language, I found them to be so accurate to my experience of my Cuban/Puerto Rican family. Coco was a good change of pace and made me feel optimistic about seeing more Hispanic representation in the future!" —kayleeace318 10 Jessica Jones Krysten Ritter from Jessica Jones Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Marvel / Via gifer.com "This is the first time I saw PTSD from an abusive relationship portrayed accurately on screen. I understood absolutely everything she did and why she did it. I understood how she could so fiercely – yet compassionately – tell someone else that it was NOT their fault, but still feel at fault herself. I got why she kept an emotional distance from everyone. I appreciated ALL of her erratic, seemingly contradictory behaviour and feelings, because it was exactly how I had felt for so long." —brokentryst 11 Rebecca Bunch Rachel Bloom from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend The CW / Via buzzfeed.com "I'm a theatre nerd with bipolar disorder. I got my diagnosis just as I started watching this show and I fell in love! I've never related to a character as hard as I have to her." —danabethh 12 Stitch Chris Sanders from Lilo & Stitch Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Disney / Via giphy.com "Family isn’t always blood – it’s often who you share your life with, and you love and care for. Also, just like Stitch, I don’t fit in and I'm often misunderstood." —pilara2 13 Jane Villanueva Gina Rodriguez from Jane The Virgin The CW / Via americamagazine.org "Never have I related to someone so much. It was amazing to see a female Latina virgin on screen! She taught me the importance of staying true to my values, dreams and beliefs. Coming from a similar religious background, the whole pure flower situation really spoke to me and the way the writers handled it touched me. Thank you Gina!" —theavocadolover "It's nice to see people of faith not being portrayed as bigoted, homophobic, neurotic, holier-than-thou, mean girls and Bible thumpers. They're just normal people and Jane The Virgin does a great job of showing simple ways in which faith is important in Jane's life, especially when she faces difficult situations." —n48656c421 14 Merida Kelly Macdonald from Brave Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Disney / Via giphy.com "She's the oldest child, as am I, and she feels like her siblings get away with everything, as did I. When the movie came out I was going through my angsty phase and I was having a really hard time connecting with my mom. Not only did I see my struggles with my mom on screen, it also showed that we could be close. Now she's my best friend in the entire world! Merida is also a strong and independent woman, which is the kind of person that my mom encouraged me to be." —delaneyd46456a22a 15 Sloan Sabbith Olivia Munn from The Newsroom Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF HBO / Via giphy.com "She’s young and inexperienced, and yet fiercely intelligent and independent. Coming from a working-class immigrant background she doesn’t have any family who can mentor her career, but she still succeeds as a highly-qualified newsreader and analyst. I really see a lot of Asian women in Sloan. Many of us come from families that push for academic and career success. We achieve a level of social mobility, but in the workplace and the wider world we face a lot that schools and qualifications cannot prepare us for." –evelynliu 16 Jake Jason Sudeikis from Sleeping With Other People Gloria Sanchez Productions / Via npr.org "I have never felt more seen by a character trying to change his life, struggling with the idea of love, leaving a wake of destruction, trying to resolve his damage, and finally choosing to change his worst habits and forcing himself to become a better man. That movie is wildly like my life and I feel attacked every time I watch it." —sarahs4b6b11299 17 Nancy Carter Maddy Hill from Eastenders Jack Barnes / BBC/Jack Barnes / Via whatsontv.co.uk "So often, tomboys are portrayed as girls who want to fight or are always rule-breaking. It was nice to see a tomboy who dressed in boys clothing and was just a normal person getting on with life, not someone who was always in trouble." —k48303d118 18 Lane Kim Keiko Agena from Gilmore Girls Warner Bros. / Via society19.com "I literally used to hide CDs under my bed and in my closet because my parents were very religious and strict and I never would've been allowed to listen to anything that wasn't gospel music. I always felt like nobody else's parents were as crazy strict as mine, so it was kind of cool to see a character like her going through some of the same things I was going through." —samantham46531ff01 19 Princess Anna Kristen Bell from Frozen Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Disney / Via findsomethingtofightfor.tumblr.com "My relationship with my sister has been rocky at times and I understand what it’s like to try really hard to impress a sibling and try to do the right thing, but fall short every time." —ps123hdb 20 Elena Maria Alvarez Riera Calderón Leyte-Vidal Inclán Isabella Gomez from One Day at a Time Act III Communications / Via br.pinterest.com "She is a strong independent gay Latina and I see myself in her. The show did such a good job on her coming out experience, especially depicting the conflict that more religious characters like her grandma dealt with. Plus her grandma reminds me so much of mine!" —idk13gl 21 Jane Sloan Katie Stevens from The Bold Type Freeform / Via newrepublic.com "Like Jane, I grew up close to Columbine and knew people who were directly involved in the massacre. I’ve never been able to put it into words before but that incident, as well as the Aurora Theater shooting and now the STEM school, drastically altered my view of guns. The Betsy episode of The Bold Type made me cry because for the first time I felt like someone understood why I have this complicated relationship with guns and I’m forever thankful for Jane for that." —campbells4dbe23c87 22 Rapunzel Mandy Moore from Tangled Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Disney / Via giphy.com "Her experience with her mother so accurately mirrors my own. In the beginning, Gothel is not outright violent like my mother could be, but everything out of her mouth is some kind of thinly-veiled criticism. Gothel's song "Mother Knows Best" is a prime example of the way in which my mother implanted deep fears and insecurities within me, while making herself simultaneously a martyr and my saviour. When Rapunzel finally leaves the tower and goes back and forth between enjoying herself and beating herself up, it brilliantly captures the emotional extremes that accompany the complex decision to leave an abusive parent behind." —jesscanteven Note: Some entries were edited for length and/or clarity. Want to be featured in similar BuzzFeed posts Make sure to follow the BuzzFeed Community on Facebook and Twitter Share This ArticleFacebook PinterestTwitterMailLink TV and MoviesGet all the best moments in pop culture & entertainment delivered to your inbox.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.