Wicked for Mental Health

Wicked and Wicked for Good has been one of the most hyped movies to come out in the longest time. As someone who’s never seen the Broadway play, I came into both Wicked parts completely blind (or at least I tried to … thanks TikTok spoilers). After watching them, its not lost on me the big mental health themes that are packed into this story ….  themes that defy gravity (lol). These aren’t just random story plots, but struggles that we all face throughout our life: staying true to who we are, standing by what we believe in and ultimately choosing ourselves.

In this blog, I want to break down the themes that fly higher than a flying monkey to really show how the characters of Wicked are not just people in the story of Oz, but REAL struggles that everyone faces. So join me down the yellow brick road to break it all down.

1. Sometimes Our Efforts Go Unnoticed and Unappreciated

Elphaba spends her life carrying the burden that she is to blame for her mother’s passing and her sister’s paralysis which leads her to hide her talents for the better benefit of others. She spends most of the movie standing up for others (initially her sister and then the animals) because to her, she is willing to put herself on the line for their benefit. Unfortunately for her, her good deeds often go unnoticed and unappreciated.

Nessarose feels burdened by her sister and only chooses to associate with Elphaba when it suited her. Their relationship, for Nessarose, was simply transactional. No depth or care. Nessarose had no issue to place the blame on Elphaba for all of her wrongdoings as that has been Elphaba’s burden to carry since Nessa was born.

The animals (well the ones not caged) choose to leave Oz versus staying to help her fight for THEIR rights. Instead of recognizing Elphaba for her efforts, seeing how she fought hard for them, put her life on the line for them, they chose to instead take the word of the Cowardly Lion over what they could see with their own eyes.

I am sure this all sounds familiar to many of you. Holding the emotional labor of your relationships together, thinking that your efforts will one day change how they view you and hopefully change how they treat you. Problem is, your efforts will continue to go unnoticed and unappreciated, because why would those around you want to change when they benefit?

That’s not to say that your effort is wrong and that you should be anything but yourself. What I am saying is, you need to find the people that ARE going to notice you. The ones that ARE going to appreciate you.

Because your continued efforts to the WRONG audience ultimately comes at a cost. A cost on your emotional, mental and sometimes physical well-being.

2. While We All Want to be Unlimited … We All have Limits

We can’t always hold it together. Even Glinda can’t always protect her image.

We can’t do it all.

We can’t please everyone.

Whether you struggle being a Elphaba (the fixer), a Glinda (the people pleaser), a Fiyero (the avoider) or Nessa (the controller) … lets be real some people are a combo of a few characters … we all have limits. Because life isn’t a solitary or controlled experience. We have relationships that make life complicated, responsibilities that make life hard, and burdens that create struggles.

That realization sucks but it also allows us to grow.

We don’t have to take these limitations as an acceptance of failure, but rather figure out how to create life that defies gravity with those limitations.

You don’t need to carry the burden of Oz on your back.

You don’t need to put your life in a bubble waiting for it to pop.

Allow yourself to rest. Allow yourself to choose you. Create life that works with creating boundaries that protect your well-being.

3. Choosing Yourself Does Not Make You a Wicked Witch

One of the most powerful performances of Wicked is obviously Defying Gravity. It speaks to Elphaba’s realization that she doesn’t have to ground herself to let other people shine.

She learns to create a new version of herself, even if that means it makes her the villain in other people’s story. The same can happen for you. Your don’t have to ACCEPT other’s people’s reality.

That is where her and Glinda part ways. Glinda isn’t ready to find her voice. That choice is too scary for her. And that’s ok. Each option comes with consequences. Consequences that we all have to face.

Elphaba is ready to take that risk because her identity and leaning into who she wants to be is worth it for her. Staying and being someone she is not was no longer worth it. The non-reciprocal relationships were no longer worth it.

And guess what … she is still a good person no matter what other people say or think.

No matter if people called her Wicked, she knew her truth.

4. Glinda and Elphaba: Friendships can Be Messy but can Change You For Good

These two went from loathing to a straight friendship love story that made a lot of people question if Elphaba should have left with Glinda instead of Fiyero. But it showcases how friendship can have seasons of ups and downs, especially as life can hit you like a house in a tornado.

Like really … Glinda … had a STRONG hand in killing Nessa … but we won’t go there.

The difference that makes this relationship a healthy one is accountability. They both acknowledge that while they love each other, they have both hurt each other. Additionally, that while they don’t agree with certain lifestyle choices, they supported one another.

And while the end of the story meant that they went in different directions, the connection that they shared will forever be part of who they have become.

5. External Validation is Nice … but Loving Yourself is So Much Better

We all want to feel the love and acknowledgment from others. It does feel nice, I can’t deny that … but it can’t come at a cost of loving and accepting ourselves for who we are. This is something both Elphaba and Glinda realize in their own ways.

Elphaba realizes that there is nothing she can do to change the narrative of being Wicked. Rather than spending the rest of her life trying to fight, she rather accept that her life is more than the labels people put on her. She rather spend the emotional energy on love that is worth it for her.

For Glinda, she realized that she placed herself in that bubble because she was afraid of what others would think or say. Fearing that if she went outside of her perfect little bubble the image that she let others create of her would simply "pop". In the end she recognized that trying to please others by limiting herself cost her too much. She finally realized her power, her strength and her voice at the end of the movie … but by then was it too late?

Who knows … but it doesn’t have to be for you.

So while I thought Wicked was a story about a green witch and her friend (again I genieunly knew nothing going into it), it became a story of real human struggles of good deeds that go unrecognized and figuring out your worth in a life that paints you out to be a villain.

Both Elphaba and Glinda teach us that we all try to be good in this world but ultimately you can’t forget to be good to ourselves. That is truly the only way to truly fly.

Written by: Jessica Jefferson, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Perinatal Mental Health Counselor and Owner of Cloud Nine Therapeutic Services. My passion is helping individuals through heartbreak, whether that is heartbreak with others or heartbreak within themselves. My goal is to be their guide on their journey to their self-discovery so that they can build the life and relationship they want. I am here for when you want to start your journey.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR FAIR USE ACT DISCLAIMER