Will Ferrell’s Elf is unique as he is funny. He may be protected and sheltered from all types of things living with Santa in the North Pole. But after entering the rough streets of New York City, Buddy The Elf instantly becomes prone to social anxiety. I must admit, Buddy actually showed no signs of anxiety throughout the whole movie. Dang, he’s good! Must of been all the Christmas caroling throughout the year.
His name is Buddy. He’s a real Elf
Elf is one of the most hilarious Christmas movies of all time. Starring Will Ferrell, this movie is straight-up holiday comedy as Buddy the elf travels from his home in the North Pole to New York City. Entering the actual human world for the first time, Buddy becomes clueless to the norms and laws of society. He crosses the street at the wrong time (even gets hit by a taxicab in the process), collects flyers from the fellas on the sidewalk as if it were a game, struggles using a rotating door (I’ll admit that that was funny as hell), and even eats old, discarded gum from the under the handrails. And all that happened just in the first few minutes of his arrival to The Big Apple.
Although talking about the hilarious scenes in Elf and replaying them on YouTube is one of my favorite things to do, there is only one scene in the movie which requires special attention. Do you remember when Buddy first entered Gimbels? He entered “The North Pole” inside Gimbels, spoke to the manager, jumped for excitement upon learning of Santa’s arrival the next morning, and then met Jovie, his crush. This series of three events captured in one scene would most certainly cause an extreme traumatic trigger of social anxiety signs/symptoms.
SAD is bad even during Christmas
If you don’t know about Social Anxiety Disorder, click here to see why why it is just the most awful thing in the world (tied with pouring a bowl of cereal and then realizing you don’t have any milk…so annoying). Watching Buddy The Elf can definitely cause some social anxiety.
Social Anxiety Event 1
Buddy meets his crush for the first time
Elf, 2003
One of the most nerve-racking things that anyone can do is approach someone that they are attracted to. Buddy approaches Jovie as she is decorating the Christmas tree. He was staring at her a little bit, and she called him out on it:
Jovie: “Are you enjoying the view!?”
That statement implies that she is aware that he is starring at her and, even more so, she is implying that he likes what he is looking at, i.e. she is implying that Buddy finds her attractive. Speaking to your crush is hard enough, but being put on blast by her in a way that shows she’s aware of your secret is really embarrassing , especially with SAD. The dread of Red Face symptoms would immediately be noticed. In other words, bright red blushing face, profuse sweating dripping off your face, trembling hands, and thumping, fast heart rate would be showing all over your face. Buddy The Elf would show social anxiety all in front of her.
Social Anxiety Event 2
Elf, 2003
Buddy sings inside the crowded store
It’s important to remember that people with Social Anxiety Disorder absolutely hate and dread being in the spotlight. SAD symptoms would be too much to handle if all eyes were on you. The scene in which Buddy starts to sing loudly in front of his crush, Jovie, and in front of all the people in the store is hugely anxiety provoking. People heard and watched him sing for those few moments, which is all a person with SAD needs to turn bright red like a tomato dripping sweat under the hot summer sun. It’s incredibly uncomfortable to get red faced and sweaty in front of so many people.
Social Anxiety Event 3
Buddy talks back to Gimbel’s manager
Elf, 2003
As he was singing in front of everyone, the store manager shouted at Buddy in a conversation highlighted below:
Buddy {singing}: “I’m in a store and I’m singing”
Manager {shouts}: “Hey, there’s no singing in the North Pole!”
Buddy {shouts back}: “Yes there is!”
Manager {shouts again}: “No there’s not!”
Buddy {shouts back}: “We sing all the time.”
Manager {shouts a third time}: “No there’s not”
Buddy {final shout I promise}: “Especially when we make toys”
This conversation/hilarious shouting match took place in front of everyone at the store and in front of Jovie. If Buddy had Social Anxiety Disorder, he would never have been able to conversate with the manager like that. Talking back to an authoritative figure implies that the manager is judging you, negatively. People with SAD are afraid of being judged and watched by other people, but in the case of authority figures, this makes it even worse. They don’t want to get in trouble because trouble implies:
- Being judged negatively
- Being observed frequently
- Others finding out which calls attention/spotlight to you
People who have SAD don’t want any spotlight put on them. They prefer to just lay low, do their job, and be invisible.
Final Thoughts
Buddy The Elf shows social anxiety throughout the movie Elf. The three social anxiety provoking events mentioned all happened sequentially making them a trio of Red Face causing symptoms. Buddy does not have SAD, but if he did, he wouldn’t be able to:
- approach his crush so easily (and would be way too self-conscious to stare at her)
- put the spotlight on himself and sing in front of everyone
- get into a shouting match with his (sort of) boss.
Anyone of those three events are huge triggers of social anxiety symptoms and thus would just force a person not to do any of them at all.