Do It For the Plot

My long, previously untouchable hair was buzzed off and scattered on the dorm bathroom floor. What once was a source of my insecurity-driven nightmares became the best decision I ever made for myself. I buzzed my hair off: doing it for the plot.

Six months later I stood shaggy-haired in the middle of a dance studio. “I’ve done Just Dance,” I thought to myself. “How different could this be?” It turns out that the Zumba class my roommate somehow convinced me to register for was a lot like Just Dance, yet I emerged just as left-footed but infinitely more enthusiastic.

Many people, myself included, sit out of activities in fear of embarrassment or because they’ve never done it before. The classic “old college try” mindset—known in the Tik Tok age as “doing it for the plot”— is a mindset that we should all try to bring back. Joy is a long-term gain. Fear of judgment, however, is a short-term impediment to our enjoyment of life. In the grand scheme of things, what’s a little bit of insecurity compared to a whole lot of living?

With summer approaching, there will be plenty of opportunities to add “enhance plot” to your to-do list. Your friends invited you on a spontaneous camping trip within 12 hours of departure? Do it for the plot. There’s a pair of scissors lying around and you’ve always wondered how you’d look with curtain bangs? Do it for the plot. Noticed that you’ve sat next to the same stranger in your lecture every class? Add a new main character and introduce yourself!

But, doing it for the plot doesn’t always have to be a spontaneous act, either. This mindset is really meant to embody letting go of the “what-ifs” and the outside judgments of everyday life to focus on what you want in your life. You can add to the plot by being opinionated in times you might’ve omitted your thoughts: saying “no” when your people-pleasing anxiety would’ve typically forced you to say “yes”. Or, stepping out of a relationship that is turning your plot into a movie you’d never watch.

The plot is all yours. You write and direct your own movie, and you get to decide who the main characters are. In the end, every moment — good, bad, awkward, or embarrassing— is a plot point for the larger narrative of life. Live unapologetically, and give the audience the plot twists they never saw coming.

I returned home from my freshman year of college with a freshly buzzed head and a new take on confidence. Heads turned and judgments were made, but I was unphased. I realized that day how little hair meant in the grand scheme of my confidence, and yet I had been using it as a cloak over my insecurities the entirety of my life. The plot point itself of buzzing my hair was minute in proportion to my life, but it jump-started an exigence to do more for myself and to take back the director’s chair.

Things that University of Oregon students did for their plot:

WRITTEN BY CLAIRE CONGER

ART DIRECTOR ADDY DONOVAN

PHOTOGRAPHED BY SNEHA CHOPRA

“Taking a solo weekend vacation!”

-Ana Burt, communication disorders and sciences

“Filled out a March Madness bracket and won a free iPad.”

-Levi Profitt, journalism

“Getting out of Eugene 5 weekends this term.”

-Ben Franson, product design

“Transferred to UO.”

-Kali Bissanti, earth sciences

“Drove cross-country with my partner to stay in a dome in the Utah Canyon-lands desert.”

-Emily Winsett, biological anthropology

“Went on a date with a 38-year-old Swedish woman because I thought it must’ve been a catfish account.”

-Jane Parney, economics

“Booked a flight to NYC 10 hours before going! Just cause I felt like it.”

-Elaine Pham, psychology

“Literally any networking I’ve ever done I’ve gone in with sweaty palms and so many nerves but it always pays off.”

-Bella Brick, advertising

“Went to space camp.”

-Olivia Jackson, advertising

“My buddies said to meet them at Denny’s when it was 10:30 at night and I was already in my pjs just lounging around before bed. I ended up going and we had the most chaotic discussions about everything and eventually made a very spontaneous decision. So at midnight in a Denny’s, we bought tickets to go to Disneyland in 4 hours of our purchase.”

-Trent Atkins

“Took one of the scooters to Target even though I was scared to ride on the street.”

-Bridget Collins, english and journalism

“Cheated on my high school boyfriend my freshman year of college.”

-Mikayla Peeler, biology

“Joined a fraternity.”

-Byron Neu, sociology

Was Right

I’m used to writing sad poetry. Unfortunate words that flowed on the page too easily,

With phrases and metaphors that would never be seen.

Locked in my vault, and by “vault,” I mean my “Notes” app

But now my mind has shifted. My disposition has granted me peace, And I’m caught reflecting on the things I’ve loved and long to hold on to forever.

The nostalgia I’ll soon be having about graduation, and with it, the childhood memories I’ve lately been feeling.

I’ve found myself rewatching an old, favorite movie in my free time:

“Alice in Wonderland”

A movie filled with disappearing cats and mad hatters. But also one with magic and curiosity. It feels familiar to me, especially when the future beyond graduation feels like falling down a rabbit hole.

When I looked back at my childhood remembrances, I felt sad. Don’t get me wrong, the memories I made were good, but suddenly stopped when I least expected, Like when snowflakes fall and you don’t want them to stop but deep down, you know they will.

As I look ahead to the future, I ask what’s next?

Graduation is less than a month away Will my college memories slip away too?

I hope not. I’m tired of writing sad poetry.

So, maybe Alice was right:

“There’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then” Yesterday was different and tomorrow can’t make any promises.

I have the memories I have now, and those are the important ones.

So, Alice was right. I’m learning to accept it and live it.

Here’s to the graduates: Let’s raise a glass and toast.

For now, we’ll love what we have, and cherish what we can hold onto. The future may be like Wonderland, but that’s what makes it exciting.

I’m glad this poem was happy. I think it’s what is in order from now on. The vault is now open; It’s finally been unlocked.

So thank you, Alice Love, Charlie

WRITTEN BY CHARLIE VIGNE PHOTOGRAPHED BY MICA DELGADO ART DIRECTORED BY RONAN BECKIUS MODEL LILY POAT DESIGNED BY ADIA BAINES PLAYLIST CONNOISSEUR MINDY TRAN