“Figure out who you are and do it on purpose.” - Dolly Parton

“Dumplin” starts off with a little girl named Willowdean Dickson (Danielle Macdonald) and her Aunt Lucy (Hilary Begley.) in a small town in Texas. Both girls shared a love of Dolly Parton and they bonded over it. Lucy also introduced Willowdean to her soon to be lifelong best friend Ellen (Odeya Rush.) This movie is about the ups and downs of two girls and their friends and how they battle loss, self-love, and family issues. This is your spoiler alert… you have been warned!!!

Towards the beginning of the movie, we find out that Aunt Lucy had passed away. This event has been very difficult for Willowdean and Ellen because they were almost always with her. She was like a second mother to them. Willowdean is constantly told throughout the movie of how much she reminds people of her late aunt. This gives her a boost of confidence to do something she never thought she’d do.

With the Miss Teen Bluebonnet pageant being her mother’s top priority, Willowdean feels like she isn’t good enough to be her mother’s daughter. Her mom (Jennifer Aniston) works with many petite teen girls, while Willowdean is a plus-size girl. She wants to get her mother’s attention, so instead of talking to her about it, she joined the pageant. With the help of Ellen and her new friends, she worked hard to get what she wanted… The love and attention she deserved.

Willowdean gained self-love by being in the Miss Teen Bluebonnet pageant and she reconnects with her mom. This part of the movie is where my personal favorite quote came from. “As far as I’m concerned, a swimsuit body is a body with a swimsuit on it.” I really like this quote because it explains that there is no such thing as a perfect body. Everyone has their own and no “body” is perfect. This is a very body-positive movie and I really like that part of it.

“Dumplin” has a very strong message that I think everyone needs to hear. It tells people to go for what they want and to not be afraid of what other people think. I loved this movie and I really hope that a sequel is made. I definitely think that everyone should watch this movie because I know that it didn’t only influence me, but many more people too!