Popularity, Wicked Witches, and Being People's 9th Favorite Thing

There’s a song in Wicked where Glinda belts out the gospel of being Popular — full of sparkle, fluff, and self-assurance. Every time I hear it, I think of my sister. In high school, she was Glinda in the flesh. Being liked was her oxygen. She wanted to be included, admired, adored — the full social buffet.

When we’d argue and she ran out of points, she’d smirk and say, “Well, at least I’m popular. You only have a couple of friends.”

And she wasn’t wrong. I didn’t have many. But the ones I did have? They were the real deal. The middle-of-the-night-flat-tire, show-up-without-question kind of friends. The kind you grow old with, not out of.

My life’s still that way. Plenty of acquaintances, but a very small inner circle. And I’m good with that.

Because the older I get, the more I realize popularity’s overrated. There’s another song, Nine People’s Favorite Thing from [title of show] that nails this sentiment. It says, “I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing.”

As someone who creates for a living (and yes, I hate that word content), I see the trap. The obsession with followers, likes, and numbers that supposedly prove our worth. But numbers don’t love you back. Real connection does.

So if you’re second-guessing what you’re doing, what you’re making, or how you’re living — stop. You don’t need to please the crowd. Find your tribe. Love them hard. Be their favorite thing.

Because being truly seen by a few beats being barely noticed by the masses any day.