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| Steve Urkel |
For the first eight seasons of Family Matters, Steve Urkel is the epitome of a stereotypical nerd. He's socially awkward, physically lacking, clumsy, accident prone, has a horrible sense of style wearing abnormally colored suspenders with most outfits, and above all is intellectually superior to everyone around him. In fact, in an episode of season eight- "Revenge of the Nerd"- he is named King Geek by a sorority Laura Winslow is interested in joining.
I see that episode as being the turning point for Steve and he instills us with a very powerful message. After Laura reveals to him that the party he is attending is in fact for nerds, he gives the sorority sisters a lesson they will never forget:
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| Steve Urkel and Laura Winslow at the sorority party. I don't know about you, but I think Steve's suit is pretty cool in this scene, although I would switch out his plaid shirt for a solid white one. |
"I might not be the trendiest guy on campus," Steve begins, "and I might not even be the best looking, and I'm certainly not the most coordinated. But you know what? I like myself and that makes me cool."
Indeed, the one thing about Steve that remains solid throughout the entire series is his identity and love for himself...and for Laura. Even when he is a social outcast-- especially in the early seasons before any of the Winslows let him spend time with them-- Steve thinks he's cool and even physically attractive.
That's the first lesson we can learn from him:
Clothes are indubitably an important part of one's style, but what matters most of all is how you see yourself and how much confidence you have.
I've said this so many times because it is so true. Confidence is the pinnacle of style-- the very top of the point. Confidence is what separates the guys who are well dressed from the guys who are sharp dressers. You can view confidence and nice clothes as two different components each with their own individual merits, but when combined the result is life altering. Trust me. It was for me, and it definitely was for Steve!
Even though Steve begins to change for the better early in season eight, his actual style doesn't change until season nine. In the first episode called "Out with the Old" Laura and her friends are hosting a charity event in which they auction off kisses from bachelors. Laura invites both her boyfriend, Stefan, and her brother, Eddie, but neglects to invite Steve claiming that she "d[oesn't] want to humiliate him". However, he wants her to invite him regardless.
Steve responds by claiming: "I've always been comfortable with myself but maybe it's time I faced the fact that I could stand a little improvement. You know-- my voice, my clothes...No longer is it 'I gotta be me', from now on it's 'I gotta be better'"
Interestingly enough, this is the second to last scene in the show that we ever see Steve wearing suspenders. The following scene he goes to speech therapy class and one after we see him at the charity event. Steve comes out wearing a simple light blue Oxford with khakis and tan loafers. Despite his new improved look, no one wants to donate money to get to kiss him; that is, until Laura decides to bid $100 for a super passionate kiss from Steve.
That's the second lesson we can learn from him:
Starting to become more fashionable can be an intimidating process and other people might not respond positively right away. However, you need to be brave enough to go out into the world with your new style. Just do it. Eventually people will take notice and perhaps even start to admire you.
That's exactly what happens with Steve beginning from the first episode of season nine. Laura sees his change and begins to develop a crush on him, something that from earlier seasons she said would never happen. But once she notices how hard Steve is trying to change himself, she develops genuine, romantic feelings for him.
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| Steve Urkel in the episode "Who's Afraid of the Big Black Book") |
After the first episode, Steve decides to try several different styles to try to find what works for him. My personal favorite is when he decides to "swing the new, retro-- groovy look" in the episode "Who's Afraid of the Big Black Book". As ridiculous as this style is especially the oversized floppy hat, Steve is once again demonstrating his courage and seriousness in wanting to find a new look.
And although Laura jests at his different styles, she begins to admire him for what he's doing. He's no longer an annoying dweeb in her eyes, but a viable candidate for her affection
In fact, I would say that the primary reason Laura ultimately falls in love with Steve is because he finally develops physically what he always had internally, that is, attractiveness. Let's face it, suspenders might be alright sometimes if you're an older guy, but there's nothing necessarily cool about wearing them with every single outfit you wear. They're just not stylish.
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| Steve Urkel on the left and Stephan Urquelle on the right |
I think that's the main difference between Steve and Stephan-- i.e. the latter wears a belt and the former wears suspenders-- but in season nine the line between the two characters becomes very thin, and in fact, aside from the fact that Steve wears glasses and Stephan doesn't, the style of both characters is virtually the same
This allows Laura to consider the personality of each character. In the third to last episode of the series entitled "Pop Goes the Question", both Steve and Stephan propose to Laura. After both characters pop the question consecutively, Laura says she needs time to think. Steve, who assumes that she will choose his alter ego, packs his bag and prepares to leave claiming that Laura's situation "is like getting a proposal by Brad Pitt, and five minutes later another one from Mr. Bean".
However, despite what Steve thinks in that moment, because of everything he and Laura have been through she "can't imagine [her] life without [him]. Unfortunately, we never find out what happens to Stephan, but this moment brings me to the third lesson we can learn from Steve:
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Personally, I feel like Steve Urkel is an admirable character. Of course, he's not one to emulate especially early on in the series, but his integrity and loyalty as a friend make him ideal. From Steve's character we learn:
1.) The importance of being confident in yourself
2.) The importance of having the courage to make a change to your wardrobe
3.) The importance of persistence and sticking to it
Dressing-up and being stylish literally have the power to change your reality. It can positively impact how others perceive you, and more importantly, it can change the way that you see yourself. There is great power in looking your best. It is something we all should strive for. I really believe that Steve Urkel is a reminder of that. Even if you've never seen the entire series, just being able to see his character's change is enough.
So what do you think? Are you a fan of Family Matters? What do you think about Steve in season two compared to Steve in season nine? Could you envision the show without Steve Urkel as originally intended by the producers? Do you think Laura should have chose Steve or Stephan?
Also, as I posted a couple weeks ago, I'm interested in hearing what characters you would like to see for future posts like this. I was thinking perhaps Silvio Dante from The Sopranos or Michael Weston from Burn Notice, but I'm open to suggestions. In all honesty, I would rather write about a character you choose rather than pick my own. Either send me a message on my Facebook page or email me at tnpersona@gmail.com.
-Ryan S.
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