Recently, I watched 10 Things I Hate About You for the first time, and I couldn’t stop thinking about something we discussed in my philosophy class. I have always been curious about how different people make sense of life, and now that I know a bit of philosophy, I notice those ideas in films more than ever. One concept that stood out to me is Jean-Paul Sartre’s idea of bad faith.
Sartre argues that people are not born with a fixed personality or purpose. He believes that existence precedes essence, which means we become who we are based on the choices we make, not because of something built into us from birth. Given this, Sartre thinks many people fall into bad faith. Bad faith happens when we accept labels, roles, and expectations from society instead of choosing our identities for ourselves. Sartre defines this as not just deception, but self-betrayal as you become a character in someone else’s script.
After learning this, I realized that the idea of bad faith matches perfectly with Kat’s character in 10 Things I Hate About You. Kat refuses to be the kind of girl others expect her to be. She does not care about fitting in, she ignores typical dating rules, and she does not change her personality to make others comfortable. People think she is rude or strange, but Sartre would probably say she is the most authentic person in the film. She is choosing her own identity instead of borrowing one from the world around her. Her behavior is not an act for attention, it is her choosing to live truthfully, even when it costs her popularity/acceptance.
This makes me think about Sartre’s claim more seriously. Is living under roles and expectations always a bad thing? Following social norms can make life easier. It helps you avoid judgment and blend in, and sometimes that feels like a comfortable life. But if you never express who you really are, then are you actually living your own life or just copying what others want you to be?
I am still unsure about where I stand. Part of me understands why people choose comfort. Another part of me agrees with Sartre, who suggests that living authentically might be harder but also more meaningful. What I do know is that 10 Things I Hate About You illustrated Sartre’s philosophy in a straighforward way that I enjoyed.
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