notes on a celebrity: candace cameron bure...sucks
Full House premiered on September 22, 1987, when I was 35 days old. It ran until May 23, 1995, when I was seven years, nine months, and six days old. I organized my life around Full House's schedule as a kid. Although I identified with all the girls, and now, as an adult, most of the guys too, I always had a special affection for Donna Jo Tanner, played by Candace Cameron. DJ was so cool and pretty and funny and patient and dressed so cute and had a cute boyfriend. I loved her so much.
Candace, Jodie Sweetin, and Andrea Barber spent formative years on the show and built strong, everlasting relationships with each other. That meant something to me, too. My abandonment issues from childhood have presented themselves in many ways, and one of them is in a deep need for costars to stay connected. Nothing means more to me than seeing, say, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet being genuinely, truly friends nearly 30 years after Titanic came out. The Full House cast has soothed my childhood wounds, even well into adulthood.
When I saw the commercial for Full House's last episode, I was distraught, sobbing to the point of hyperventilation. I didn't want to lose these vital members of my family. But I never really did.
When social media became a thing, I was delighted to be given such rich content from Full House cast gatherings, seemingly out of nowhere! They didn't need Entertainment Weekly's TV show reunions to hang out; they were family! I followed John Stamos, Bob Saget, and Dave Coulier. I fell in love with their wives, who now feel like my friends. (I would die for Kelly Rizzo.) I followed Lori Loughlin, Jodie, Andrea, and Candace. They all had families! Lori and Candace's daughters were besties! They all commented on everything! They showed up for each other, attending each other's weddings, showing up at Bob's house as soon as the news broke that he'd died, just to be with his wife.
But with social media comes, well, you know. Some truths, some realities. I obviously know DJ Tanner isn't Candace Cameron (now Candace Cameron Bure, who will be referred to as CCB going forward), but because of the worldwide web, I've been really conked over the head with how much she is not the big sister of my dreams.
