Barb is the 'patron saint of misfits' and that's why viewers are obsessed with her
When Barb Holland graced our screens in very first episode of Stranger Things, few of us could have foreseen the emotional impact she would have on our lives.
And, though Barb is very much dead (RIP Barb), her cult is very much alive, kicking, and building shrines for her. So, what is it about Barb? Her appeal, according to Shannon Purser who plays her, lies in her highly relatable awkwardness.
Mashable spoke to Purser about Barb's cult following and the reasons viewers are so obsessed with her.
Purser says it's "so strange (no pun intended)" to have such an immense cult following, and she never would have imagined it when she was auditioning for the show. "When I was lucky enough to get the part I had an amazing time on set, and kinda just thought: 'Oh OK, this is a nice thing to have on the resume, hope I get another job someday.'"
What happened next, she says, was totally unexpected. "Then everybody freaked out. Like, what did you do to Barb oh my god?" That said, Purser is hugely "flattered" to have a "small army" of sorts behind her.
Purser explained that Barb's appeal has a lot to do with our own high school experiences.
"She's the patron saint of misfits."
"Barb is kind of a little awkward and out of place, and more of us than not felt that way in high school," says Purser.
"I feel like the majority of us weren't super popular, like hot cheerleaders, we were kind of weird, we wore strange clothes, we had acne, and we wore braces," Purser continues. "She's the patron saint of misfits."
It's certainly true that many of us were a version of Barb when we were in high school, albeit minus the dorky '80s fashions.
But, what would Barb be like if she were a Gen Z teen? And, crucially, what apps would she be into? Purser thinks that Barb would enjoy Twitter—largely due to the fact that Purser prefers the platform to the likes of Instagram. "Instagram is great but I'm not an amazing photographer and I don't wanna post selfies constantly. I'd rather be able to share my thoughts in a concise way and I feel like [Barb] would be the same," she says.
Purser says Barb would definitely be taking lots of notes on her phone, and she'd probably have some type of NASA or astronomy app. Question is: would Barb have enjoyed NASA launching a fidget spinner into space? "She would have found it funny, even though I don't think she wouldn't have liked fidget spinners as a trend," says Purser.
Despite Nancy's betrayal—and essentially leaving Barb for dead—Purser says that Nancy's one of her top three favourite characters. In fact, she has "a soft spot for her."
"Obviously leaving your friend alone at a party is not a good move," says Purser. "But, she was a teenager, and I think if she had like known that Barb was gonna die she wouldn't have left her alone." Aww. That's true friendship, right there!
Still, we are not entirely sure we're ready to forgive and forget just yet. Justice better be on its way in Season 2 of Stranger Things. Like, seriously.
Topics Stranger Things
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
