Mirabel Madrigal and the Pressure to Be “Normal”

Disney’s Encanto might look like a vibrant musical full of magic, color, and family charm, but at its heart, it’s wrestling with something deeper: the quiet pressure to live up to what others expect of you. Behind every glowing gift in the Madrigal family is someone trying to hold themselves together — and in the middle of all of it is Mirabel, the one person without a magical ability, yet the one who shoulders the emotional weight of the family most intensely.

Her story resonates because it echoes a struggle many people carry, often silently: the need to seem capable, impressive, or “fine” even when you’re worried you’re falling short. In that sense, Mirabel’s journey isn’t really about enchantment at all. It’s about identity, mental health, and that unsettling fear of not being enough, even in a place full of love.

Introduction to Encanto

In the Madrigal family, magic isn’t just special — it’s the baseline. Every child receives a magical gift that gives them a clear role within the family. Luisa has supernatural strength, Isabela creates perfect flowers, Antonio speaks to animals, and even the house — the “casita” — behaves like a living, playful relative. Everyone contributes something unmistakably valuable.

Except Mirabel.

Her ceremony, which should have granted her a gift, fails. And that single moment colors the way she sees herself for years afterward. Even though no one explicitly tells her she’s less than the others, the absence of a gift becomes its own shadow. It lingers at family gatherings, during celebrations, and in the small, quiet moments when she’s trying her hardest to help.

And that is where her mental health story begins.

The Pressure to Be “Normal”

Growing up surrounded by gifted relatives, Mirabel learns early that her worth doesn’t seem as obvious as theirs. She isn’t the strongest, the most graceful, the most brilliant, or the most admired. So she does what many people do when they feel outshined: she tries to bridge the gap with enthusiasm, effort, and constant support.

She helps where she can, cheers others on, stays upbeat, and works hard to be the person who brings energy into the room. But beneath that optimism sits a quiet, persistent fear:

What if she is the only one who doesn’t matter?

This is a fear many young people face today — especially in environments that celebrate achievement. When everyone around you appears to excel, it’s easy to feel as though you’re falling short simply by being ordinary. Social media makes this even heavier, turning small comparisons into a constant hum in the background.

Like Mirabel, many people learn to hide their insecurities behind humor, kindness, or doing “extra.” They become the upbeat one, the reliable one, the one who never complains — partly because they don’t want anyone to look too closely at what’s happening underneath.

Her Family’s Role

The Madrigals don’t intentionally hurt Mirabel, but they live inside a family system built on loss, pressure, and the desperate hope of being “enough” shaped long before she was born. Every family member ends up carrying a role that mirrors how intergenerational trauma shows up in real households, not just magical ones.

• Luisa (Mirabel’s older sister), the strong one, carries physical burdens, but emotional ones too — the kind that form when a family rewards you for what you can do rather than who you are. She’s shown as the classic burden-bearer, the person who holds everything together until the strain inevitably cracks through.

• Isabela (Mirabel’s other older sister), the perfect one, isn’t pressured only to be lovely — she’s living out the life Abuela wishes she herself could have claimed. Alma’s hopes are projected onto her, a pattern known as vicarious living. Isabela’s perfection is not simply her own expectation; it’s inherited. Staying flawless becomes her way of keeping peace in a family that equates perfection with safety.

• Pepa (Mirabel’s aunt), the emotional one, isn’t merely dramatic — she grew up learning to hide anything “messy” because Alma needed calm after losing her husband. That push to “clear skies” her feelings resembles the way many children in trauma-affected families are taught to suppress emotions to avoid conflict.

• And then there’s Bruno (Mirabel’s uncle), the truth-teller. He becomes the scapegoat not because he’s wrong, but because he speaks truths the family isn’t ready to face. Bruno is depicted as the classic “black sheep,” or, in this case, the one who carries the family’s unspoken tension even when physically absent.

These roles spill into Mirabel’s world long before she ever questions the cracks forming in the casita. When every family member is preoccupied with maintaining their assigned role — the fixer, the perfectionist, the emotional regulator, the scapegoat — no one has the emotional capacity to notice the person quietly wondering if she belongs.

And, as in many real families, no one is intentionally unkind. They’re simply trying to survive the expectations they’ve inherited. But survival mode leaves little room for vulnerability — the very thing Mirabel, and the entire family, desperately needs.

Real-World Connection

Encanto isn’t just a story about a magical household — it’s a story about pressure. The Madrigals’ struggles show how expectations, whether from family or society, shape who we think we’re supposed to be. Mirabel and her siblings deal with pressures that, while exaggerated through magic, mirror real experiences in everyday life.

Research helps explain this connection. A study in Nature Human Behaviour found that people often follow others’ actions even when those actions are completely arbitrary (Pryor & Howe, 2018). People conform not because something is correct, but because conformity helps them feel like they belong. The Madrigals’ efforts to meet family expectations reflect this — each sibling tries to fit into the “norm” of their magical role, even when it strains them emotionally.

Another study shows that resisting pressure is harder than most of us expect (Mazzocco, 2023). Even when we believe we would stand up for ourselves, we tend to underestimate how powerful authority or social expectations can be. For Mirabel, growing up in a family where everyone is constantly under pressure makes it easy to feel small and unsure — just like many kids and teens today, who feel pulled in different directions by parents, schools, and social media.

This connects directly to the rise of perfectionism in real life. Research shows that socially prescribed perfectionism — the type driven by outside expectations — has increased sharply in recent decades (Sohn, 2024; Curran & Hill, 2019). It appears when people feel they must be flawless to earn approval or avoid criticism. This form of perfectionism is closely linked to anxiety, depression, and the persistent feeling of never being enough. Mirabel’s internal struggle mirrors this experience. Constant comparison, competitive environments, and pressure from adults all contribute to a culture where young people measure their value by achievement rather than identity (Sohn, 2024; Flett, 2025).

But the research doesn’t stop at describing the problem — it also offers hope. A concept called mattering — the sense that you’re valued for who you are — can protect against these pressures (Sohn, 2024; Flett, 2025). In Encanto, Mirabel’s journey centers on discovering her own value and helping her family recognize their worth beyond their magical abilities. In real life, studies show that supportive relationships, unconditional attention from caregivers, and opportunities to help others can strengthen resilience, self-worth, and mental health (Flett, 2025; Fu et al., 2017).

So Encanto becomes more than a film — it becomes a reflection of patterns we see in the world. Pressure to conform and achieve is common, and it affects mental health in deep ways. Yet people can build strength by feeling they matter, finding supportive communities, and recognizing that worth has little to do with perfection. Mirabel’s story reminds us that thriving under pressure is possible — in a magical house and in the real world.

Conclusion

Mirabel’s story shows that feeling “not enough” is something most people experience, even if it’s quiet or invisible. Encanto illustrates how pressure — from family, school, or society — can shape the way we see ourselves, pushing us toward perfection or roles that don’t feel authentic. It’s easy to feel small when everyone around you seems gifted, accomplished, or unstoppable, much like Mirabel in her family.

But the film also reminds us that our worth isn’t defined by what we achieve — it’s rooted in who we are. Feeling like you matter, even without a spotlight or a “special gift,” can change everything. Being seen and valued by others, giving yourself permission to make mistakes, and offering help in small, meaningful ways all build resilience and belonging.

So if you ever feel like Mirabel — like you’re falling behind or don’t quite fit — it’s okay to pause and breathe. Your value isn’t measured by perfection or by anyone else’s expectations. Surround yourself with people who truly see you. Spend time doing things that make you feel connected and purposeful. And remind yourself that being human — imperfect, growing, and honest — is more than enough. Mirabel shows that even in a world that seems to demand magic, kindness, courage, and being yourself can light the way.

Works Cited

Clinic, The Menninger. “Encanto Inspires Psychology Today Blog Post about Family Systems.” The Menninger Clinic, www.menningerclinic.org/news-resources/encanto-inspires-psychology-today-blog-post-about-family-systems. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.

Nasworthy, Kaitlyn . “We Don’t Talk about Intergenerational Trauma: How Encanto Summarizes the Traumatic Family Structure - Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology.” Psichi.org, 14 Aug. 2025, www.psichi.org/blogpost/987366/513136/We-Don-t-Talk-About-Intergenerational-Trauma-How-Encanto-Summarizes-the-Traumatic-Family-Structure. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.

Pryor, Campbell, and Piers Howe. “Conform to the Social Norm: Why People Follow What Other People Do.” Findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au, 17 Dec. 2018, findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/news/2944-conform-to-the-social-norm--why-people-follow-what-other-people-do. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.

Sohn, Emily. “Perfectionism and the High-Stakes Culture of Success: The Hidden Toll on Kids and Parents.” Apa.org, 1 Oct. 2024, www.apa.org/monitor/2024/10/antidote-achievement-culture. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.

Woodall, Tatyana . “Why Resisting Social Pressure Is Harder Than You Think.” Why Resisting Social Pressure Is Harder than You Think , The Ohio State University, 17 June 2025, news.osu.edu/why-resisting-social-pressure-is-harder-than-you-think/. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.