The Meaning of Lila
Encyclopedia
The Meaning of Lila is a comic strip
written by John Forgetta and L. A. Rose. It is syndicated by Creators Syndicate
. The strip centers around Lila, her cubicle
partner and close friend Boyd, and their friend and co-worker Drew. The central theme of the comic is about Lila trying to find the right man (or any man for that matter) but always fails due to her pickiness and bad luck
. Other themes include her dislike of her job, popular culture and her obsession with shopping, (especially shoes). The trio of friends are most often shown either at work, having drinks at the bar
, shopping, or watching TV
at home.
Lila, until she was fired for multiple infractions including chronic lateness, worked as a customer service representative
, answering telephones for MetroMart, a fictional large retail store in Cleveland, Ohio
. She disliked her job, but seemed too afraid or unmotivated to change the status quo
. She is in her mid to late 20s and her main objectives in life are finding the right man and the right pair of shoes. Lila is very attractive, but seems to lack confidence in herself. Lila is also shallow, materialistic, and self-centered. She doesn't read books or newspaper
s, but loves to read celebrity gossip and fashion magazines. Lila runs her own shoe blog
on the Internet
, where she writes about and gives advice about women's shoes. Lila is too lazy to exercise or join a gym
and prefers fatty foods, but is nevertheless slim. She has a cat named Frankie.
Lila seems to have encountered a larger purpose to her life, though, after volunteering at the Cleveland Clinic, albeit at first to meet an attractive pediatrician, Dr. Fine. She took a shine to an orphaned, leukemia
-stricken girl named Annie, whose cynical yet upbeat outlook struck a chord with her, and they became friends. She applied to adopt her, despite being unemployed, but was rejected in favor of Dr. Fine and his gay partner Alan, which deeply disappointed both Lila and Annie.
was hinted at in earlier strips (e.g. his interest in shirtless photos of Matthew McConaughey
), but became overt when, on the May 15, 2008, strip, Boyd was outed through conversation about another male.
In more recent developments, Drew's fiance was caught cheating on her, causing them to break up and call off the wedding. Lila is able to show compassion for her friend in her time of need. Drew and Tad later reconciled, then married after she became pregnant with their son. Sadly, she lost her baby and was seriously injured herself in an auto accident caused by her texting while driving
; making things worse, Lila and Boyd discovered that Tad was continuing to cheat on her with multiple women, but Lila was not able to break this to her in her fragile state.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
written by John Forgetta and L. A. Rose. It is syndicated by Creators Syndicate
Creators Syndicate
Creators Syndicate is an independent distributor of comic strips and syndicated columns for daily newspapers. It was founded in 1987 by Richard S. Newcombe, and is based in Los Angeles. Creators was one of the first syndicates to allow its clients to maintain creative control of their material...
. The strip centers around Lila, her cubicle
Cubicle
Тhe cubicle, cubicle desk, office cubicle or cubicle workstation is a partially enclosed workspace, separated from neighboring workspaces by partitions that are usually tall...
partner and close friend Boyd, and their friend and co-worker Drew. The central theme of the comic is about Lila trying to find the right man (or any man for that matter) but always fails due to her pickiness and bad luck
Luck
Luck or fortuity is good fortune which occurs beyond one's control, without regard to one's will, intention, or desired result. There are at least two senses people usually mean when they use the term, the prescriptive sense and the descriptive sense...
. Other themes include her dislike of her job, popular culture and her obsession with shopping, (especially shoes). The trio of friends are most often shown either at work, having drinks at the bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
, shopping, or watching TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
at home.
Lila Mayfield
Customer service
Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.According to Turban et al. , “Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer...
, answering telephones for MetroMart, a fictional large retail store in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. She disliked her job, but seemed too afraid or unmotivated to change the status quo
Status quo
Statu quo, a commonly used form of the original Latin "statu quo" – literally "the state in which" – is a Latin term meaning the current or existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they presently are...
. She is in her mid to late 20s and her main objectives in life are finding the right man and the right pair of shoes. Lila is very attractive, but seems to lack confidence in herself. Lila is also shallow, materialistic, and self-centered. She doesn't read books or newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s, but loves to read celebrity gossip and fashion magazines. Lila runs her own shoe blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, where she writes about and gives advice about women's shoes. Lila is too lazy to exercise or join a gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
and prefers fatty foods, but is nevertheless slim. She has a cat named Frankie.
Lila seems to have encountered a larger purpose to her life, though, after volunteering at the Cleveland Clinic, albeit at first to meet an attractive pediatrician, Dr. Fine. She took a shine to an orphaned, leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
-stricken girl named Annie, whose cynical yet upbeat outlook struck a chord with her, and they became friends. She applied to adopt her, despite being unemployed, but was rejected in favor of Dr. Fine and his gay partner Alan, which deeply disappointed both Lila and Annie.
Annie
Eventually, Lila did manage to adopt Annie, who has proven to be a child prodigy, quite a genius. Dr. Fine, Alan and Boyd are always there to help Lila with Annie, who now has four parents for all practical purposes.Boyd
Boyd "is Lila’s GBFF (gay best friend forever) from childhood", and former coworker in the MetroMart call center. The two seem to be inseparable despite the fact that they have no romantic feelings for each other. Boyd and Lila have the same personality and view on life. Boyd's homosexualityHomosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
was hinted at in earlier strips (e.g. his interest in shirtless photos of Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew David McConaughey is an American actor.After a series of minor roles in the early 1990s, McConaughey gained notice for his breakout role in Dazed and Confused . He then appeared in films such as A Time to Kill, Contact, U-571, Tiptoes, Sahara, and We Are Marshall...
), but became overt when, on the May 15, 2008, strip, Boyd was outed through conversation about another male.
Drew
Drew is almost a complete opposite of Lila. She is hardworking, confident, smart, reads books and newspapers, and doesn't put as much importance on material possessions or celebrity gossip. An attractive blonde, Drew works out at the gym and is conscientious about what she eats. She is more successful than Lila, having a higher position at MetroMart. Drew was also more successful in love, as she had a fiance (now husband) named Tad. Still, despite their differences, they are still good friends and she enjoys spending time with Lila while shopping or having drinks. However, Drew is often shown lecturing Lila and Boyd on how to be better people, and is often disappointed in them.In more recent developments, Drew's fiance was caught cheating on her, causing them to break up and call off the wedding. Lila is able to show compassion for her friend in her time of need. Drew and Tad later reconciled, then married after she became pregnant with their son. Sadly, she lost her baby and was seriously injured herself in an auto accident caused by her texting while driving
Texting while driving
Texting while driving is the act of composing, sending, reading text messages, email, or making other similar use of the web on a mobile phone while operating a motor vehicle. The practice has been viewed by many people and authorities as dangerous. It has also been ruled as the cause of some motor...
; making things worse, Lila and Boyd discovered that Tad was continuing to cheat on her with multiple women, but Lila was not able to break this to her in her fragile state.