Chrissy Cunningham

Chrissy Elizabeth Cunningham, portrayed by Grace Van Dien, was a minor character in Stranger Things, appearing in the first episode of the fourth season.

A resident of Hawkins, Indiana, Chrissy fit the mold of an archetypal uber-popular girl; by 1986, she was lead cheerleader at her local high school and was dating Jason Carver, captain of the basketball team. However, beneath the seemingly perfect surface, Chrissy was struggling, desperately trying to hide her depression and issues with self-image stemming from her mother's.

Chrissy Elizabeth Cunningham was born to Phillip and Laura Cunningham in 1968, and supposedly had a younger brother.

During Chrissy's time at Hawkins Middle School, she participated in the school's talent show doing a cheerleading routine alongside Eddie Munson, who played guitar in his band, Corroded Coffin. Though they were both impressed by their respective performances, their relationship didn't develop any further, in part due to the older Eddie starting high school shortly after.[5]

Over the course of her years at Hawkins High School, Chrissy became the "queen of Hawkins High", becoming the lead of the cheer squad and the girlfriend of Jason Carver, captain of the Tigers. However, despite her cheerful and confident outward persona, Chrissy began to suffer from depressive symptoms as a result of her mother's , developing an eating disorder due to issues with self-image.[2][5] By her senior year, Chrissy began seeing the school's counsellor, Ms. Kelley

At first glance, Chrissy seemed like a typical super popular cheerleader; upon closer inspection, however, she held onto a deep-rooted darkness as she suffered from an eating disorder, most likely bulimia (though possibly binge-purge ). Her mother was seen to be the root of her eating disorder and bodily image, forcing her to maintain a “perfect” image while criticizing any perceived flaws. This presumably led to the development of Chrissy’s eating disorder, as her mother constantly wanted Chrissy to maintain a good appearance while keeping her under a tight thumb.[13]

Chrissy would hide her inner struggles from her friends and especially from her boyfriend, Jason. While the two appeared to share a loving relationship on the surface, they were fairly distant from one another in reality. While Jason was unable to discern whatever was bothering Chrissy, Eddie Munson immediately made note of it during their drug deal, despite not having had a conversation with her in years.

While Jason expressed irritation towards Eddie’s antics, labelling him a “prick” and a “freak”, Chrissy was kind to others despite pre-existing bias. Though she was slightly harsh to Max Mayfield, she acted friendly towards Eddie Munson despite the labels given to him by their fellow classmates. Chrissy's good attitude and typically sweet nature would affect the people around her, making her death at the hands of Vecna even more tragic.