Stereotypes Of Teenagers Essay

Adults have not always understood teenagers and the adolescent psyche. Film and hip-hop star Will Smith articulated this in a song from 1998: "Parents just don't understand!" As the 1990’s drew to a close, the media would have the public believe that teenagers were more different from the rest of society than ever before. Dobbs (2011) unequivocally states that culture has a huge effect on the shaping of adolescents. In terms of music, both gangsta rap artists such as Eminem and DMX and heavy rock groups such as Limp Biskit and Rage Against the Machine were incredibly popular with adolescents. These types of music could be considered overtly aggressive and anarchic compared to both old and contemporary standards. So how did the visual arts portray teenagers at this time?
The breadth of cinema allowed for all the usual stereotypes of teenagers to be portrayed.
The vapid "valley girl" stereotype was perpetuated in Clueless in 1995; the "cheerleader" stereotype was shown in Bring It On in 2001and the "virgin" stereotype was presented in American Pie in 1999. Television dramas sometimes cover a large amount of themes, certainly more than in movies, but they mostly attempt to specialise on one aspect of life (for example, Six Feet Under focuses on death and The X-Files focuses on the supernatural). It is the genre of teen dramas which always attempts to address almost all of the main problems faced by adolescents. Although soap-operas also address many themes also, Berridge (2010) notes that teen dramas take the sentimentality of soap-operas and bring about a sense of contemplation and meditation not seen in soap-operas. I will analyse two specific acclaimed television dramas aimed at teenagers: The O.C. and My So-Called Life (MSCL). MSCL aired in 1994 and The O.C. aired between 2003 and
2007. Both shows are enjoyed by a large amount of fans, with MSCL considered a cult success and The O.C. a certifiable hit in terms of young audiences. There has been much critical debate about the representations of the characters in both programs although generally, articles stick to one very specific aspect of teenage life, such as sexual violence or class mobility. This essay will look at bullying specifically, adding to the debate about how teenagers are represented on popular television. Although other shows such as Dawson’s Creek or 90210 may bring about more interesting conclusions, the shows chosen for this essay might be considered a fairer representation of teenagers. Susan Sontag (2003) writes that humans can feel impelled to view depictions of suffering. Sometimes, such as in the cinema, we feel as though we are far away from the suffering shown to us. However, as humans, we want to recognise the bad things which happen and numb our emotions. In 1994, it was surprising that MSCL was chosen to be aired on ABC since, rather than simply being mindless teen entertainment, it was in fact seen as a depressingly fair and realistic interpretation of what it was like to be a 15 year-old middle-class girl living in the USA. Unlike other media available to the public, television is interesting because it follows one protagonist every week. In addition, unlike film, television allows audiences to build a deep connection to characters. Although Sontag (2003) may write that the connection felt between the suffering on television and the audience may be imaginary, serialised programs build a connection over time. Therefore, whilst watching the first episode of MSCL, the viewer may see the storylines as inconsequential or cliché. However, by the end of the season, after months, the viewer will be fully acquainted with the characters and will empathise more deeply. This is the reason television is such a powerful medium, at least before internet streaming was introduced.