A group that we may want to represent within our project is teenagers. We
are considering teenagers because being teenagers ourselves, we can relate
to their feelings and actions. We can contradict some of the common ways of
how teengers are represented, which is typically lazy, disrespectful, promiscuous,
and technology obsessed. The media also makes it seem that the main goal of
teenagers is superficial beliefs, such as looks and popularity, and that other talents,
such as smarts, are virtually unimportant and are actually discouraged in the
fictional realm of a media-style high school.
Two examples of teenagers in media are in “Mean Girls” and “Gossip Girl”. In
“Mean Girls” the teenagers are seen as comically superficial. They discourage
the main character for being good at math, go to wild parties, and are more
consumed with their love lives and popularity than being good friends. This
portrays teenagers very negatively, they are seen as monsters in miniskirts and
lots of makeup. The teenagers in Gossip Girl are represented very similarly. The
rich Upper East Side New York students in this tv show are seen as very
irresponsible and disrespectful, only caring about buying expensive things and
being in the popular group with the two main characters. Once again, the students
who are academically inclined at the school are the runts of the school and portrayed
as outsiders. The show follows the students into adulthood and it is not until their
early 20s that they start to develop a work ethic and are seen as more responsible,
a drastic shift from how they are portrayed in their teenage years.
As teenagers, we feel that although there is a slight truth to some of this representation,
it is mainly false. Yes it is true that teenagers, along with adults, have an urge to fit
in with the crowd; however, that is not the only thing that teenagers care about. In
reality, the students who can maintain a healthy social life on top of doing well in
school are highly respected. Teenagers understand that there is more to life than
popularity and looks. Especially recently, teenagers have become extremely active
in politics and activism, proving the way we are portrayed in media is incorrect. In
our film opening, we will most likely challenge the representation. We may keep the
characteristics that teenagers have an urge to make friends and not be an outsider,
but we will challenge the lazy, wild, disrespectful, superficial beliefs that adults have
about teenagers.
