sharays ercole freborn
Gordon Neal
Love, loss, trauma, and murder? That's all in an hour's work for a great teen drama. Starting with shows like Degrassi and Beverly Hills, 90210, teen dramas have flourished into a massive genre over the past three decades, tackling tough issues while exploring the dramatic emotional lives of teens as they date, fall in love, deal with their parents, and try to survive high school.
As a result, my perspective on what a teen should and shouldn\u2019t look like was completely warped and remains so to this day. I started watching \u201CBeverly Hills, 90210\u201D before I was even double-digits and found myself shocked when I reached high school and everyone around me looked so young. True, my high school started with seventh grade, not ninth, but no one looked as I expected them to, especially when we graduated as seniors.
\u201CEven now at 20-years-old, I still feel 14 at times. Looking at my high school yearbook, I don\u2019t think any of us look like seniors. That\u2019s because I always I thought when you got to senior year, the college age, etc. you would look older and adult-like. Where did that view come from? Shows like \u201890210,\u2019 of course, where high school students were played by people in their 20s and 20 year olds played by those in their 30s. My idea of how a person my age should look still remains distorted. I don\u2019t think I look like I\u2019m in college, because I turn on the television and see twenty-something Jennie Garth and Jason Priestley walking around fictional CU. And that right there is the answer \u2014 it\u2019s fictional. I look around my Northwestern campus and see that no one looks like the \u2018students\u2019 at CU. I\u2019m definitely affected by TV but at some point you have to stop letting it affect your reality. It\u2019s just not always easy or clear how to do that.\u201D
Indeed, I still struggle with this. When I meet new people, I am horrible at assessing their ages. That\u2019s because what\u2019s been ingrained in my head as what, say, a \u201C16-year-old\u201D looks like isn\u2019t actually a 16-year-old at all. People like to mock the teen dramas for casting 20-somethings as teens, but the consequences aren\u2019t always a joke.
Most consequential, though, is not necessarily the age of teen drama stars and how that has colored how we view people around us, but the unrealistic beauty standards these shows implicitly and explicitly endorsed. Not only is my perspective on physical appearances messed up because of the mismatch between cast members\u2019 ages and their characters\u2019 ages, but because of the type of people cast on these shows. You know what I mean: actors who are tall and ripped with chiseled jaws, actresses who are trim (if not scary-skinny) and fit enough to show a bare midriff.
Let\u2019s be real: Which version of me in the above split-photo would most likely be cast in a teen drama? Obviously the me on the left. Is it any wonder Hollywood standards have led me to be disgusted by the me on the right?
As a case study, I\u2019d like to highlight a few storylines on \u201COne Tree Hill.\u201D I recall being touched by the way the series tried to combat stereotypes and the consequences of judging a book by its cover in episode 4.13, \u201CPictures of You.\u201D Among the plot points in the episode is Glenda\u2019s unpopularity and overweight appearance and the way her mom insults her because of it. Over the course of the episode, Lucas tries to help her realize her worth. When I interviewed Amber Wallace, Glenda\u2019s portrayer, in 2010, she shared:
\u201CI think it helps that I have a different look from a lot of actresses today. That\u2019s something that I really enjoy because I do tend to play characters that impart that message. It is an important message, not to judge people if they\u2019re different and that people need to be happy with themselves if they are different.\u201D
We also discussed the positive fan reaction she was receiving for being paired romantically with Steger on \u201C90210.\u201D As I pointed out then, \u201CThe show has gotten criticism in the past for having these lead female characters who are stick-figure thin and now people are refreshed to see this new body type on the show.\u201D But the reality is, characters who looked like Wallace were few and far between throughout the genre, and they were rarely used in meaningful ways.
Now consider another part of the aforementioned \u201COne Tree Hill\u201D episode: Despite being popular and pretty, Brooke\u2019s insecurities shine through as she confesses feeling not good enough, particularly since her parents are largely absent from her life. Reminder: Brooke is played by the stunning Sophia Bush. Still, apparently we were supposed to realize that even the the school\u2019s resident hot chick has their issues. The lesson, as conveyed by Brooke\u2019s love interest, Chase, was said to be, \u201CPeople are gonna label you, it\u2019s how you overcome those labels. That\u2019s what matters.\u201D True. But while even the most beautiful among us is entitled to be self-conscious, if Brooke freakin\u2019 Davis didn\u2019t think she was pretty or good enough, how were the rest of us normal-looking people supposed to feel?
Let\u2019s not overlook effects on the male psyche, either, and depictions of certain male characters. Throughout nine seasons of \u201COne Tree Hill,\u201D it was repeatedly made clear that Mouth (Lee Norris) wasn\u2019t one of the \u201Chunks.\u201D But the worst came in the show\u2019s last year, when the decision was made to have the formerly always-thin Mouth gain weight, which was accomplished with a fat suit and prosthetics.
As seen in the clips above, however, the show\u2019s idea of \u201Cfat\u201D wasn\u2019t anything all that objectionable at all. Still, everyone acted like Mouth was now morbidly obese. Not only did this allow for Mouth\u2019s size to be used for comedy and mockery, but the message seemed to be that those who are overweight are problematic. Obviously, some people who are larger do face legitimate health issues, but nothing about this storyline was handled smartly, sensibly, or respectfully.
As TV viewers, we are willing participants. We choose what we consume. We can always change the channel if we don\u2019t like something or are offended by a storyline. But sometimes the influence shows have on us is hard to detect. It\u2019s almost like they affect us subconsciously. It makes me wonder what the effect may be of watching dozens and dozens of episodes of \u201CBeverly Hills, 90210\u201D or \u201CGossip Girl\u201D with purported teens in provocative, barely-there clothing, or the consequences of watching Barton\u2019s Marissa on \u201CThe O.C.\u201D when her skinniness seemed to border on unhealthy at times, or the psychological impacts of seeing AnnaLynne McCord\u2019s Naomi strip down not once, but twice, to seduce a guy on \u201C90210.\u201D
In the above scenes, McCord was in her early 20s, but we were supposed to think she was a teenager and apparently also supposed to think that\u2019s what teenagers should look like (and do look like). (Not-so-fun fact: McCord and I are exactly one day apart in age and I have never looked like that.)
\u201CAll of these shows, whether meant to be realistic or glamorous, warp the perceptions of their teenage fans. Even shows that are meant to be completely fantastical, like \u2018Teen Wolf,\u2019 still cast 20-year-olds as high school sophomores, creating misleading expectations about appearances for actual teenagers that can have lasting consequences. While wish-fulfillment shows are more blatantly corrosive, shows like \u2018Skins\u2019 or \u2018Euphoria\u2019 almost overcorrect in trying to distinguish themselves from the rest, with characters living similarly unattainable lives.\u201D
\u201CWith this inaccurate casting comes pressure for real-life teenagers to always strive to appear older. Many have identified the risks that social media poses to adolescents, particularly in regards to body image and mental health. Especially with the advent of social media, many feel that they should grow up quickly. Girls, in particular, feel the pressure of a constant emphasis on presentation and brand curation. While it is perhaps impossible to stop middle and high schoolers from wanting to be older, very few depictions of teenagers make immaturity seem like an acceptable option. These television shows essentially present an escapist fantasy as a possible reality tantalizingly close to being realized. They promise their young audience that they, too, can and should live the lives of their characters.\u201D
\u201CAs we age out of the target audience for teen television, these shows now haunt us as a reminder of what we thought high school would be. Instead of being happy with our experiences, we can\u2019t help but wish that somehow we had been different. This is at the core of what fuels the demand for shows like \u2018Euphoria\u2019; they are generation-defining, but only in the sense that they set impossible goals that each generation is left to emulate as best as it can.\u201D
This hits the nail on the head for me while, of course, ignoring all of the legitimate positives that have come from the teen dramas and the good ways they have impacted viewers\u2019 lives \u2014 mine included, clearly. But examining the genre for all its worth means also acknowledging the negatives, the problems, and the ways in which these shows fell short. And the way they affected how fans like myself view physical appearances, in terms of both age and beauty, is an example of the teen dramas missing the mark.
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If "One Tree Hill" drew you in with its small-town high school sports drama in the early seasons, you must watch "Friday Night Lights." The drama aired on NBC for five seasons starting in 2006 and followed Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) and his team of East Dillon Lions as they all navigated their way through the highs and lows of the high school football season.
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