This was submitted as my dissertation for my undergraduate degree at Bath Spa University.
Abstract
A widely discussed topic in the field of film and media is teen films, this is one of the only genres that focuses on a specific age group, if representation is incorrect then this could have an impact on development of teens. This dissertation will study and explore the impact of teen films in regard to representation. This study will examine the literature from film and media to look at the academic opinion of teen films. Ten participants between the ages of 18 and 25 will be interviewed in order to gain qualitative responses about if they feel represented in the genre. This dissertation argues that they will not feel represented, nor will they feel it is educational as the genre is generally exaggerated for comedic effect. However, the results were varied, indicating that there is a potential problem with representation in teen film. Therefore, this study adds to existing literature, particularly in relation to British teens.
Introduction
Hoodlums, hooligans and shenanigans. Within film and media teen films have often been discussed, however, how are teens represented in teen films? Mean Girls (2004) is an interesting film showing the female perspective of high school and it is narrated as if it were the wilderness, where there is a clear alpha who controls the pack and that high school is something to survive. Similarly, to Mean Girls, is the film The Duff (2014) in which the ‘designated ugly fat friend’ as DUFF stands for, who is the most approachable girl of the friendship group who will put in a ‘good word’ to her more attractive peers. Bianca (Mae Whitman) aims to ‘un-DUFF’ herself with the help of her neighbour and this film’s sole subject is about looks. Other teen films, for example, American Pie (1999) would have teens painted as sex obsessed hoodlums who feel the loss of their virginity is a crucial requirement or a ‘rite of passage’ into university. This paper examines the potential impact of teen films on teenagers and to analyse the effect it has on: sex education, representation and virginity loss narratives.
Teen films are one of the only genres in film that focus on a particular age group. Modern teen films have a tendency to show an adolescent’s transition into adulthood and the events that take place like navigating high school and the potential transition into higher education. Thus, one would have to presume they would be represented through this, but how accurate is this representation? Does this have an impact on young impressionable youths? For some, the Department of Education has failed them in sex education and thus they must seek to learn about such matters through alternate means. For example, by using the internet to search for answers, or, potentially, teens could learn about the subject through vicarious reinforcement of the characters seen in teen films.
If representation is not accurate then teens could possibly be trying to live up to an unachievable ‘other’, which could be dangerous to their growth. This paper will ask a sample of participants aged between 18 and 25 what they think about the teen film genre and the impact it has had in their life.
Literature Review
Much of the literature on teen films has emphasised the importance of the role of sex education in this film genre and the implications of teens not being properly educated. The film and media industry have researched teen films and their short history: as they did not emerge until the 1950s, with the start of the genre being born with the film Rebel Without a Cause (1955). Teen films generally portray the life of a teenager and the events they incur; for example, when navigating puberty and virginity loss, as well as surviving high school and getting into college (Nelson, 2017). According to Nelson (2017), teen films are considered easy-to-follow and she believes that such films often become a surprise blockbuster, as it has gained a wider audience than it originally intended. American Pie (1999) can be seen as an example and there is substantial literature surrounding this teen comedy; Pearce (2003) describes it as a new age sex manual and mentions how the viewer can use this film to ‘progress relatively smoothly towards adulthood with particular reference to the management of sexual conduct’ (Pearce, 2003, p.70). She (2003) also identified that American Pie demonstrates important topics such as: non-hegemonic masculinity, female desire and masturbation as a key topic (both male and female) ‘which has traditionally posed as a problem in sex education’ (p.73).
It’s a primary concern of teachers and parents alike that sex education is not as thorough as it could be, therefore, it is interesting to assess whether the teen comedy genre has any impact on helping teens navigate this part of their lives. This is reflected in Brown and Keller’s (2000) consideration of whether mass media could be utilised as an inexpensive way of teaching sex. However, they believe that it is highly unlikely that any media shift will be enough to help show healthier depictions of sexuality (Brown and Keller, 2000, p.255). This is because there is the potential of these children being ‘ambushed by unwanted, unhealthy sexual material or by predators’ (Brown and Keller, 2000, p.256). Nonetheless, Pearce (2006) believes American Pie is a model of a way of using mass media to educate teens about sex. She describes a scene in American Pie where Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) performs oral sex using the ‘book of love’ to teach him how to give his girlfriend an orgasm and draws the conclusion that ‘while by no means a programmatic sex education manual, [it] plays an important part in providing lessons in sex and romance to young male audiences in shaping them as responsible, caring partners’ (Pearce, 2006).
Much of the available literature on teen films, within the film and media industry, deal with the question of representation of young people. Graven (2002) mentions how teen comedies are depicting men as sexually obsessed. Who believes this is evident in the character Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) in American Pie, who makes Jim (Jason Biggs) strip and dance for her. Graven describes Nadia as sexually fearless, however, Clark (2018, p.7) disagrees arguing that the boys objectify girls and use them for sex. Much of the current literature on teen comedies pays particular attention to how public panics can begin when the media discusses teen sexuality; for example, the hysteria caused by American Pie in 1999: ‘Adolescent sexuality often provokes public panic… concerns over teenage pregnancy’ (Ashcraft, 2003, p.37). Nevertheless, despite the coming of age narrative changing significantly over thirty years, ‘losing one’s virginity is perhaps one of the most consistent themes in teen movies’ (Watt, 2006, p.3). Arguably therefore, the heightened response is surprising. The idea of a genre of film dedicated to an age group is perhaps surprising because ‘unlike other genres that are based on subject matter, the young genre is based on the ages of the film‘s characters’ (Shary, 2012, p.578).
‘Getting laid’ and ‘falling in love’, according to Wood (2002, p.3), are two of the themes in teen comedies. This is an interesting view of the genre and is similar to Clark (2018), who argues that the predominant storyline in both American Pie and The Inbetweeners (2008-2010) is sexually orientated. This is evident in American Pie as the central plot is the four boys Jim, Finch, Kevin and Oz all make a pact to lose their virginities by prom. This is prompted after learning that Sherman (Chris Owen) lost his virginity before them, when in fact this was a lie. The rest of the American Pie franchise also focuses on sexually orientated storylines thus proving what Wood (2002) and Clark (2018) said to be true.
Easy A (2010) is a teen comedy that focuses on a sexually orientated storyline. The protagonist Olive (Emma Stone) begins by helping a friend hide the fact that he is gay by pretending to have sex with him, this then spirals into a transactional business where Olive pretends to have sex with multiple people in order for them to gain a reputation and she gets payment for her services (Smith, 2017, p.132-133). Easy A is an interesting film to consider because it shows more of the female perspective. Speed (1998) supports this view arguing that teen films are key as they address the adolescent point of view and that rites of passage storylines are vital to the ascension of adulthood and to greater maturity (p.24). This is important as the genre needs to show a female point of view so that they are fairly represented. Moseley (2002) has discussed teen films and teen television programmes and how they deal with ‘identity formation, exploring and policing the borders of femininity’ (p.403). She mentions how ‘teen films and television shows [are] engaged… in… hegemonic femininities’ (2002, p.405), these hegemonic femininities are described as the essential components of a woman that are described by society. This is evident in Easy A as Olive is a very confident character who speaks candidly about the high school experience and the idea of Chinese whispers.
Research by Carpenter (2009, p.825) indicates that teens use teen comedies as a way to learn and fantasise about future virginity loss, but adults use them as guides for future relationships. Therefore, it is imperative to carefully consider the messages that teen films portray, as they appear to be highly influential for both adolescents and adults. Kelly (2010) argues that there are positive components to virginity loss narratives such as the use of contraception and consensual sex (p.480), although, it has the potential to be problematic as there is a lack of representation surrounding female desire. Likewise, Aubrey (2004) noted that in teen programming men treat and view women as sexual objects. On the other hand, Nowell (2014) found a significant difference as he believed that teen comedies are made for girls with ‘female friendly teen sex comedies like American Pie, Sixteen Candles (1984) and Can’t Hardly Wait (1998)’ (2014, p.24). Johnson (2015), however, contradicts this as he believes that teen comedies are only marketed towards young men.
Nonetheless, Jones (2013) discusses female sexuality in the virginity loss narrative. She (2013) notes how female sexuality is complex because ‘popular media instructs young girls to be sexy and yet expect that they will regulate their own expressions of sexuality’ (p.65). Jones’ research indicated that the female characters in three key texts felt a sense of loss after losing their virginities. Additionally, she observed that there are negative consequences also seen in teen dramas where there is a ‘‘strong social assumption’ that these teenagers must face consequences as a deterrent for teenage sexual activity’ (Jones, 2013, p.73). Although, this article looks at Teen TV shows, it is highly relevant to teen films as both portray teens navigating their lives. However, it is more likely that the viewer will see more plot and background surrounding one’s virginity loss in teen TV shows. One could argue that what teen films are lacking is the build-up of sexual tension and foreplay, and the aftermath of losing one’s virginity, which is not often considered in the teen films. Arguably, therefore, teen films do not depict healthy perceptions of sex, love and romance.
So far, virginity loss in teen films have been discussed, however it has been considered from a heteronormative perspective. Jenkins (2005) discusses how ‘lesbian sexuality has become more explicitly manifested in mainstream’ (p.491) and this is deemed to be the heterosexualization of lesbianism. Jenkins (2005) uses an example from American Pie 2 (2001) where Amber (Lisa Arturo) and Danielle (Denise Faye) pretend to be lesbians to teach Jim, Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and Stiffler (Seann William Scott) a lesson about heteronormative assumptions. Jenkins concludes that filmmakers heterosexualise lesbian content and how this speaks to Laura Mulvey’s psychoanalytic theory of a male’s ‘gaze’ (2005, p.499). This ‘male gaze’, is a psychoanalytic term created by Mulvey to describe the outlook of the camera. From an unconscious point of view, we, the audience watch everything through the male gaze (Mulvey, 1975). The man has his phallus and instead of seeing this as power, which is what it represents, he sees the woman’s ‘lack’ and feels threatened by it and this is castration anxiety (Mulvey, 1975). In order to diminish castration anxiety, the camera makes the woman appear safe through fragmentation of her form (Mulvey 1975). The visual pleasure of the woman is fetishistic and voyeuristic, this is structured in a way that the representation of the woman serves the men in the narrative and in the cinema (Mulvey, 1975). Mulvey’s central thesis argues that the underlying frameworks of all mainstream cinema are organised around male desire, which is what the scene in American Pie 2 functions as. The boys ask the girls in the scene to ‘perform’ for them in a way that is sexually pleasing to them.
A great deal of previous research into teen comedies has focused on the sexual activity of teens within the genre. However, there is little mention of how much of a key role masturbation plays in teen comedies, which tends to typically only be referred to comically within the film. For example, in the opening scene of American Pie, ‘Jim is in his bedroom, underwear and other clothing on the floor. Jim is trying to watch porn on his television on scrambled channels. He celebrates when he is able to decipher the image of a female breast’ (Johnson, 2015, p.61), then ‘Mr Levenstein pulls Jim’s pillow which uncovers his erection sheathed inside of a tube sock’ (Johnson, 2015, p.61). Masturbation is important to the teen comedy genre as it is a pivotal moment of growing up. Typically, however, masturbation is only shown through male characters. Cann and Horton (2015, p.5) explore the representation of ’youth masculinity in contemporary Hollywood comedy’. They also argue that there are issues surrounding the coming of age narrative and gender. Cann and Horton consider contemporary youth masculinities and hegemonic masculinity theory to better understand masculine stereotypes in contemporary Hollywood films (2015, p.9). Johnson (2015) recognises that male teens are the target audience for the teen sex comedy genre. He also raises a very important question about masturbation; he does this by quoting a scene from American Pie 2 in which Jim accidentally uses super glue instead of lubricant thus gluing his hand to his penis and his other hand to a porn video tape. This scene is followed by Jim’s dad (Eugene Levy), who is always there for an awkward dad talk, who meets him at the hospital and accepts the fact ‘boys will be boys’. Johnson raises an interesting question about whether or not Mr Levenstein’s response would have been the same if he had a daughter in the exact situation (2015, p.66).
Zacharek also makes interesting points about teen comedies knocking ‘spots off their adult equivalent’ (1999, p.20). The reason, according to Zacharek, is ‘watching the new breed of teen movies: seeing young people navigate the alternately funny and treacherous territory of sexual politics, making all the mistakes we made and some new ones’ (1999, p.20), which creates a sense of nostalgia amongst adults. Zacharek uses multiple examples to support her point, and claims that most recent movies are ‘aimed at teenagers [like] 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)… and particularly American Pie- have a more realistic and intelligent grasp of the tenuous truce between the sexes than contemporary movies aimed at adults’ (Zacharek, 1999, p.20). This is why teen comedies are so successful as they have a larger audience than most would anticipate. Although, teen comedy success may not necessarily be positive when we consider the role that mass media plays in the perception of sex, love and romance. Indeed, ‘many social critics, relationship therapists and popular books about coupleship have accused the mass media of brainwashing consumers with portrayals of romanticized love that is unattainable as a goal’ (Galician, 2004, p.13).
Methodology
The research was conducted using semi-structured qualitative interviews, which will allow the interviewer ask questions on a number of topics using a ‘flexible’ approach (Denscombe, 2014, p.187). An important part of this research is understanding experiences and opinions; therefore, qualitative data was considered most appropriate for this study, furthermore, the use of qualitative data will better understand emotions and other feelings associated and draw a more valid conclusion based on genuine feelings.
Aims and Objectives
I hypothesise that participants will find that teen comedies are not representative nor educational, as most of the genre is exaggerated for comedic effect. This study aims to identify in a sample of 18-25-year olds how represented they feel the teen comedy genre is in relation to their own experiences and aims to use this research to add to the film and media industry to attempt to answer the question; is the way that teens are represented in teen films realistic? In order to ensure that the best result was achieved I conducted a pilot interview and acted upon feedback given to adapt questions to ensure better results. The pilot participant felt I could have added more textual analysis to help the participant understand my point of reference. I have acted upon this feedback by adding written examples of the scenes into my questions.
Participants
Ten participants took part in this study from Bath Spa University, aged between 18-25 and is an equal sample of men and women. These participants have remained anonymous and will be referred to in the analysis as participant (number). The semi-structured interviews were recorded using Sonocent to allow for better recall later when writing up the findings. Furthermore, all interviews were transcribed and are in Appendix eleven to twenty.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Semi-Structured Interviews
An advantage of this type of interview is that they are easy to arrange, and the opinions given are from one source, being the interviewee, thus helps the researcher to locate specific ideas. A further advantage is that one-to-one interviews are easy to control. However, the interviewer needs to be aware that due to possible interviewer bias the interviewer may have an unconscious bias which could impair the responses provided (Denscombe, 2014, p.189).
Risks and Ethics
There are risks and ethical problems that could occur because of the sensitive topic of the research; these will be discussed in the table below (see table 1).
Risk: participants may not want to contribute as the information is sensitive.
Action taken: all participants will remain anonymous and will have the right to withdraw at any point and their data will consequently be destroyed. All data will be kept safe throughout and destroyed when the project has been moderated.
Risk: Participants may worry about how their data is being used.
Action taken: Consent forms will need to be signed outlining: what will be asked of them, what I will do with the data, how they have the right to withdraw at any time and anonymity is guaranteed.
Examples of similar studies
As mentioned in the literature review, Carpenter (2008) interviewed a sample of adults to understand their views about teen comedies. Similarly, Shapiro et al. (n.d.) surveyed 123 late adolescents between the ages of 18 and 25 about their attitudes to romantic relationships and media (Galician, 2004).
Findings and Analysis
Discussion
In this research the overall perception of teen films was examined so the researcher could ascertain an answer to the question; is the way teens are represented in teen films realistic? As well as assessing; if it has had an impact on their life, if it could ever be used for an educational purpose (inside or outside of the classroom) and if, when they were teenagers, did they ever feel represented? The last question is of the utmost importance; because if teen films are about teens then representation should be accurate seeing as it specifies a certain age group. These results are representative of ten participants between the ages of 18-25 and consist of five men and five women.
Analysis
The majority of participants (80%) felt that there was a difference in the portrayal of virginity loss in TV and film (question one), and two participants stated that TV can explore more because it has more time to address the theme of virginity loss in its scheduling: ‘whereas in a film it is something that happens and that is it’ (participant two). This contradicts Pearce’s (2006) view that American Pie is a model way of using mass media to educate teens about sex. However, this supports Jones (2013), who believes teen television shows allow for more of a build-up and show the aftermath of what incurs after a loss of virginity, both physically and mentally.
Interestingly, four participants felt that film explored more surrounding virginity loss: ‘in films it is a big part of the plot but in TV it might just be one episode’ (participant three). One participant felt that the watershed of television programming meant that some television series have to apply to a younger audience. She gave an example about American Pie, which is a 15; this was supported by another participant who felt film could ‘get away with a lot more than TV’ (participant four). This was further acknowledged by a participant who believed there was ‘a stronger emphasis on virginity loss in movies in comparison to TV shows’ (participant eight). She interestingly noted that this was ‘especially in British TV as it is a taboo, but when it is brought up e.g. The Inbetweeners (2008-2010) … it is not a realistic account’ (participant eight). A further interviewee discussed the difference, stating that ‘in TV there is far less of a focus on it, but in movies obviously you are limited to the hour and a half. There’s a big focus on the speed of it and how they put a lot more weight on it than in TV’ (participant ten). Two of those who agreed there was a difference felt however, that the portrayal was more awkward and un-realistic in film.
Nevertheless, those who disagreed thought that both TV and film did not show much of a difference in their portrayal of virginity loss. One participant stated that it was ‘something hyped up to be a really important thing that everyone cares about’ (participant five); and it was described as an ‘awkward thing. In films it is seen as comic relief and played up… in TV it is kind of a side story but just seen as a sexy thing, especially in shows like Teen Wolf (2011-2017) and The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017)’ (participant seven). It is interesting that they mentioned Teen Wolf and The Vampire Diaries. According to Harpier on TV.com, Teen Wolf ‘doesn't make a spectacle of sexual experience, especially losing one's virginity. Sex—whether you're having it or not—is an important part of maturing into an adult, and Teen Wolf treats it with its due respect’ (TV.com, 2014). However, one must consider that Teen Wolf is a teen drama and horror fiction, so therefore, the TV series may not focus more on the sexual aspect of the characters as they are dealing with other bodily changes (that of being a werewolf). The same can be said of The Vampire Diaries, although a slight contradiction is that the protagonist, Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) falls in love with both Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) and the storyline revolves around romance and occasionally intercourse while also following the supernatural plot.
The chart below (Pie Chart One) indicates the key themes highlighted by the interviewees. The responses to this question were quite varied, however, a quarter did state that sex was one of the most prominent themes. Despite virginity loss being one of the most pursued narratives in the teen film genre, participants felt there were other more prominent themes; for example, 15% felt that popularity was one of the most key topics. Three participants stated that popularity was an important theme; this is reflected in the film Mean Girls (2004). This iconic teen film shows Cady (Lindsay Lohan) trying to fit in after moving back to the United States from South Africa. Cady gathers the attention of the ‘queen bee’ Regina (Rachel McAdams) and attempts to infiltrate the gang who she and her two friends label The Plastics. This film shows how toxic high school can be and it all stems from popularity and power. Within this teen comedy, popularity is one of the key themes as The Plastics are the most popular and un-attainable set of girls. Cady, Janis (Lizzy Caplan) and Damian (Daniel Franzese) attempt to break apart the fundamentals of the group in order to destroy the hierarchy. They do this by separating Regina and Aaron (Jonathan Bennett), destroying her beauty, and turning the other Plastics, Gretchen Wieners (Lacey Chabert) and Karen Smith (Amanda Seyfried), against her.
Pie Chart One- a visual portrayal of the responses given to question two.
Ten percent of the participants said they felt alcohol and comedy were prominent themes in the genre; the most obvious example is in American Pie where the characters frequently partake in underage drinking leading to funny adventures between the protagonists. For example, in a hungover state the boys (Jim, Finch, Oz and Kevin) make a pact to lose their virginity and this is arguably the most iconic scene within the series. The remaining participants mentioned a number of themes including: party, prom, graduation, falling in love, relationships, appearance and romance. Most of these can fit into similar categories for example, nudity can be related to sex with participant one saying; ‘virginity intertwines with nudity… but they try to make it funny as well otherwise if they made it all about nudity and virginity, they won’t really sell it as viewers will think its soft porn’. Participant eight also mentioned how sex and popularity are linked as ‘the popular people are the ones having sex’. It should be noted, however, that there are films where the unpopular character is having sex, for example in Kick-Ass (2010) the protagonist Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Katie Deauxma (Lyndsy Fonesca) have a very public sex scene behind the comic bookstore. Although Dave is an unpopular character, his super-hero alter ego ‘Kick-Ass’ could be described as popular.
According to Wood (2002), ‘getting laid’ and ‘falling in love’ are two of the most prominent themes in the genre. In total, 40% of those interviewed mentioned these key themes, but as an umbrella term. Watt (2006) also argued that ‘losing one’s virginity is perhaps one of the most consistent themes in teen movies’ (p.3), however, this current research found participants stating a wider range of themes.
Masturbation, is arguably, a very important moment in a pubescent teen’s life as it allows them to learn about the transition from teen to adult; this passage is often shown in teen movies. Before asking my participants the question (question three) I first described two scenes in American Pie, which were as follows: Jim, the main character, first enters our screen in his room with a tube sock on his penis, he is attempting to masturbate to scrambled channels on his television when his mother walks in (Johnson, 2015, p.61). At first Jim tries to get her to leave quickly but she hears the pornography in the background and realises what is happening (Johnson, 2015, p.61). This is shortly followed by Jim’s dad entering the scene and it very quickly becomes awkward (Johnson, 2015, p.61). Later on in the film, Jim asks his best friend Oz what ‘third base’ feels like (third base is a baseball reference for how ‘far’ someone has gone with their partner; third base is touching below the waist without sexual intercourse taking place) and Oz replies that it feels like ‘warm apple pie’. Later on, Jim comes home to find his mother has made him and his father an apple pie and thus Jim finds this an opportunity to see what a vagina would feel like. See Pie Chart two for the visual representation of the results given to question three.
Pie Chart Two- a visual representation of the results given to question three.
When the participants were asked about this, the majority mentioned how they believe that it is a comical thing, with participants two, three, four, seven and ten all thinking it was from a comical standpoint. Participant two said ‘it is used mainly from a comical standpoint, it is always the character who can’t get laid, who does it to make up for other short falls in a storyline’. The short falls that the participant referenced is a lack of a sex life and thus the character must seek pleasure in another way.
Participant three said ‘It’s definitely funny. I don’t know how necessarily accurate it is. I can’t imagine any guy that I know f…ing a pie after that’. Participant seven agreed stating, ‘in American Pie it is seen as a loud, messy thing, and with the pie, no one would do that in real-life… it is seen as ‘that’s how a vagina would feel’ and that teen boys will hump anything to get pleasure’. This is also supported by participant six who said, ‘this is an unrealistic representation of what it is like no one is going to put their penis in a pie’. This led the researcher to investigate this further and consequently found an article by Playboy. The article aims to find out if a pie can be a replacement for a woman and the author drew the conclusion that ‘yes apple pie does kind of feel like a real woman… the experience definitely pales in comparison, so don’t think an apple pie will ever make for a suitable substitute’ (Box, 2019). It also mentions how a pie is cheaper than the similar and more expensive alternative, ‘the average Fleshlight retails for around $70. Of course, with pies you’ll only get one use out of them, maybe two if you’re careful. So, I guess a Fleshlight is the better investment over time’ (Box, 2019). While talking to participants it was clear that a slight majority found it funny, although there were some who felt that the representations were unrealistic; indeed, 45% felt that the representation was shameful, made them ‘cringe’, unrealistic and humiliating. In a teenager’s life it is perhaps one of the most embarrassing moments if they get ‘caught in the act’ and is a possible explanation as to why teen films portray it in this way. Research by Watson and McKee (2013, quoted in Godson, 2015) indicates that ‘despite scientific consensus that masturbation is normal, safe and healthy, it is rarely, if ever, alluded to in sex education. Research shows that young people view masturbation as “taboo”, “dirty”, “a cause of embarrassment”, “a joke” and a “substitute for proper sex”’. This is reflected in participant four’s response, as it was clear that they thought the masturbation portrayal was funny, they stated that they perceived as a ‘shameful act which is why it is funnier when they are walked in on’.
Participants were asked probably one of the most crucial questions: ‘do you feel represented in teen films?’ (question four) This question was asked because teen films are one of the only genres that is based on someone’s age, which is why one could believe that representation is key. These movies are clearly marketed towards young people and, therefore, the content is impressionable and could have an impact on their futures. Interestingly, 80% felt that they did not feel represented in teen films.
A number of participants mentioned that they do not feel represented, although, suggested that they do in British programming, for example, one participant said ‘not in teen movies but I feel like in [a] TV series, like The Inbetweeners is where I relate more because lots of popular teen films are Americanised or older. So, they relate to a different culture or generation’ (participant nine). When participants discussed the ‘Americanisation’ of films and how they do not feel represented, it makes one consider how similar British and American teens actually are. Although they are both first world, of a similar age, similar biological experiences (puberty) and both have access to good education, the two cultures have different experiences. For example, British humour is something that most Americans do not understand. In the US, the legal age of consent is eighteen, whereas in the UK it is sixteen. Also, in the US the legal age of alcohol consumption is twenty-one, however, in the UK it is eighteen. These examples all show how American and British teens are quite different and that could explain why British teens (and my interviewees) do not feel represented in teen films.
According to the participants, the characters in The Inbetweeners are representative of British teens ‘even though they look a bit older, they at least look more like teenagers, there’s not much unrealistic expectations of men or women’ (participant three) and participant four agreed saying, ‘I felt most represented in the inbetweeners’. However, only one participant said that they do feel represented in teen films; ‘more recently, yes, older films are pretty much all the same, but more recent films have branched out. There is a film called BookSmart (2019), I guess it is not typical blonde, American girls. It does not represent me entirely, but it is closer to me than what they (teen films) used to be like’ (participant two). The film referenced, BookSmart, is about two teenage girls who in lieu of graduation decide that they should get the full ‘high school experience’ which leads to a chaotic night.
One participant mentioned that stereotypes portrayed in teen films are a reason why they do not feel represented; ‘I consider myself an awkward nerd and even with that in mind I am still misrepresented. Nerds in movies are hyperbolised stereotypes that are so far removed from what people are actually like’ (participant six).Such stereotypes referenced are: the ‘jock’/’cheerleader’, the ‘school diva’ or ‘it girl’, the ‘geek’ or ‘nerd’, the ‘rebel’, the ‘misfit’ or the ‘outcast’, the boy/girl ‘next door’, the ‘loner’, the ‘band geek’, ‘class hottie’, ‘class clown’, the ‘stoner’, the ‘athlete’ and the ‘queen bee’. This list is not exhaustive, however, as some teen films seek to break some of stereotypes and can often combine stereotypes. For example, in Geek Charming (2011) the main character Dylan (Sarah Hyland) is both smart and popular.
As noted in the literature review, Graven (2002) states that ‘teen comedies depict men as sexually obsessed’, due to the age of this research the researcher felt it would be useful to examine the relevance eighteen years later (question five). All of the participants agreed with this statement, however, some questioned the place of women in this; for example, one participant said they ‘agree, but I do not think it is fair to say that females are not represented as the same, it goes both ways for both genders. I suppose Mean Girls came out in 2006’ (participant five). This participant is referencing an iconic scene in Mean Girls where Regina and Shane (Diego Klattenhoff) are kissing and Regina’s mother (Amy Poehler) says ‘can I get you guys anything? Some snacks? A condom? Let me know! Oh, God love ya’; the scene shows Regina’s heightened libido, meaning that women can be as sexually obsessed as men in the teen film genre. However, in a similar study conducted by Steele (2002), found that ‘males want action and sex; girls want romance and information on how to be in the world’ (p.237). Steele also found that ‘young teens want to sample life through a slapstick comedy, older teens prefer more sophisticated humour and intrigue. Teens gravitate toward movies that feature people their own age or older’ (2002, p.237).
Teen comedies have an element to them that could potentially be educational. Interestingly, when participants were asked about whether or not viewers could learn anything from this specific genre (question six) 100% said yes, although, they all had varied responses in how it was educational and the potential effects they could have. One participant said ‘I think you could learn more about sex positivity… You could potentially learn about acceptance… if you are nerdy, embrace it’ (participant three). Most participants mentioned the relationship between teen films and sex education, although, one participant stated: ‘it is also quite negative in that aspect as people expect things to happen because it happened in a movie’ (participant four) and one participant felt that ‘there are things to be learnt in anything… If teaching impressionable teens that virginity loss needs to be lost… then it is something learnt but not necessarily the right thing’ (participant six). Furthermore, another participant mentioned ‘it taught me that sex and alcohol were a thing which people do as they get older’ (participant nine). The responses to this question, interestingly, prompted many of the participants to reference a link between sex education and teen films.
There were, however, some participants who felt that ‘there are things to be learnt from the teen comedy genre, at the same time it is not meant to be educational, it is for entertainment purposes’ (participant five). Others mentioned how it can help people understand new situations that might come up in their life, ‘like depression, a death of a loved one’ (participant seven). Another participant said ‘I have even used what I have seen in films to help with everyday circumstances’ (participant eight) and another, ‘I think, in a way, it kind of normalises a lot of things that teenagers potentially struggle with, I suppose it makes things not so bad’ (participant ten).
The most interesting out of all the responses comes from participant one who felt ‘they can learn, sex isn’t everything … I think American Pie could actually be studied in PSHE lessons, this is what you can or cannot do’ (participant one). PSHE, now known as SRE is the Sex and Relationships Education and it is compulsory from age eleven onwards (Gov.uk, 2019). By the end of secondary school pupils must learn a range of topics that are required by law, for example; ‘marriage, consent, pornography, abortion, sexuality, gender identity and female genital mutilation (FGM)’ (Department for Education, 2019, p.30). Most of these issues can be seen in films: marriage is often a popular storyline, like in Bride Wars (2009), which features two brides who were best friends that fight over wedding days. Abortion is a topic that has been recently shown in 13 Reasons Why (2017-present) where Chloe (Anne Winters) gets a very graphic abortion at a young age.
The potential impact that bad representation can have is worrying to consider, which is why the researcher felt it was important to explore whether this was an issue (question seven). Approximately a third of participants experienced an impact, with one participant saying ‘I think as a guy, movies and sort of my peers gave me a pressure to lose my virginity and that is something prominent in films and it is a challenge for us, the older you get the worse it is. Like a rite of passage’ (participant four) and another mentioned ‘for me personally I feel it demonised the idea of sex. It made me think my world would end if people found out I had lost my virginity… I genuinely believed I would be disowned for losing my virginity’ (participant six). The most concerning response was ‘yes definitely, I was petrified about coming to University as a virgin because of films I had seen in which it was rare there was a virgin at University and if there was, they were usually shunned’ (participant eight). The idea of someone with a genuine fear of the implications of not losing their virginity at a certain time (that may or may not be right for them) is worrying, therefore, it is imperative that teen films understand their influence and the potential impact.
It was then interesting to consider the role of sex education in the wider media and, therefore, the final question (question eight) asked whether interviewees felt that mass media could be used as a healthy way of educating about sex. All of the participants agreed, highlighting the potential for mass media as a means for teens to learn about sex away from the classroom, which can often be a place of discipline. Often the classroom environment is not an ideal place for sex education as students are around their peers and thus may not ask questions, pay attention or feel that because of their reputation (ie class clown) that they need to make a joke out of the situation. Furthermore, academic discipline could lead to negative associations with sex education. One participant would seem to agree with this saying ‘in PSHE you will be with your class, people will not want to talk about these things’ (participant one). However, two participants both felt that mass media already encourages safe sex.
Interestingly, participant four referenced the Netflix original show, Sex Education (2019-present), which shows the leading male protagonist Otis (Asa Butterfield) who becomes an off-licence sex therapist to his high school peers and through this show people could potentially learn about other sexual problems. The participant felt Sex Education was ‘tastefully and realistically detailed’ (participant four), and another stated: ‘it is going to benefit someone even if it is just one person’ (participant five). A further participant said ‘yes, definitely, charities like Sexpression should utilise social media to share informative sexual health advice among those who need it most’ (participant eight). The charity Sexpression is a non-profit charity who ‘aim for a society in which young people are able to access reliable information about relationships, sex and sexuality’ (Sexpression, 2019).
Even though all participants agreed that mass media could be used as a healthy way to educate about sex, some felt that it does not mean there will not be implications: ‘although in a lot of ways it could be bad, like applying pressure on teens to lose their virginities before they were ready’ (participant three). Furthermore, one participant said:
media has a massive influence on education and … social media has the ability to influence… behaviour [whether it be good or bad] … as a society we need to be careful about what we are putting out there for society, more specifically the younger generation, to view. If we put the message [out there] that sex is healthy… then we have the power to make it common practice. (participant six)
The overall reception of teen films was positive in terms of nostalgia and positive memories, however, the hypothesis of this research that participants will find that teen comedies are not representative nor educational, as most of the genre is exaggerated for comedic effect, is somewhat true, as the results were varied. Only a fifth of participants felt represented in teen comedies, due to the difference between British and American teens, in terms of culture. However, the results of this study are not necessarily representative enough of teens as a whole, as all participants were white, from the United Kingdom and did not identify as ‘other’. This is a category that might be underrepresented in teen films and their opinions could change the outlook and the hypothesis of the research conducted.
Conclusion
Within this dissertation there have been many interesting discoveries, which will benefit the film and media industry. One of which is how different British teens are to American teens, and how British teens’ sex education is lacking in information. It also found that there was an impact that teen films had on their life, with one participant being scared about when to lose their virginity.
This paper has discovered the potential impact that teen films have had on adult’s adolescent time. It asked participants if teen films can be used to educate about sex, about if they feel represented and how they felt about the virginity loss narrative. The most interesting throughout this dissertation is that only one fifth of participants felt represented in teen films. This genre is about teens and if only 20 per cent feel represented then there is a potential lack of accuracy within this field. To further this research a wider sample could be interviewed, for example, the LGBTQ+ community, and others from different ethnicities. There is also potential to see the representational difference between British and American teens.
If the researcher were to do this again; there would be more participants interviewed of varying ethnicities, genders and sexualities. Although the responses given were insightful and useful to understanding teen films this is, however, a niche response because of a small number of interviewees, the small number of questions and a small word count which could allow for a much wider understanding to this topic.
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