High School Stereotypes

Pretty Little Liars “The Jenna Thing” episode High School Stereotypes

ABC’s television series, Pretty Little Liars was popularized to viewers in the summer of 2010. This teen drama, thriller-mystery has caught the attention of many across the U.S. as it keeps people thinking about what may happen next. Pretty Little Liars deals closely with four high school teenagers who all represent bad examples for high school kids who are watching. The characters include, sad Aria, rebellious Hanna, smart Spencer, and sexually confused Emily. This show is supposed to be aimed at high school students 14+ but it seems to be too grown up with the content that is shown. Likewise, some of the actions and activities they partake in are things that are for much older crowds.

Across America, there are an abundance of teens that spend a lot of their free time watching television. That being said, now more than ever there are several shows that depict teens drinking alcohol. According to NCBI, “primetime television from the 1998-1999 season stated that, 84 percent of TV-14-rated programming depicted alcohol use” (Bonnie 1). That is a big percent that teens are viewing everyday. The problem with this is that it makes teens believe that teenage drinking is ok because the stars they look up to are doing it. This is a bad portrayal for teens because they think they can start drinking at an early age. Pretty Little Liars does not help this alcohol depiction as in the first season second episode they already show alcohol being consumed.

Pretty Little Liars reinforces the stereotype of a teen drinking show that makes drinking seem like a glamorous activity that everyone is doing. The opening scene in “The Jenna Thing” episode is Hanna pulling out a flask from her purse in a restaurant and pouring it in her soda. It does not even phase the other girls she is with because they are all used to having a drink at some point in their high school career. Not only was Hanna depicted for drinking alcohol but also, so was Spencer.

           

While Spencer was at dinner with her uppity family, she ordered a vodka soda because she knew how nauseating the dinner would be, as her family likes to get straight to business and nothing else. Her family laughs as they think she is joking when that is far from the truth. Her sister’s fiancé Wren orders a vodka soda and while Spencer’s dad and sister are fawning over their successful days, Wren slides his drink over to Spencer and allows her to have some. Not only is Wren supplying alcohol to a minor he is doing it right in front of her father.

Spencer and Hanna share a common theme; they both come from wealthy, successful families. They display drinking as positive and show how easy it is to get access to it. These two characters also display a negative behavioral trend throughout the entire series, through their rebellion against not only parental authority, but also, the law.

In order to cope with her mother’s lack of guidance and her own eating disorder, Hanna begins to rebel and steals a 300-dollar pair of sunglasses. Thinking she could get away with it, a cop Wilden, shows up at her house saying that they have a surveillance video of Hanna doing this rebellious act. That being said, as quoted from the TV show from Hanna’s mom, “I buy you everything you need to be popular,” she exclaims as she connives to spare her daughter criminal charges.  So even Hanna’s mother understands how hard it is to be popular in high school, but it shows that her mother buys her love because she does not have time to deal with her antics. Also, instead of Hanna’s mother punishing her or doing something about what she has done, her mom decides to sleep with Wilden in order for Hanna to not get in trouble. This reinforces to Hanna that no matter what kind of law breaking deed you do or anything bad for that matter, your punishments can be replaced by other devious acts.

Conversely, Spencer’s parents up tight nature and close watch on her, her grades, involvement in clubs and anything else imaginable, makes her rebel against their beliefs. With so much pressure on her to do well with everything she does it sometimes makes her lose focus, which who wouldn’t lose their cool if their parents were breathing down their back. With having an older sister who is constantly kissing up to their dad, and bragging about how successful she is, nauseates Spencer. That being said, in “The Jenna Thing” episode, after a family dinner, Wren (Spencer’s sisters fiancé) comes in her room and all of a sudden they start making out. Not only is Wren a few years older then her, but also, it is her sister’s fiancé.

These are all examples of how badly portrayed high school students are depicted in this show. The rebellious acts that they act upon are things that may have not crossed a high school student’s mind until they have viewed this show. It reinforces a stereotype that high school students should be doing all of these rebellious deeds either because their parents are too uptight or for their lack of caring.

Bonnie, Richard J. "Drinking Portrayals in the Media." Alcohol in the Media: Drinking Portrayals, Alcohol Advertising, and Alcohol Consumption Among Youth. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 18 Apr. 2000. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK37586/