From prom queens to first loves, randomly breaking out into songs and timeless coming-of-age tales, the fictional realm of high school is something that, no matter the age, never gets old. For decades, old and new stories about this classic trope have yet to lose their presence in Hollywood and it is something that is enjoyed by younger audiences all over the world. Comic Book Resources states, “Teen shows and movies are omnipresent in the Hollywood landscape and will likely always be a part of popular media till the end of time. The teen experience is truly wondrous and full of potential, which is why audiences old and new still love them.” However, as much as we love “High School Musical”, the reality behind being in high school can be quite different compared to the movies.
Movies and shows focusing on high school tend to gloss over the reality of how high school is structured and even the struggles many teenagers face, often centering the story around the social aspects of high school. This can be said for many of the popular high school movies where rules and adults do not seem to be portrayed how they are in real life. Freshman Mai Nguyen adds, “Sometimes in movies and shows relationships are very frequent, everyone has a lot of friends, and parties are constantly held, unlike in the movies, grades actually matter and you can not just do whatever you please.” However, this is not the case for all movies and shows. According to Movie Web, “Shows like “Freaks and Geeks” and movies like “The Edge of Seventeen”, start to unfold other aspects of a teenager’s life that follow them into or through high school. Themes such as grief, academic pressure, mental and emotional stability, or understanding one’s identity.” Despite the popular portrayal that high school is mostly about drama and social life there are still movies and shows that recognize that there is more to high school than cliques and romance.
Although IHS lunchtime sing-alongs are not an everyday highlight that students can look forward to, for many students coming into IHS there were other aspects of the school they were excited to be a part of. Sophomore Carenna Rutledge says, “I was definitely looking forward to joining Evergreen Philharmonic and getting to choose from a wide range of different classes. Overall, I was ready to have a fresh start and have fun in high school.” Unlike what is sometimes greatly portrayed in the media, high school is not always all about academics. Senior Aidan Donavon says, “ One of the things I was most looking forward to was continuing to be with my friends from middle school and overall just making new friends.” While movies and shows tend to take the role of portraying high school as a world centered around popularity and social hierarchy, in the real world students have diverse reasons and motivations for attending and getting involved in high school that do not revolve around sticking to the status quo.
The biggest factors that many of the most iconic high school movies have in common are stereotypes and cliques. One movie that comes to my mind is none other than the 2004 movie “Mean Girls” which was incredibly influential in its own right. The movie is centered a lot around the typical cliques that are associated with many of the stories told by Hollywood. Many of these stereotypes include the queen bee stereotype and cliques. Rutledge comments how “one thing movies and shows exaggerate are stereotypes. Yes, the stereotypical groups do exist but often the people in them look nothing like the people in those groups in the movies. Also, most people have friends from all different types of ‘groups’ which is not how movies and shows portray the community in high school.” While in many early 2000s movies, these stereotypes seemed to be portrayed the strongest, many of these exaggerations still seem to follow suit into more modern cinema. According to Society 19, “Almost all characters fall into some category and they almost never mingle with each other, except for the occasional bullying. High school does still have groups that students fall into but teens aren’t limited to just one social group.”
What many younger audiences find appealing about the high school experience portrayed in movies might be explained by how these movies might feel relatable in a way. Teen Vogue explains why some students might feel this way, stating, “There is something inherently relatable about high school movies. That is because, for the majority of us, we are seeing a world that we have been inside of. We know the social dynamics, the clichés, the small things and moments that always seemed to have outsized stakes attached.” Personally, I find high school movies enjoyable, cliche, campy, and fun. However, sometimes the representations that are being shown are able to influence teens in the real world today. Nguyen states that “movies and shows can purposefully provide high expectations that delude their audience, which leaves much disappointment.”
While there are many things that are different in high school, in the real world some things do not change when it comes to a school’s community and overall spirit. Junior Ian Kim says, “School spirit has been really good here. We have a lot of school spirit and everyone is supportive of each other no matter what activity you do from clubs to sports.” When it comes to thinking about the highs and lows of high school and the moments we get to experience and relive nothing better comes to mind than fun events and activities. Like many movies portray, one of the biggest highlights of high school can be attending sporting games, dances and spending that time with friends. Rutledge says, “ Go to a football game, Homecoming, school events, just the core high school events go to all of them at least once just so that you can say you did. Do things for the experience so that you can look back and be certain that you did not miss out, especially at a school like IHS where there are so many events and opportunities to engage in new experiences.” Most of the time many of the things we see on screen do not happen in real life, but the involvement in making the most of your time in high school and taking initiative to go to events and activities and meeting new people can be the ultimate high school experience for anyone.
