15 Wrong Assumptions TV and Movie Writers Make About Being a Teen

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15 Wrong Assumptions TV and Movie Writers Make About Being a Teen

Paramount Pictures

Maybe they time hopped from pre-teen to adulthood, or maybe they were too busy writing to soak up the high school experience, but these writers got some second hand info. They did create some pretty compelling and/or hilarious teen movies and TV shows, but in giving audiences juicy drama and outlandish hijinx, they may have strayed a bit too far from the realm of reality. 

Early teen movies gained popularity in the 1950s, and since then, every decade has had their unique stamp on various teen subgenres. The ’80s and ’90s delved right into teen rom-coms, and we began seeing themes like cliques, prom, and popularity that became recycled enough to become the teen tropes of today. In the name of profit, TV and film productions stick with what works, but we’ve slowly started realizing that maybe all cheerleaders aren’t ditzy bullies, and maybe we can like music and football! These and 13 others are assumptions that film & TV writers made about life as a teenager.

That teen boys look like grown men.

Teens in movies and TV Teen boys are chiseled with Gaston-like jawlines. Labor laws cause productions to cast adults as teens, and yes, guys in high school get stubble, but from Danny Zuko to Dylan McKay to Nate Jacobs in Euphoria, men in their 20s and even 30s often play teen boys. CRACKED

Paramount Pictures

Slate

It’s always so clear who the bully is.

Teens in movies and TV That frowning caveman must be the bully! Movies and shows like to portray a big, brooding dude who happens to be pissed off 24/7. In reality, you couldn't pick a bully out of a crowd. A small, sassy teen could zing you, and cyberbullying comes from all angles. CRACKED

Universal Pictures

People

The new kid is always so intriguing to the locals.

Teens in movies and TV Whoa, the new kid is so mysterious. A new kid is usually an outcast or a spicy addition to the small town school. Other students are so intrigued, but in reality a new kid probably moved there from lowa or Delaware because their dad got a new job. Everybody calm down. CRACKED

Paramount Pictures

HuffPost

That all cheerleaders are mean.

Teens in movies and TV Cheerleaders are treacherous alpha queens. Movies thrive on an underdog story, so cheerleaders are often villainized. For many real world teens, cheerleading is an extension of gymnastics, and does not equate to bullying or instant popularity. RCH RCH CRACKED

Universal Pictures

HuffPost

That rich kids have such overdramatic lives.

Teens in movies and TV Rich teens live in soap opera fantasy worlds. Well-off teen shows like Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The О.С. are wildly overdramatic, when in reality, rich kids just do homework in nicer rooms. If anything, kids who live in poverty probably have much more dramatic lives. CRACKED

The CW

The Independent

Teacher/student relationships are common (and accepted).

Teens in movies and TV Dating your teacher? Yeah, totally normal. Teen dramas have a will they/won't they between teachers and students, while in real life it's criminal. In Pretty Little Liars, Ezra married Aria (a student he began seeing while she was underage) in front of adoring family and friends. CRACKED

Warner Bros. Television

Refinery29

Everyone cares so much about their school’s football or basketball team.

Teens in movies and TV G Panthes Paheri Her ج The entire school roots for their sports team. OK, Friday Night Lights got football in the South right, but most teen movies portray exaggerated support for the team. Real life teens have extracurriculars or homework, and don't base their schedules around their high school's sports teams. CRACKED

NBCUniversal

Best Movies Right Now

There’s one specific hot guy and hot girl.

Teens in movies and TV Ooh, there goes the one hot girl in school. One alpha hot guy and one queen bee hot girl seem to be the objects of desire for all the underlings-like Mike Dexter and Amanda Beckett in Can't Hardly Wait, and Regina George & Aaron Samuels in Mean Girls. Teens usually find a bunch of other teens attractive. CRACKED

Paramount Pictures

Movieclips/YouTube

That everyone either loves or hates school.

Teens in movies and TV Every teen thinks high school is heaven or hell. In the real world, there are aspects of school we love and hate, but it's rarely so all or nothing. A popular kid can want to leave school, and a nerd/ loner can want to stay because they're afraid of the unknown. pag 140 141 142 143 CRACKED

NBC

Mythcreants

Moms want in on the “haps” of their teen’s drama.

Teens in movies and TV Moms want in on the haps of their teen's drama. Suze Howard of Euphoria and June George (Amy Poehler) come to mind, but Julie Cooper from The О.С. had an affair with Marissa's (teenaged) ex, and Stifler's mom... you know. There are cool moms, but most are too busy (and mature) to care about their teen's drama. CRACKED

Universal Pictures

Bustle

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