The Ever-Changing Representation of Teenage Girls in Movies

"Traditional  teenage gender roles are become more blurred as society changes and ideology moves on"

What was then:
The representation of teenage girls in movies is changing over time which represents the changing position of females in society. In early films females were portrayed through the male viewpoint, were often objectified and rarely contributed dialogue: the plot was driven entirely by the male characters.
An example of this is 1955 film, 'Rebel Without A Cause', in which the male characters are the drivers of the narratives and the girls were simply there to attend to the boy's every want.
This was how a majority of young males believed they should treat girls, and of course their beliefs were only supported by the media they were exposed to.
If they were to see something in the media they had a high chance of copying it, as media such as movies and television shows are often turned to for advice.

'Rebel Without A Cause'- the male characters dominate
while the females are only there to attend to the boy's wants.

What is now:
The rise of feminism radically changed the representation of females in the media and nowadays a large number of movies are through the point of view of a teenage girl. Some examples of these are 'Mean Girls', 'Wild Child', and 'Bend It Like Beckham'. This is good as it lets female viewers watch a movie/ TV program which would have a females view of her life, instead of a male characters view of her. This makes the story line more realistic, and girls are more likely to enjoy watching it.

'Wild Child' - Poppy is a self-confident and rebellious teenage girl: quite
different to the quiet, passive roles that females once played.

Despite this, there is still negative representation of teenage girls in the media, though the girls are degraded in different ways. Nowadays teenage girls are often over-sexualised, which only encourages boys to disrespect girls, and makes young girls believe that they have to act and look this way- resulting in them obsessing over their weight, makeup, clothes, who they have as friends, and how they interact with boys. Although girls are not as passive as they were in older media, and are no longer thought of as the 'possession' of the male they are with (whether it be their father, boyfriend etc.), girls are still objectified. An example of this is a male "fantasy" being created, using female models, to sell a product to boys.

This can be destructive to both males and females, as it gives them the wrong idea about either the females in the life, or themselves, respectively.
Teenage boys who are exposed to media in which girls are skimpily dressed and posing suggestively often then expect the girls they meet to do the same. And similarly, when a girl is treated a particular way- such as being disrespected or objectified- they then believe it is socially acceptable for them to treat the females around them the same way.And it affects females too; when a girl sees another girl in the media who is dressing, acting or being treated a particular way she is lead to believe this is 'normal' or 'acceptable', leading to her worrying about her appearance and how she acts around boys. It can also lead to a female believing that the sexism or even abuse being aimed towards her is 'normal'.


What has stayed the same:
One aspect of the representation of teenage girls which has stayed the same is the use of the colour pink. Pink is stereotypically a 'girly' colour, and research suggests that pink represents immaturity, passiveness, innocence and weakness. Filmmakers often use pink to show that a character is portraying these characteristics. This can be negative as pink is known as a 'girly' colour and in saying this people are being sexist, as they are implying that females are immature, passive, innocent and weak. This label is also putting strong connotations on a colour, resulting in judgement of people who like pink. 

'High School Musical'- Sharpay Evans is a perfect representation of the
stereotypical use of pink as she is considered immature and very 'feminine'.

'Grease'- an earlier example of how pink is used to show
the characteristics of a person.

Feminists are now trying to change the way pink is perceived, by attempting to put it across as a sign of feminine strength. For example, the Breast Cancer Foundation's logo is pink to show support for women. 

Pink- is changing the representation of pink by
associating it with her punk attitude.

Another common trait that has always been shown in teenage girls throughout movie history is their obsession with the 'perfect' boy and the female character often has an almost desperate fixation on one boy. This boy is usually:
- very good looking
- the leader of his clique
- a jock, and into a popular sport

'She's The Man'- Duke is a good example of the 'perfect' boy: he's
very handsome, popular and sporty.

This is still very common in movies now, especially romantic comedies, and although the story line of the girl ending up happy with the good-looking man is always popular, it can also be negative and degrading to females.
A lot of rom-coms portray females (who are often unpopular, 'geeky' and basically put across as someone who a girl should not strive to be like) who then change themselves and how they act and dress, and who they're friends with, so that they can fit in with the 'popular girls' and get the 'hot guy'. 
This is not a positive portrayal as it is implying that the girl is not happy being who she really is, and should instead change herself to fit in. A lot of movies also put across a female as needing to be supported and protected by a man.
Story-lines like this can affect viewers by giving them ideas on how a girl should go about "getting the guy" and the roles of males and females in relationships.
Females who watch these sort of movies can be taught to think that they need to change and not be their true self in order to be popular and get a boyfriend.
It also teaches teenage boys that it is necessary for them to 'protect' their girlfriend, and that she is weak and passive and needs a guy.


So what is more positive about the portrayal of girls now?
The way teenage girls are represented in movies has changed over time. Females used to be presented as passive and have small roles, often just there to be an object of the man's desire. Nowadays girls are often the main character, and the story is often told from their point of view.
The female characters are no longer always weak, pathetic and obedient and are now often portrayed as rebellious, adventurous and more stereotypically "masculine".

The changing representation of teenage girls in the media is definitely a positive change, as it opens up viewers to a wide range of females; and they therefore start to grow to accept "different" people.

For example, the character Kat in '10 Things I Hate About You' is tough, strong-minded and confident which shows viewers a different sort of girl to the heavily made-up, un-opinionated 'girly' girls often portrayed in the media.

'10 Things I Hate About You'- Kat is a perfect example of a
modern representation of a teenage girl. Instead of being weak and
un-opinionated, Kat is portrayed as rebellious, strong and
outgoing.

'Mean Girls'- Aaron: the 'perfect' boy

'Mean Girls'- pink
is used to portray 'girly' characters.

And what still needs to change?
Although a lot has changed in terms of the representation of girls in the media, there is still a fair way to go. It's true that girls are now often seen in stronger roles, but they are still often objectified, over sexualised, and put in rather simple roles just to add a "hotness" value that will appeal to male viewers.
Exposure to media of this sort can be damaging to teenage girls and boys as it can give them the wrong idea about things. 
The way the colour pink is used to portray certain personality traits in a character is another thing which needs to change. Pink is used to define someone as 'weak', 'passive' and 'immature', and is thought of as a 'girly' colour. By saying this, people are labelling girls as weak, passive and immature, and also laying down connotations around the colour which causes people to not just like it because it's a nice colour, but instead worry about wearing it or decorating their bedroom with it in case they are labelled.
And finally, the way girls are portrayed as desperately in search of a "perfect man" put them across as needy, and make it seem like girls aren't strong and independent enough to live without a boyfriend.
This could mean teenage girls worry about not having a boyfriend, and therefore search for one even if they don't want to, just to fit with the social norm.
It also makes males believe that they need to protect and provide for their girlfriend, and doesn't put the female across as strong-minded and smart.

So- how does this affect people?

Being exposed to something in the media makes people consider it normal.

Because of this, people are often given the wrong message about teenage girls. 
This can be seen by boys mistreating a girl after seeing females being degraded and objectified in the media. Media is often looked to for advice or guidance, and a lot of people trust the media even though of course a lot of it is untrue or fictionalized. It is for this reason that when people see something in a TV show or movie, they sometimes automatically presume that it is okay for them to act the same way.
For example, a male television watcher could see an advert which objectifies a female and uses her over-sexualised and suggestive image to sell him a product. The boy could then walk away from this with the opinion that he can treat girls the same way.

A negative portrayal of teen girls in the media can also affect female viewers. This could be in the form of a female feeling bad about herself because she doesn't look like the people in the media and trying to change herself to live up to those impossible standards. This could include the girl obsessing over her weight, the makeup and skincare products she uses, the people she hangs out with, and the boys she dates, just to ensure she is fitting with what she sees in the media.