June 02, 2014
The Problem With Teen Makeover Movies
So, the other day I was feeling a bit down and obviously turned to 90s teen movies to make me feel better. I watched The Princess Diaries, and oh man did that bring back a flood of memories. It also reminded me of an article I had read a while back that happened to mention The Princess Diaries, from the Toronto Film Scene about the problem with teen makeover movies.
[caption id="attachment_48519" align="alignnone" width="620"]
Never Been Kissed[/caption]
You know the story: there’s a nerdy unconventional girl who is secretly hot, and this hotness is brought out in a makeover montage in order to woo the most popular guy in school. Even in the movies where this formula is reversed, and we realize that the makeover has actually acted as a detriment to said nerdy girl, there’s still an underlying problem – girls can’t win no matter what they look like. Girls who wear glasses are ugly and hot girls are stupid – that’s what we learn from teen movies.
[caption id="attachment_48520" align="alignnone" width="650"]
She's All That[/caption]
I’m not going to stop watching makeover movies, and I’m not suggesting anyone else do that either. I’m also not saying that teenage girls shouldn’t undergo a makeover should they want to (inheriting my father’s eyebrows has instilled in me a love of waxing and tweezing). 10 Things I Hate About You, Never Been Kissed, and Clueless were staples of my childhood and I still love those movies – I’ll just take them with a grain of salt next time I watch.
Never Been Kissed[/caption]
You know the story: there’s a nerdy unconventional girl who is secretly hot, and this hotness is brought out in a makeover montage in order to woo the most popular guy in school. Even in the movies where this formula is reversed, and we realize that the makeover has actually acted as a detriment to said nerdy girl, there’s still an underlying problem – girls can’t win no matter what they look like. Girls who wear glasses are ugly and hot girls are stupid – that’s what we learn from teen movies.
[caption id="attachment_48520" align="alignnone" width="650"]
She's All That[/caption]
I’m not going to stop watching makeover movies, and I’m not suggesting anyone else do that either. I’m also not saying that teenage girls shouldn’t undergo a makeover should they want to (inheriting my father’s eyebrows has instilled in me a love of waxing and tweezing). 10 Things I Hate About You, Never Been Kissed, and Clueless were staples of my childhood and I still love those movies – I’ll just take them with a grain of salt next time I watch.