Most fashionable television show and movies with teenage girls as main characters focus on the ruthlessness that can exist within female relationships. Even between friends, an underlying theme of jealousy and envy can be felt. The terms “mean girls” and “queen bees” have become popular within the last few years, but the definition is old: bullies. Girl “Friends?”
Unfortunately society thrives on magnifying the negative side of female friendships. The recent popular movie series, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, focuses on the lives of four very different young girls who accept and encourage each other as they are.
These movies, based on the novels by Ann Brashares, take the focal point off the more shallow portrayals of teenage girls in contemporary film and television and showcase instead a different side of girl friendships – friendships that can withstand the inevitable truths of growing apart, disappointments, heartache, and forgiveness.
In the Sisterhood movies, the main characters go through life experiences that grow their friendship stronger. One suffers through the death of a parent; another girl encounters first love; one even has a pregnancy scare – themes that more girls may be able to empathize with and not simply on fashion or make-up. And although cliques, gossip, drugs and sex are realities of adolescence, it need not be the only topics one sees in television and movies.
Surviving Teen-Angst
The fact that popular TV shows such as “Gossip Girl,” and “90210” cater to young girls in junior high and high school can be a scary reality to parents. These shows are on the level with most daytime soap-operas with their under-age sexy characters and scandalous subject matters. However, if parents actually watched these shows with their daughters, it could serve as a platform to discuss some of the topics.
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