It has been seen countless times. The typical high school rom com with the protagonist who just cannot seem to fit. Until of course they take off their glasses, and suddenly the world sees them for all that they really are, attractive and super talented. Children are raised on TV shows and movies that romanticize the American education system and lead them to believe that high school will be a glorious awakening to the world. Well, there are a few glaring differences between real world high school and what is portrayed on television.
To start, the people are not as well maintained. That’s not to say that Seattle Prep does not have its fair share of well dressed potential celebrities, but, as it turns out, when you do not have a television stylist, people do not all wear color coordinated, ascetically pleasing outfits that give a subtle nod to their characters. And though the beautiful cheerleaders of Rydel High have their dramatized issues, not a single one seems to struggle with dark circles caused by lack of sleep, potentially because they do not spend their evenings doing homework.
Unlike the vulnerable newbies many teens start out as in adored coming of age flicks, high school freshmen come in all shapes and sizes. A rare few look like fully developed human beings, but for the most part, ninth graders are the high school equivalent of caterpillars . They have yet to grow into themselves, and they make people uncomfortable. Sophomores are not at the beginning of a three season saga that encapsulates the ideal bildungsroman. Juniors actually have to work hard to make it through the year, and seniors aren’t 30 year old once adorable child actors.
In terms of classes, they exist. Homework spans beyond the 22 minute television episode. When studying for a test, students are not always able to come up with an ingenious way to memorize all the information from a semester in a single night by creating a rhyme, or a song, or using the topics to keep their minds off the other dramatic things happening in the realm of teen angst.
Essentially, television is a lie. Perhaps it is this way because the Hollywood big shots know that few would watch a portrayal of authentic teen life. Perhaps it is because there is not an actor alive could play the role of exhausted millennial just as well as a real student. Or perhaps it is because this is the prime of a young persons life, and it is objectively better to figure out this magical time alone.