Representation task

Identification of stereotypes

• 1. The Jock

A typical stereotype I have encountered in teen films is the popular 'Jock'. These characters are normally part of a sports team and the leader is most probably the captain. The majority of the jocks wear varsity jackets. They are normally the good looking guys in the school, with neat hair and flashy sports cars. They also normally have a popular girlfriend, but have all the girls falling for them.

For example in films such as 'A Cinderella Story', or 'She's all that' consist of the this typical character, being the alpha male of the school.

      

• 2. The nasty popular girl

The popular girl of a teen film is pretty much never nice. She is normally generally a cheerleader and the girlfriend of the 'popular jock'. They could also be described as the 'slutty' girl, as they typically wear mini skirts etc. These girls are normally at the centre of attention of the school: envied by all the other girls, and perused by all the girls. Typically they are 'blonde bimbos'.

             

• The token black guy

In normally every teen film there is the 'token black guy', which is generally the friend of the popular guy. This character is normally introduced to create an image that is 'safe' and seen as diverse. Normally is considered the class clown in a film and making everyone laugh.

         

This video is a very good example of the 'token black guy' character in the film 'Not Another Teen Movie'. The character Malik is portrayed as the joker. 

• 4. The Geeks

The geeks in most teen films have a typical attire, of high waisted tousers, buttoned up shirts, cardigans, and the all important glasses. These characters are typically smart and normally belong to some sort of chess club or science and maths. Therefore they are not considered very popular and bullied by the other kids. 

              

This portrayal of a 'geek' in 'She's the man' is the norm we would expect to see. There is the glasses and neat clothes, along with the addition of love for science. 

• 5. The geek girl turned popular

This is a very common character that we see in teen films. It generally happens when the 'popular guy' falls for the shy, quiet girl, transforming her into a the next so called 'prom queen'.