Flashing lights. Loud partying. A random kid is drunk on the floor. A kid throws themself into a pool from the rooftop. For some reason, this can easily describe various scenes from multiple high school centric movies or shows.

      Shows and movies like , “High School Musical”, “Heathers”, “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”, or shows like “Euphoria”and ” Vampire Diaries”, “Lab Rats”, “Zapped”, “Shake It Off”, “13 Reasons Why”, and much more all have a theme of overdramatizing the high school experience.

     These shows are common and popular in day to day life and can be aimed at any kind of age group, from kids, teens, and adults. Disney Channel movies are aimed at children and preteens, which can help shape the idea of what high school is supposed to be. “High School Musical” is a well known, popular example, having multiple movies and a show; it shows a cheesy romance between two polar opposites, which includes catchy tunes, show-stopping dances, and a funny, over the top antagonist. 

     This is a prime example of a show that shows high school as a place full of life changing romance, hot celebrities who have never had a single bit of acne, and show stopping dance numbers. Now, this may be surprising, but high school is not filled with perfect models with gorgeous voices. But, to a kid who’s never actually been in high school, these shows set up unrealistic expectations of how they and others will look, act, and experience their four years. 

     While “High School Musical” can create false hope, media like “Twilight,” “Euphoria,” and “13 Reasons Why” can normalize harmful behavior. “Twilight” is a movie centering around teenager Bella Swan moving to a remote town called Forks, Washington, where she meets fellow teen Edward Cullen. Within the first movie, he is revealed to be a vampire who has a thirst for her. In this movie, they fall deeply in love, acting more like young adults rather than teenagers.

      Twilight is an interesting case in many ways, yet is one of the best examples of romanticizing an unhealthy and predatory relationship. Edward is revealed to be a 104 year old vampire who stalks Bella, obsessively ‘protects’ and keeps watch over her day to day life and overall acts like a major creep for a century old dude. He even stands over her bed and watches her sleep at a point when they barely know each other — it’s creepy. Yet, this is portrayed as though it is an ideal love story. Twilight also portrays ‘high schoolers’ as much more mature by having the characters make very serious decisions. When you add the fact that the actors are older than the characters they play in the movie, it’s obvious that Twilight portrays high school horribly. 

     High school movies and shows also have a trend of being about serious topics or revolve around the minors in the show participating in 18+ activities. One of the most popular and recent examples is Euphoria, which deals with heavy topics, which can range anywhere from child abuse, drug abuse, toxic relationships, addiction, domestic violence, sexual assault, underage drinking, mental illness, and much more. This show portrays underage students at East Highland High School abusing drugs, engaging in sexual relations (sometimes with adults!), harming themselves, and various other actions. 

     This show portrays high school as harmful and toxic. It focuses heavily on showing the audience unsettling scenes and characters and doesn’t portray high school students in a realistic manner. If a middle schooler saw this show and viewed it as a portrayal of high school, it could lead them to go down an unhealthy path. This also doesn’t take into account the fact the actors are all over 18, furthermore adding unrealistic expectations on how teenagers should look. 

     The most unsettling part is the amount of “teen” nudity. While the actors are not minors, the show has multiple nude scenes and sex scenes of its underage characters. 

     There is a disturbing theme to be found within shows centered around high school; it refuses to show teenagers in a realistic light. Teenangers are not mature, finding the love of their life, looking perfect, singing like a Broadway star, or making out with a century old vampire. They are experiencing the end of their time as a child and stepping into adulthood.

      Will high schoolers eventually grow up to act like these shows and movies? Who knows. But something that’s important to remember is it’s okay to just be a teenager.