Teenage Stereotypes on the Web

Movies like Superbad, American Pie, and countless others have highlighted this idea of teenage males being raging hormone machines, letting sex control their minds and having very little profound interest in anything else.  This common character in films is regarded as even a more common character in every day live according to society’s perceptions. The male stereotype that we’ve come to know and recognize include “boys only want one thing”, they’re obsessed with video games, they eat whatever they want and won’t get fat, sports are above all else and beer is a necessity.

When it comes to the stereotype of males, and sometimes females, it’s not just society, our parents, or our teachers who agree with this stereotype, but also the opposite sex of our own age. Countless times I’ve heard girls of high school and college girls complain that their boyfriends won’t answer their text messages just because maybe the games on or their drinking with the guys. Girls feed into this particular category of stereotypes more than anyone else because it allows them to define the type of people they interact with, allowing them to prepare for their encounters.

          It is seen that teens do go out of their way to define the recklessness that they portray. The extreme partying that is viewed through social media creates this portrayal for many teenagers in this generation. Because social media is a main form of communication internationally the excessive partying scene is what’s brought to the attention of most. However, just because the media and stereotype of teenagers are “animals” doesn’t mean every person between the ages 13-21 drinks or drugs themselves into a wanted, not so wanted coma. Many teenagers enjoy life without indulging themselves in drugs and alcohol because they do realize there is a future for them to come.

In today's society, people view our generation as lazy, ignorant, and entitled. Instead of viewing them as valued members of society, people now tend to see the modern day teenager as someone who lies around all day, doesn't understand things, and gets whatever they want because they think they deserve it for being "them." 

This certainly is marginally true; there are, of course, the people that encourage the stereotype. Unfortunately, as this is the age of technology, many teenagers become wrapped up in phones, computers, and television, and may consequently become lazier or more ignorant since they don't personally experience their surroundings as much. However, as is the case with every stereotype, there are those who, in this instance, don't deserve to be labeled "lazy", "ignorant", or "entitled", and to them this stereotype is an unfair misnomer.