10 Myths About High School From Movies and TV
For anyone who grew up watching teen movies and TV shows, high school was definitely a reality check. Hollywood would have us believe that high school was a roller coaster of endless drama, accessorized with flashy designer labels and even flashier cars. But for the people who have actually gone through high school (or may be going through it right now), it’s definitely clear that what we actually get IRL is very different from what we saw on screen. Here are some of the ways that movies and TV shows completely gave us false expectations about what our high school career would entail:
1/10The amount of proms we actually get.
Hollywood led us to believe that we’d have, like, no less than ten proms throughout high school. And we’re talking super fancy formal events – ball gowns, limos, decorations, the works. In part, this is because so many movies pick “the prom” as the backdrop for the climax. We were pretty shocked when we realized that we’d have only one — maybe two — proms in total. What happened to our Winter Wonderland? Our Spring Fling? Not. Fair.
2/10The romance.
Yeah...we’re not sure about you, but most of our high school relationships were mostly awkward. We definitely didn’t have the tumultuous relationships that Blair and Serena experienced while navigating high school in Gossip Girl, and there was no way our significant others could compare to Seth Cohen on The OC. These fictional relationships definitely spoiled our entire expectations of what our teenage romances would be like. Le sigh.
3/10THE OUTFITS.
And the blowouts. And the manicures. And the makeup. Sorry, is that high school hallway, or is that a catwalk? We can’t remember the last time we saw a high school student IRL who looked like a model. And actually, if you showed up to class in stilettos with a perfect contour, you might get some odd looks.
4/10The fact that no one ever seems to go to class on TV.
For example, we’re still not sure how any of the Pretty Little Liars managed to graduate from high school, considering they were never in class. When it comes to movie and TV locations, it seems like school is more of a backdrop than an actual catalyst for learning. But, hey, to the PLL’s credit, they were on the run from a murderous villain. Survival was literally more important than acing that algebra test. We guess.
5/10And parents are totally M.I.A.
Even in Mean Girls, the only parent that really got much screen time was Regina’s mom (“I’m not a regular mom, I’m a cool mom!”) With the amount of house parties and scandalous activities that take place in so many teen movies, it was definitely easy to assume that our high school years would just be one huge free-for-all with our parents frequently going out of town. Yeah...that didn’t happen.
6/10The coffee consumption.
Remember on The OC when they had a literal coffee shop on their campus? And how on Gilmore Girls, Rory couldn’t go one episode without coffee, even while at Chilton? While there are definitely teenagers who start their coffee addiction early, we’re pretty sure that most schools don’t serve lattes to students outside of the chem lab. Not even the fancy private schools.
7/10And the food in general.
Last time we checked, high school cafeteria food is still relatively standard. We’re fairly certain that schools aren't offering gourmet salads or fresh-baked scones in their cafeteria (or, lol, outside on the patio). Most schools are still serving square pizza slices on Fridays, so, there’s that.
8/10Transportation.
There are definitely some lucky teenagers who are given fancy cars on their 16th birthdays, no doubt about it. But movies and TV would have us believe that literally every student at every school rolls up to homeroom in a brand-new car, and some even have their own parking spaces. Some of us had to take the bus! Or get dropped off by our parents, even during senior year. No shame in that.
9/10In movies and TV shows, getting called to the office usually means a tragedy has taken place.
You can probably imagine the scene when the protagonist’s name is announced over the loudspeaker and the music changes. He or she stares up at the intercom nervously and it usually means that someone has died or that the police is there to interrogate them (definitely the latter if it’s a PLL episode). IRL, it’s probably because you forgot your history homework on your desk and your mom brought it to you.
10/10Time, in general.
Depending upon the movie or show, it either seems like one year of high school spans thirty minutes or maybe three years. One second it’s summer break, and the next, it’s the holidays. Time is clearly a social construct of our own making and fictional high schools play by their own rules. But, if we’re being honest, some parts of high school definitely felt like they lasted for an eternity, so maybe this one is the most realistic of them all!
