The High School Clique Trope Is It Still Relevant

Much of what a young kid understands about high school is through film and television. Expectations were drawn high because of these portrayals. Stereotypes, such as the jocks and preppies, burnouts and stoners, or geeks and goths, were perpetuated like no other. More than anything, they translate social normatives that aren’t specifically relevant to everyone, much less realistic.

The high school clique trope is an especially interesting trope that is still making its way to more modern films. Remakes of ’90s films, such as He’s All That, take a concept that is specific to a generation and “rebrand” it for a newer one, perpetuating an idea that is in need of being reworked. The question here, is, does that make the high school clique trope a thing of the past? The answer, unfortunately, may not be so simple.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

The 1980s: The Peak of High School Cliques in Film

     Universal Pictures   

The 1980s bore witness to the John Hughes “Brat Pack” films, all of which included Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Pretty in Pink. Although many other films would be released featuring Brat Pack actors, this pivotal mention marks the moment in which high school cliques and their impact on social status in the 80s were canonized. Movies like The Breakfast Club and The Outsiders capitalized on the aspect that, in and out of school, a teenager fit into one group, or niche, only, and it defined their social experiences than on in.

The clique culture of the 1980s is grounded in expectations, where most adolescents felt the pressures of living up to a certain lifestyle and aesthetic. Moreover, films like The Heavenly Kid and even Better Off Dead perpetuate that climbing the social ladder in high school is the single most important thing to achieve. Being less than popular and rich, as seen in Pretty in Pink or Some Kind of Wonderful, sets one up for failure, or being treated as less than others. Turning to cliques, then, is not so much a trope but a reality for many who grew up in Gen X, as identifying with one group was better than being cast off.

High School: Media v. Reality

     STX Entertainment  

While the 1980s gave way to high school clique culture, there are a variety of cases in which this trope is overexaggerated. In the case of the 1990s, cliques were likely still relevant as youth countercultures and third-wave feminism presented more diversity among the student populations. Films like She’s All That, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Empire Records capture a glimpse of what clashing cliques look like under societal and parental pressure, however, a depiction like Clueless starts to broach into why these films get some ideas of high school wrong.

By the 2000s, and even into the 2010s, the high school clique trope was still hanging on, but more often than not, they were far from the reality of school life. As iconic as Mean Girls is, the idea that the social hierarchy in school is the most important aspect of a teenager’s life is inherently an outdated one. On the opposite hand, shows like Freaks and Geeks and movies like The Edge of Seventeen, start to unfold other aspects of a teenager’s life that follow them into or through high school. Themes such as grief, academic pressure, mental and emotional stability, or understanding one’s identity are more commonplace in high school narratives. In fact, these depictions demonstrate that in the face of cliques, there’s still so much more to worry about outside of them.

Final Verdict: Is Clique Culture Still Relevant in Film and Television?

     Netflix  

Cliques have altered from their first conceived notion in society. Over time, more subcategories and niches have created their own groups among high schools. Additionally, students have found that groups and cliques have diversified, and the problems among them are not solely attuned to one’s popularity but rather other issues, such as college acceptance, one’s relationship with their parents, or the accessibility to release. It is now, in fact, expected to float between cliques as the lines between groups are more commonly blurred.

In spite of some hyperbolic portrayals, high school clique culture can still be relevant in film and television. The difference is the change in times and specifically how cliques are understood in modern film. A movie like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, or even the 2000s indie film, Napoleon Dynamite, can display this aspect of high school without heavily relying on it, exemplifying a more realistic approach to the high school experience. Moreover, stereotypes and toxic attitudes towards belonging are giving way to putting one’s self first, as self-care practices and aesthetics dominate mainstream media. Nevertheless, each person’s experiences of high school vary and, with or without cliques, identifying that in film is essential.