Alrighty, here we have it.
THE ADOLESCENT FEMALE IN MEDIA --
Paradigm: "The Valley Girl"
We see this all over the place. The valley girl is born of a rich family. She is stupid, shallow, and unmercifully skinny. She almost always falls in love accidentally with a boy from the "other side of the tennis courts" and has some sort of superficial epiphany that image isn't everything.
Example: The younger sister in 10 Things I Hate About You who eventually falls for her French tutor, notorious for the scene
"I know you can be overwhelmed and I know you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever be just whelmed?"
"I think you can in Europe"
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Paradigm: "The Shrew"
She is artistic, she is strong-minded and probably a feminist. No one thinks of her in a romantic way because she is way too un-lady-like. She usually meets an equally unconventional male character who tames her.
Example: The older sister in "10 Things I Hate About You"
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Paradigm: Ugly Duckling
She is socially inept and obviously has cooties. Usually she is part of some bet that the cool kids make, and, in the end, she always proves to be beautiful inside and out... but most importantly out. She makes a sexy appearance and woos the "previously superficial" teasing male.
Example: the main character in "She's All That"
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Paradigm: Angel in the House
This is the pure and innocent girl who remains innocent and lovely no matter what. Usually she changes the ways of some "I don't care about anybody" guy and once again, the togetherness of male and female is the happy ending we all wish for and perpetuate.
Example: The Redhead in "He's Just Not That Into You"
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The media representations of young women is a sharp contrast to reality. Adolescent literature presents young women in a much more complicated, emotional, and independent light.
Looking for Alaska: A very complex female character gives sexual signals in all directions and keeps her true romantic feelings under wraps. A drinking problem and confusion with self-esteem make her the victim of a tragedy that is ambiguously either an accident or a suicide.
How I Live Now: A detached New York anorexic falls passionately into a forbidden romance, facing war, survival, personal reflection, family and those coming-of-age dilemnas all at once with sharp wit and impecable articulation.
The Book Thief: A German girl during the holocaust. Need we say more? She breaks every pre-conception about the limited intellectual and emotional capacity of young people.
Adolescent Literature, by the way, is the bomb. Don't feel like a nerd in the teen section -- You can always say you are a teacher even if you are just shopping for yourself!
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I really like how you tie very modern examples to your posts. These above mentioned female movie types are great, but you missed one that has been increasingly popular since the mid 90's - the tough, butt-kicking female. I believe the start of this occurred with the cult hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer tv show. Since then, this role has been used throughout Hollywood. I agree with your assessment of adolescent lit.
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