Stereotypes; Teen Dramas

Stereotypes of Geeks:
*Clever
*Virgin
*Glasses
*Outcast of group
*Weird Behaviour
*Enjoy video games
*Good on computers
*Hate physical activities; football etc.
*Socially Awkward

The character Sid from Skins does conform to some aspects of the geek stereotype. In the photo above, he is pulling a weird expression which is stereotypical as geeks are seen to act slightly weird; he is also wearing glasses which is another classic stereotype of a geek. In the series Sid is known for acting weird and therefore being slightly pushed away from the group, an outcast; this is typical as people are intimidated by people that act differently to them.

As mentioned in the passage above Sid does conform to some of the aspects of the geek stereotype, however not all of them. Geeks are perceived as being outcasts, and although Sid is seen as an outcast in his group the guys are still his friends, as they ring him and are trying to help him fit in better; Tony is getting Michelle to sleep with Sid. He also misses exams to hang out with his friends, which is reversing the geek stereotype as they are the ones who are most nervous around exam time.

When we first meet Sid he is more typical of the average teenage stereotype rather than the geek stereotype, as he has slept in late and has an exceptionally messy room; lazy and messy are typical teen stereotypes. Sid is the only person in the mise-en-scene, however the audience can hear his dad shouting at him, this links with the stereotypical view that teenagers don't have good relationships with their parents.

Throughout the series of Skins there are separate episodes that focus on one particular character; for example, Sid's episode is called "Sid" as it is all about him. He is linked to storylines that involve him getting manipulated and embarrassed, however in his episode he develops more as a character and the audience see a different side to him, because when his mum and dad split up he stands up against his dad and demands that he attempts to win her back. He is also linked to two girls throughout the series; Michelle and Cassie which reverses the geek stereotype as they aren't generally linked with girls, however he does have awkward relationships with them and finds it difficult to convey his emotions; being socially awkward is another way that geeks are perceived.


Stereotype of teen pregnancy:
*Troubled upbringing; parents don't care
*Strict/Neglected by parents
*Single parent families
*Never shown affection; need someone who loves them back
*Slag
*Uneducated about safe sex
*Irresponsible
*Have the mindset: "i can just get an abortion"
*Teens aren't good parents.

The character Amy from Hollyoaks conforms to few of these stereotypes of teen pregnancy, this is partly because Hollyoaks as a show attempts to show different sides to controversial issues. Amy doesn't come from a single parent family, however her parents don't seem to care about Amy as all their attention is given to her sister Sarah, this makes her jealous and rebellious; Amy and her parents have a tough relationship as a result, another stereotypical view of teenagers.

Amy thought about having an abortion, however went ahead with the pregnancy; this is a reversal of teen pregnancy stereotype mindset "i can just get an abortion" as Amy weighed up her options and decided to take responsibility for her actions which again is another event that goes against the stereotype as people perceive teen mothers as irresponsible. Amy attempts to protect her baby Leah throughout the series; first from Amy's mother who thinks that Leah is her's and then from Ste when he is abusing her [Amy]; these actions show that teen mothers can be good parents and that not all of them are irresponsible, this is a stereotype reversal.

Throughout the series Amy is linked to storylines such as domestic abuse and teen pregnancy, however in certain episodes she is shown to be taking control of the situations and attempts to stand up to Ste even if it means her getting hurt; this shows how her character has developed throughout the series as she is taking control rather than letting people do it for her; like her parents attempted to, when she had Leah they made her pretend that Leah's grandmother was in fact her mother, so "shame" wouldn't be bought on the family, taking responsibility is a stereotype reversal however the parent's reaction is a stereotypical response to how middle class families behave when teen pregnancy happens in their families.