Teenage movies have shown popular teenagers to be pretty, constantly in a relationship and maintaining a good status in their academic and public life. The non-popular characters in these movies are always shown as quirky or sad. As children watch such movies, they have the dream to be just like them. But being popular is not as cool as it seems.
The 2004 movie “Mean Girls” is about a trio that is known by the entire school. They rule the school because everyone is either scared of them or wants to be them. A new girl who has never been to a public school wants to fit in and slowly becomes one of the mean girls.
“She’s All That” is a 1999 rom-com in which a popular guy makes a bet with his friends that he can make anyone a prom queen. Everyone who is not considered popular is looked at as weird. This movie could affect how a person looks at themselves if they are not popular.
Dreaming of being loved by others is harmful because the person is constantly thinking of what to do to maintain their status of popularity. What they wear, who their friends are and what they post are all factors observed by those near them.
According to the Cambridge dictionary, the definition of popularity is the fact that something or someone is appreciated or adored by many people. Wanting a group to like them and enjoy their presence are motivating factors for someone to be more aware of what they do in the public eye.
In the article “Popularity is overrated, causes loss of identity,” author Haily McEntee mentions that a quarter is 25% of a dollar, and a penny is 1% of a dollar. It is better to have friends that give someone 25% of their time and affection rather than many friends that give someone 1% each. Friendships are more meaningful when people focus on good friendships rather than focusing on popularity.
Moreover, constantly being in the spotlight draws attention to every move one makes. People who are popular do not want to fall off the map. Whether it’s to be trendy, successful or active, the person could keep up whatever they are doing to maintain their status of popularity. When trying to keep up, however, one can lose their true self in a world full of constantly changing trends.
Even though some popular students are portrayed as nontoxic and accepting, it is shown otherwise on television, which influences children that high school is similar in real life. Movies such as “Mean Girl” and “She’s All That” show children that being popular is the norm when they get to high school, and if they are not, they are looked at as an outsider.
High school is a place where students think popularity matters. One’s popularity status, however, is not going on their job resume, and nobody is going to look back thinking about how popular a person was. Popularity is overrated because it can cause more harm than good due to quality versus quantity in friendships, constantly considering what others think and loss of self-identity.