As I reach the end of my teenage years, one thing has become clear to me: the lack of teenage-girl-centric media.
When I think of typical teenage-girl media, my mind goes straight to movies and TV shows from 2000 up until about 2015. Mean Girls, Twilight, Pretty Little Liars, and more are all great examples of these “Chick Flick” type films. I also think of classic Shoujo Manga and anime, such as Nana, Paradise Kiss, Fruits Basket, and Kamisama Kiss, among others. These unashamedly ‘girly’ shows and movies are some of my favourite types of media to consume, but they seem to have gone on the decline in recent years. It’s not as though teenage girls have disappeared off the face of the earth, so where has all of their targeted media gone?
Personally, I believe this decline in what I’ll call GCM – Girl-Centric-Media – is due to the popular demonisation of femininity, and the promotion of the idea that masculinity is always better than femininity. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a strong female character that isn’t wearing frilly dresses and heels all the time (take Katniss Everdeen), but clearly, we can see that in both pop culture and on the street, femininity is looked down upon. This is why traditionally ‘feminine’ girls are often ridiculed in the media. Producers are aware of this and away goes our beloved Chick Flicks and Shoujo anime. Keep in mind, girly characters are hardly portrayed as weak in GCM. Tohru from Fruits Basket becomes homeless, cooks and cleans, acts as a therapist for her roommates, and falls from a cliff in her series all while managing to keep a smile on her face. Regina George’s confidence and cunningness are a testament to how intelligent teen girls can be. Bella from Twilight endures both emaciation and pregnancy simultaneously. In no way is typical femininity weak- it is merely demonised.
Things won’t stay like this forever, though. With the re-popularisation of Taylor Swift, and the continued popularisation of Lana Del Rey, Megan thee Stallion, and various K-pop groups, “girly” music remains as valuable as ever. Subcultures such as the Coquette style, and the resurgence of McBling show a promising future for GCM.
Never be afraid to be girly- be unashamed!