Show is reminder of how hard teens are hit with sexism
/The Boston Herald
Beverly Beckham
I didn't even notice it. I was sitting there watching the summer premiere of "Beverly Hills 90210" with my two daughters, one 15, one 20, when the 20-year-old exploded.
"Did you ever notice how the only ones on this show with a life are the guys? They have jobs. They have interests.
"They have a good time with one another.
"But the girls exist only for the boys. It's so incredibly sexist. There's hard-working Brandon at his summer job and there's Brenda moping around, brooding over Dylan.
"There's Brandon earning money and there's Brenda taking her father's credit card. Steve's crisis is that he can't hold a job. But Donna's is that her passport photo is ugly. The girls are objects. They have these perfect bodies, perfect hair, expensive clothes and that's all they're expected to have."
And to think I had been enjoying the show.
My daughter pointed out something else I hadn't thought about: When "90210" premiered three years ago all the female characters were heavier. Not overweight, mind you, but close to normal. This summer they are all Barbie dolls. There's not an extra ounce of flesh on any of them.
"Take a look at this," she said, tossing me the 15-year-old's "Teen" magazine, which was lying on the couch. "It's the same message on every page. Look at the girls. They're all thin. They all have clear skin, perfect smiles, great clothes. And look at the articles: "Test Your Looks," "Dear Beauty Editor," "Yours-To-Keep August Beauty Calendar," "Check Out THE Looks For Fall," "School 'Dos (find out what's happenin' for hair)," "A.M. Alert: Good Morning...Good Looks."
I've decided to start taking better care of my nails. My cuticles are always ragged. Is it best to trim them or push them back?
Help! I just received my class schedule and I have gym class in the middle of the day. I have only 10 minutes to freshen up after class. Any advice on how I can clean up my act in a hurry?
I love the new beauty organizers. But when it comes to storing my lipsticks, I don't know where to put them. Any suggestions?
These girls are made to sound so dumb.
Of course the purpose of having nice nails and good looks is to attract guys. "Teen" offers a road map for this: "How To Get (And Keep!) Your Guy, Tips From A to Z."
"F" is for flirting and here is what "Teen" recommends: "...the idea is to convey a real sense of enthusiasm about him. How? Smile at him a lot. Pay him a sincere compliment. Ask him about himself."
In my entire life I have never read an article in a men's magazine about how to get and keep girls. "Smile at her a lot. Pay her a sincere compliment. Ask her about herself."
Guys don't get told this. Guys don't get told to grin and be on their best behavior and hold in their stomach and color their hair and paint their nails and moisturize their face if they want to get and keep a girl.
This whole issue may seem silly and trivial. And it is, if you're an adult, because we all have bigger things to worry about.
But young girls worry about being liked and being popular and they absorb this stuff. That's what my 20-year-old reminded me. Young girls see that Brenda and Donna and Kelly and Andrea and all the models in the magazines are thin and beautiful. And they look in the mirror and see normal as fat and ugly and not good enough at all.
Even "Teen's" horoscopes do girls an injustice. Girls' horoscopes are divided into "Your plus points;" "You're not so hot because;" "Your best back-to-school fashion bet;" "Beauty spotlight;" and "Friends to the end."
But guys' horoscopes, ("Here's your astrological key to finding him!") are divided into "Hotline on him;" "When he's misbehavin"' and "How to make him yours."
"See what I mean?" my 20-year-old asked.
Unfortunately I do.
