Stereotypes In The Movie 'Heathers'

Many of us have seen the classics like “The Breakfast Club”, “Clueless”, “Mean Girls”, and even longed for a day off that would rival that of Ferris Bueller’s. But are these movies more than just movies? Or do they represent the true “typical” teenager? Teenagers are often misrepresented in the media by being shown as generalized stereotypes which leaves many groups and individuals marginalized. The movie “Heathers” challenges the media’s portrayal of adolescence by mocking and exaggerating the stereotypical features displayed in teenagers, to the point at which they no longer seem realistic.

“Heathers” was directed by Michael Lehmann and released in Australia in 1990. This black comedy explores many different stereotypes that are commonly foregrounded in the media’s portrayal of adolescents. One typecast that is particularly dominant in the media, centers around high school cliques. This can be seen by the way the group known as “The Heathers” are portrayed. The movie follows protagonist, Veronica, as she navigates her way through high school, its cliques, and (quite literally) murder. The main clique of the high school is “the heathers” made up of Heather Chandler,
There are many situations throughout the movie that support this connotation. An example of this is the very first scene of the movie, when Heather is walking through her garden to go play croquet. Heather walks in the middle of her group as if the others are simply following her, which invites the audience to believe that she is the leader of her group, only a minute in. Once they begin to play, Heather is seen to hit the ball at Veronica’s head, displaying intent to undermine her and even hurt her physically. This emphasizes Heather’s cruel nature as Veronica was in a position where she posed no threat to Heather, and furthermore could not even defend herself from the approaching