teens

“Yellowjackets” and the Disturbing Reality of Social Contract

The cast of Yellowjackets. Seven teenage girls in the woods at night wearing muddy clothes
by Grace Lavery
January 18, 2022 at 7:29pm
With Yellowjackets, the so-called “puzzle-box show” achieves a kind of maturity by doing away with the conspiratorially furrowed brow of the masculine heroes who are obsessed with, and eventually resolve, whatever metaphysical conundrum that has made life unlivable.
A white man wearing a blue zip-up hoodie and tan shirt looks directly at the camera. Behind him are a group of high schoolers paying him no mind, talking amongst themselves.

Words Fail: “Dear Evan Hansen” Is an Obvious Disservice to Mental-Health Representation

by Gloria Oladipo
October 15, 2021 at 3:00am
Corny and contrived, Dear Evan Hansen is an obvious disservice to mental-health representation. Read more »
Elizabeth Gilpin is a white woman with long, blond hair and she's wearing a colorful sweater and staring at the camera

“Stolen” Reclaims the Narrative of the Troubled Teen

by Dara Mathis
July 26, 2021 at 3:56pm
A survivor challenges institutional child abuse masquerading as therapy. Read more »
Eleanor Wong, an Asian American teenager wearing an orange outfit, Fabiola Torres, a mixed-race teenager with an afro, and Devi Vishwakumar, an Indian American teenager, stand next to each other looking appalled in Never Have I Ever

Big Time Crush: “Never Have I Ever” Loses Itself In a Teenage Love Triangle

by Mansee Khurana
July 22, 2021 at 11:44am
Never Have I Ever is like a teenager: It wants to be popular, relatable to everyone, and alienating to no one. Read more »
Olivia Rodrigo on the cover of SOUR. Against a purple background, she has children's stickers all over her face and is sticking her tongue out, newspaper cut out letters imposed over her tongue say "SOUR"

License to Feel: “SOUR” Highlights the Unique Wisdom of Teen Girls

by Rodlyn-mae Banting
June 9, 2021 at 9:00am
Rodrigo’s practice of sitting intently with her messy emotions—whether on her bathroom floor or in her car—seems like a metaphor for the recent seasons of quarantine. Read more »
A white mom with her hair in a scrunchie holds her daughter, who is light skinned and has curly hair, as they sit together in bed.

Unlike “Gilmore Girls,” “Ginny and Georgia” Doesn’t Hide from Sex

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
March 5, 2021 at 7:56am
Ginny and Georgia strikingly faces sex and sexuality head on, especially when held up against its predecessor. Read more »
A young white girl wears a yellow raincoat and steps into a store while holding a zine.

“Moxie” Isn’t Perfect, but Neither Are New Feminists

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
March 3, 2021 at 8:42am
Moxie is more educational than groundbreaking. Read more »
Lana Condor, an Asian teenager with short, black hair, holds a turquoise book while wearing a turquoise dress at prom in To All The Boys: Always And Forever

Dream Sequence: “To All the Boys” Ends Less Sugary Sweet Than It Began

by Kyndall Cunningham
February 26, 2021 at 11:21am
The film ultimately lacks the essential nutrients of a satisfying conclusion. Read more »
A white thirteen year old girl with blond hair and bangs sits next to a cartoon version of herself.

Lizzie McGuire is 30. Apparently That’s a Problem for Disney+.

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
December 17, 2020 at 2:04pm
How Disney+ killed our Lizzie McGuire dreams. Read more »
A woman on a laptop. She sits in bed and wears a t-shirt and fuzzy socks.

How Sex Educator YouTube Went from Guiding Light to Worrisome Shadow

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
October 28, 2020 at 12:02pm
In 2016, YouTube was a space to learn any and everything about sex; maybe, in 2020, it simply isn’t anymore. Read more »
Fathia Youssouf portrays Amy, a Black child with a red shirt, stands with three other children on a train track in Migonnes

Pausing the Panic Button: Can Religious Scholarship Teach Media Literacy?

by Rebecca Epstein-Levi
October 21, 2020 at 12:49pm
Moral panics about sexually disturbing or explicit media are hardly new or uncommon. Read more »

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Best of Bitch

Tina Belcher's Sexual Revolution

​​​​​​​Tina Belcher, an animated teenaged girl. She wears glasses and has black hair with bangs.
by Gabrielle Moss
May 6, 2014 at 11:57am
Tina Belcher breaks all the rules of network sitcoms. That's why she's wonderful.  Read more »