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'I trust these girls with my life'
Dec. 4th, 2014 12:44 pmDay Twenty-Three: Favourite female platonic relationship
Aria, Emily, Hannah and Spencer (Pretty Little Liars)
I think I've already established why I like this show so much in other posts, but I will reiterate it here: it puts the fears, dreams, friendships and stories of teenage girls front and centre. Most importantly, it takes its four teenage main characters seriously, and, by extension, its teenage target audience. Aspects of the show are over the top and ridiculous, but there is a truth at its core, and no matter how preposterous the dangers the girls face, there is always an element of truth to them. The seriousness and damaging effect of the stalking, bullying and abuse these girls experience — whether it is at the hands of shadowy forces on the other side of a computer screen, or known figures from their circle of former friends and classmates, or attempts at control by their fathers, siblings, partners or male authority figures — is never denied or minimised.
At the same time, the girls' greatest defence against this abuse is always shown to be their love and support for one another. When they believe each other, when they fight for each other, when they combine their very different skill sets and work together they are their safest and strongest. The danger never really goes away, but as a team they are able to stave it off for a little longer and face it with a little bit more preparation the next time around. It's so important to me that the relationship between these four girls is never portrayed as bitchy or competitive: they have different areas of interest, different talents, and even different tastes in romantic partners, so they're never competing in any arenas. Indeed, the bullying behaviour of their friend Alison, whose disappearance and reappearance drives the plot forward, largely consisted of playing the four of them off against each other. They are able to be themselves without her, because the dynamic of their group shifts and it becomes cooperative rather than hierarchical.
I cannot emphasise how powerful this central friendship and story of four teenage girls is. The continued success of Pretty Little Liars is an utter delight to me. I wish it had existed when I was a teenage girl, but it's still pretty fantastic to see it as a woman in her late twenties.*
( The other days )
*My Tumblr tag should give some indication of how much I adore this show.
Aria, Emily, Hannah and Spencer (Pretty Little Liars)
I think I've already established why I like this show so much in other posts, but I will reiterate it here: it puts the fears, dreams, friendships and stories of teenage girls front and centre. Most importantly, it takes its four teenage main characters seriously, and, by extension, its teenage target audience. Aspects of the show are over the top and ridiculous, but there is a truth at its core, and no matter how preposterous the dangers the girls face, there is always an element of truth to them. The seriousness and damaging effect of the stalking, bullying and abuse these girls experience — whether it is at the hands of shadowy forces on the other side of a computer screen, or known figures from their circle of former friends and classmates, or attempts at control by their fathers, siblings, partners or male authority figures — is never denied or minimised.
At the same time, the girls' greatest defence against this abuse is always shown to be their love and support for one another. When they believe each other, when they fight for each other, when they combine their very different skill sets and work together they are their safest and strongest. The danger never really goes away, but as a team they are able to stave it off for a little longer and face it with a little bit more preparation the next time around. It's so important to me that the relationship between these four girls is never portrayed as bitchy or competitive: they have different areas of interest, different talents, and even different tastes in romantic partners, so they're never competing in any arenas. Indeed, the bullying behaviour of their friend Alison, whose disappearance and reappearance drives the plot forward, largely consisted of playing the four of them off against each other. They are able to be themselves without her, because the dynamic of their group shifts and it becomes cooperative rather than hierarchical.
I cannot emphasise how powerful this central friendship and story of four teenage girls is. The continued success of Pretty Little Liars is an utter delight to me. I wish it had existed when I was a teenage girl, but it's still pretty fantastic to see it as a woman in her late twenties.*
( The other days )
*My Tumblr tag should give some indication of how much I adore this show.
