The Portrayal of Class Differences in 1980’s Teen Cinema
Teen cinema is an area of film studies that has arguably developed the most over the decades, as it has had to adapt to the general attitudes towards teenagers in society. “Engaging with teen film as a genre means thinking about the certainties and questions concerning adolescence represented in these conventions, including the role of teen film in producing and disseminating them.” (Driscoll, 2011,) Influential moments in history such as World War II where the “teenager” first became an accepted term and the Vietnam War where teenagers were being drafted in the military or protesting for peace and love, and more social upheaval in the United States all influenced the teen genre and the ways that this age group was being represented and defined in popular media. It is also relevant to point out before I begin my argument is the discussion around what qualifies as a “teen”. After many theories put forward by scholars such as Shary and Doherty on the definition of a teen film, Martin argues “the teen in teen movie is itself a very elastic, bill-of-fare word; it refers not to biological age, but a type, a mode of behaviour, a way of being . . . The teen in teen movie means something more like youth.” (Martin, 1994, 66). One area of focus for teen cinema directors was commonly the class issues in America, particularly in the 80s with the new presidency of Reagan, and the economic crash after a time of confusion during the 60s and 70s. They would use the teen protagonists to display the class hierarchy that existed in America at the time, some would glamorize the high class lifestyle, giving sentimental thought to their issues surrounding vanity and popularity while pairing the lower class characters with violence and anarchy, others would romanticize the lack of wealth but abundance of friendship and community that was so common in lower class youths. In this essay I will explore the different approaches to representing the class struggles of America, in the 1980s teen cinema films of The Breakfast Club, John Hughes (1985) and The Outsiders, Francis Ford Coppola (1983). I will be comparing how the films depict the different representations of class, and the way that this affects the relationships of different characters within the film.
Both of the films that I will be discussing in comparison to one another were released during the mid 1980s, a decade which stands out among the rest when analyzing representations of teens in the movies; so influential that teen cinema today still takes large inspiration from 1980s youth films. This is firstly due to the sheer number of films released within this genre throughout the decade, “teen films made up approximately one of every ten films produced throughout the decade and an average of one of every five to six of the top fifty grossing films per year” (Nelson, 2011, 2). To understand why this genre spiked specifically during the 80’s, one must understand the economic and political causations that led to the production of these teen films. During the previous decades, America experienced political upheaval and social rebellion due to uncertainty with the Vietnam War, and other events like the Watergate scandal which caused even more distrust in the American government. It is also important to understand that “young people were neither unaware of nor disengaged from these events” (Abate, 2017, 43), instead the events were having a huge effect on their development from children to adults. “The Vietnam war polarized the generations, especially since the young were subject to military draft.” (Lev, 2000, xvii), causing the emergence of a young minded, free loving counterculture who wanted to differentiate themselves from the generations that came before them. The American dream of these older generations was destroyed by inflation, foreign policy turmoil and rising crime rates since the war, however the Reagan presidency, beginning in 1981, brought a rise in consumerism and materialism leading to an explosion in blockbusters, cable networks and the multi-plex cinema. The multi-plex quickly became a place of congregation for the American youth of the 1980s, especially because “the youth market was increasing its buying power, when the youth demographic group had more leisure time and more disposable income to spend as a result of recent upswings in the US economy.” (Nelson, 2019, 2). This explains the burst of teen-targeted films, producers were essentially exploiting the youth’s independence and desperation for freedom by changing the youth-film from being merely about teenagers, but for teenagers. “They gave teenage movie audiences at the end of the twentieth century a greater sense of presence in popular media, a deeper potential to be influences by the films they saw, and a wider range of options from which they could construct and compare their sense of self.” (Shary, 2002, 7)
These films targeted the youth of America so well by using such accurate representations of teenagers, that had never been seen in popular media before. In the past decades, an ephebiphobia existed where older generations were actually afraid of the new idea of the teenager, which started growing towards the end of World War II, according to Doherty when “the term teen-ager had entered standard usage” (Doherty, 2002, 34). Around this time, teenagers were used to seeing their age group represented in popular films as stroppy, rebellious and impulsive, especially James Dean’s representation in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), which is argued to be one of the first ‘teen’ films. This inaccurate and harmful representation carried on throughout the 60s and 70s when filmmakers were more concerned with the trauma that the USA was experiencing at this time. “In part these images can be read as a response to the troubled times of the late sixties and early seventies. The American dream had become the American nightmare. The young who were to inherit the earth, appeared to many adults as alien, hostile and threatening strangers.” (Considine, 1981, 134) Teenagers in these films were not given the chance to portray the personal problems that most teenagers face in their transition to adulthood, instead they are depicted as villainous and harmful to society, falling back to the negative portrayals seen throughout the 30s to 50s in response to the turmoil the country was facing. Then came the teen-movie renaissance of the 1980s which witnessed new, more acceptable representations of teenagers dealing with very personal, real life problems. John Hughes mastered this representation, making his films the most popular among teens in the 80s and many decades to come, “Instead of writing from an adult point of view, Hughes tried to approach teens and their stories from the perspective of youth themselves” (Nelson, 2019, 4). It is also relevant to point out that “certain youth attitudes – notably cynicism and narcissism – have been amplified and exploited by advertisers, businesses, and even politicians.” (Shary, 2002, 22), and John Hughes may have been simply using the knowledge that teenagers are self-preoccupied to create characters that appealed specifically to this narcissism. Anyhow, Hughes is recognised as
“Hughes may not have represented all varieties of teen experience, and he did not eliminate the negative and simplistic depictions of teens that would make some future films. He simply made films about young people on their level, appreciating their experiences rather than exploiting them” (Shary, 2005, 72). In The Breakfast Club, each character brings their own personal stories of their home lives to the narrative, consequently building unique friendships and relationships with the other characters by the end of the film, despite their differences in class and popularity. By sharing their experiences, they realize they all have something in common, a bad relationship with their parents. Hughes used this shared experience as a common ground between the characters in many of his successful teen films. For different reasons, each of the five students does not see eye to eye with their parents, whether it’s because they are actually being abused, neglected or because they are too pressured and made to feel like “a racehorse” as Andrew describes his situation. This character portrayal was common in 80s teen cinema, as it highlighted the issues of many young adults who felt neglected or unloved by their parents who were away from home more due to work. Divorce rates were actually higher during the 80’s than previous decades, which explains why so many teenagers felt anxiety around both of their parents. “Children felt like they could not look up to their parents, students felt like they could not trust their teachers. With ineffective, and even detrimental, authority figures, teens were left to be independent – they had to rely on themselves and their peers to solve problems on their own.” (Nelson, 2019, 67). This is mostly reflected in Brian’s character throughout the film. Brian’s voiceover narrates the opening scene, establishing him as our trusted character; the one who is suggested to be the most likeable and perhaps relatable too. After Brian’s narrative, we are introduced to the first character Claire, after being flashed the obvious BMW logo on her father’s car, it is clearly suggested that she comes from a family of wealth, also depicted through her father’s costume of the Burberry scarf. Brian’s introduction follows, and compared to the iconography pointing to Claire’s wealth, his family are presented as coming from a more average, middle-class background.
Brian, his mother and younger sister all seem to be crammed in the front seat of the old, tattered car his mother drives, and they don’t wear any branded clothing, reflecting the reality of most Americans in the 1980s, making him the more relatable character. This class hierarchy not only affects the students home lives, but also the way they interact with each other at school situations. Claire sits at the very front of the room, and Brian sits a row behind, noting that the more popular, higher-class students will be sat at the front. This awareness of the difference in social class fades away throughout the movie when the students come to realise that they’re essentially conforming to the class hierarchy by judging each other based on their differences, rather than coming together to understand what they all have in common.
Hughes was often criticized for his over-sentimental portrayals these middle-class, privileged students and their specific, ‘undramatic’ storylines, and only brushed over more serious issues. He had the opportunity to explore the working-class family dynamic of John Bender’s home life, but instead labelled him as the unstable and disruptive character of the film. Bender is over dramatized as being aggressive and even predatory to Claire especially, making him the negative stereotype, as he is the only character in the film to represent the working class. In some ways, Bender may reflect the ‘old’ representations of teens in America, proving that Hughes is still somewhat entertaining the common misconceptions of teenagers. In comparison to this portrayal of the working class in The Breakfast Club, Francis F. Coppola adapted the heart-warming novel of The Outsiders, by Susan E. Hinton, into a feature film that challenged the portrayals of lower-class teenagers in America. As a director, Coppola differentiates from Hughes as he is better known for his previous blockbusters of The Godfather (1972) and Apocalypse Now (1979), rather than frequently making teen movies. However, he clearly had an interest in the teen genre as he produced American Graffiti (1973) with close friend George Lucas, which is deemed to have paved the way for the future teen films of the 80s. When he directed The Outsiders, he took a different approach on the representations of class in teen movies by allowing the audience to sympathise more with the lower-class kids (the Greasers) and portraying the high-class teens (Soc’s, short for socials) as egotistical and mean. He successfully shed light on the closeness between teenagers in the lower-class areas and they may not have suitable parental figures for them to trust and look up to, much like Bender in The Breakfast Club. The sympathy with lower-class characters can be seen in some movies but they are rarely the main focus of the narrative, they are merely only there for comparison or sympathy for the main, upper to middle class character to befriend, much like Brian’s role in The Breakfast Club. Considine sums up the shift of fascination, “In looking at images of adolescence throughout the thirties one encounters a corresponding movement away from working class tenement environments and a growing elevation and celebration of small town, middle class America.” (Considine, 1981, 124).
While Hughes glorifies the upper-class problems that Claire is facing, Coppola romanticizes the lives of the poor, orphan brothers and their Greaser friends, and the community that they have created between themselves without the help of their parents or any other adult figures. Firstly, Coppola establishes the identity of the Greasers through certain iconographies that point to the social and economic class of the boys. He uses costume as a huge depicter of the difference between the Greasers and the Soc’s, reflecting the reality of the 60s, where the kids would have to define themselves as immediately recognisable by their rival gang. “You think you recognise them immediately, the sleeves cut off the sweatshirt at the armholes, the denim jacket flapping in the breeze, the collar turned up on the black leather jacket. They’re street corner punks, Dead End Kids” (Aitken, 1994, 103). Coppola introduces us to the protagonist, Ponyboy, using Elvis’ The Wild One, setting the movie in the 60s where new rock and roll music was an important part of the adolescent lifestyle. The song may also be referencing the film, The Wild One (1953) starring Marlon Brando, involving teen motorcycle gangs, a similar narrative to The Outsiders, foreshadowing themes of the film from the very beginning. We are encouraged to view Ponyboy as ‘the wild one’, however it soon becomes clear that he is not the only rebellious youth that we will become familiar with. As Ponyboy walks through town he’s “jumped” by a gang of Soc’s. They are dressed in pastel jumpers and shirts, contrasting to Ponyboy’s costume of his dark blue t-shirt and jeans, indicating their different financial situations, and distinguishing the rival group so that it is obvious for the audience. To enhance realism, “Coppola wanted to create a tension between the Soc’s and Greasers even off the set,” reported Leif Garret” (Aitken, 1994, p111) by keeping the actors in their groups of Greasers and Soc’s, even giving them different accommodations and daily wages to encourage method acting. The divide between the groups is very evident at the start of the film, with their differentiating costumes, choices of dialogue, materialism (Soc’s drive Mustangs while Greasers walk). Coppola intentionally used drastic differences to enhance the difference between the classes portrayed in The Outsiders, and the judgement they hold towards each other, perhaps to share a message to the 80s society about the class system. Aitken argues that they “point to substantial, material, historical differences as surely as topographic differences on the surface of the earth point toward differences at the core-mantle boundary.” (Aitken, 1994, 111), strengthening the ideologies that Coppola is presenting in his iconographies pointing to the social and class backgrounds of the characters.
A common theme throughout both of these 80s movies is the merging of different classes, after defeating the initial judgements that are seen at the beginning by each character from opposing ends of the hierarchy. In The Breakfast Club, Claire accepts John Bender’s advances towards her and eventually gives in to his affection. After much judgement from both of them about the others way of life, Claire seals their new bond by giving him one of her diamond earrings as she says goodbye, although previously she made a speech admitting that she would not say hi to the unpopular kids at school on Monday morning. Perhaps this action can be viewed as her taking pity on him for his lack of wealth and popularity, while she remains at the top of the class hierarchy and can more than afford to give away one earring, but to Bender it is more substantial. Whatever the action means in the world of the film, it is important to note that it is a reflection of the class state in America during the 1980s. The higher class would remain at the top, giving little of their huge sums of wealth to the poor, while the middle and lower classes would have to work extra hard to build the economy back up again. “The moral in many of these films was that wealthy people could be reformed through the diligent devotion and pride of the poor, although they would not need to surrender their financial security to do so.” (Shary, 2011, 565). It was very common for there to be some sort of action or defining moment that signified the classes merging, and dropping all previously held judgements towards the other side, “with wealthy characters (at least temporarily) repudiating their class advantage and poorer characters abandoning their disdain or envy for class advantage, so that their mutual attraction is based solely on non-class issues.” (Shary, 2011, 566). Coppola uses the same concept in the relationship of Ponyboy and Cherry in The Outsiders, as Cherry explains “things are rough all over” and treats Ponyboy differently than the rest of the Greasers. However, the heart to heart that Ponyboy shares with Soc Randy is more inspiring and unexpected because of the history between the two characters, and their previous resentment towards one another. Randy expresses his hatred towards the violence between the gangs, although he states, “you can’t win, you’ll still be where you were before, at the bottom”, referring to the class separation between the two. He acknowledges that they will always be rivals because of their backgrounds and place on the class hierarchy, no matter if they want it to be different or not. “These films largely employed class issues in a discourse around the innate homogeneity of youth, revealing that despite differences in consumptive power, all teens have the same goals: to be accepted, happy, and prosperous.” (Shary, 2011, 566). This is evident when Randy corrects himself and calls Ponyboy “kid” instead of Greaser, as usual, proving that he is starting to break down the stereotypes of the Greaser and view Ponyboy as a normal kid, after realizing they both have common struggles and goals despite their differences. Cherry and Randy both take pity on Ponyboy, and begin to understand that he’s still a good kid despite the stereotypes that are attached to him and his class background, “poverty is shown as humble and endearing, while wealth is pompous and oppressive, and thus must be criticized if it is to be tolerated at all.” (Shary, 2011, 566). Cherry, although sticking up for the rival Greasers, continues to ignore Ponyboy at school, encouraging the ideas of the wealthy being pretentious when it comes to popularity and recognition.
Both these films, along with many others during the 1980s, presented the issues and taboos surrounding class in teen movies through the use of costume, story and character reconciliations. The Outsiders is definitely more gritty and closer to a harsh reality that some teens were facing in the 60s, with themes of murder, abuse and gang violence. During the 1960s, teen films would depict teen gangs as completely reckless and unaware of their social contribution to America, but Coppola uses the film to give sympathy to kids from these backgrounds and show that the situations they find themselves in are merely a product of environment. “S.E. Hinton’s characters are babies living in a world where full-blown emotion, conflict and tragedy is their domain,” Coppola remarks” (Schweiger, 1983). Coppola rejected the teen genre conventions of clichéd stereotypes and instead challenged the representation of the lower-class as being a threat to society, by making the audience sympathise with the Greaser boys and their family values. This is portrayed in the Curtis brothers, particularly the eldest Darry, and his efforts to take on the parental role after the tragic passing of their parents. He fills the void that so many teenagers were missing in their lives at the time, making the film more personal to those watching. Although the boys win the court case and are allowed to stay together by the end of the film, their financial issues are still unresolved, and they will always be judged as Greasers. This is particularly where the film differentiates from many others, because it deals with very real problems of the lower class, rather than brushing over issues of violence and financial insecurity, it explores them and helps us understand. In some ways it can be argued as more of a youth film rather than a “coming of age” because the boys are dealing with very serious issues that most adolescence would not have to, especially teenagers like those in The Breakfast Club who’s problems mainly concern popularity at school or grades.
The Outsiders is not considered as famous of a teen film to represent the 1980s renaissance as much as The Breakfast Club is, perhaps due to the darker, more adult themes it addresses rather than focusing on the smaller issues that teens are facing with school, friends, families etc. Nevertheless, both films are successful in presenting a teen experience, no matter how harsh or insignificant it may be in relation to the situations happening in America at the time regarding issues in the economy affecting the financial security of many families. The Outsiders transcends the expected narratives of cliched 80s classic teen films such as The Breakfast Club by challenging class stereotypes and exploring the bigger issues of kids in the United States with worse financial issues than what was generally shown in popular media.
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Filmography
The Breakfast Club. 1985. [film] Directed by J. Hughes. Hollywood: A&M Films.
The Outsider. 1983. [film] Directed by F. F. Coppola. Hollywood: Zoetrope Studios