Top 10 2000s Teen Movie Moments That Wouldn't Work Today
#10: Disordered Eating “Mean Girls” (2004)
While “Mean Girls” still feels incredibly current, it was actually released all the way back in 2004, if you can believe it. It’s one of the most beloved and revered teen movies of all time, and in many ways feels timeless. But one of the major plotlines is one that we don’t think would be included if the story were written today instead. Regina George, the film’s villain, is obsessed with losing weight even though she’s already thin. In a plotline that’s supposed to be played for laughs, Cady gives her nutrition bars that actually make her gain weight, though she lies and tells her they’re for weight loss. As Regina gains weight, she becomes ostracized and even mocked for being fat.
#9: Gay Stereotype “Legally Blonde” (2001)
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Just like “Mean Girls”, we can’t get enough of “Legally Blonde”, and in most ways it stands up to rewatchings today with its message of female empowerment and plenty of fun “girl power” moments. But there’s one part that doesn’t sit as well with us nearly two decades after it was released. In the final court case, Elle encountered one of the witnesses, Enrique the poolboy, in the hall and he mocks her footwear in a very specific way. Based on his knowledge of fashion, she surmises that he’s gay, which thwarts one of the prosecuter’s lines of inquiry. While this scene is a triumphant one, it does use a pretty basic gay stereotype.
#8: Jenna Hanging Out with Kids "13 Going on 30" (2004)
In 2004’s "13 Going on 30”, 13 year old Jenna Rink finds herself magically transformed into a 30 year old version of herself, as though time has sped up after she makes a wish to be “30, flirty and thriving”. She’s living her dream life, but finds that in a lot of ways she’s not actually ready to be grown up. She ends up spending time hanging out with “kids her own age”, i.e. actual 13 year olds. While this kind of makes sense considering the movie’s plot, it’s still pretty weird that she spends her time with young teens when to everyone else in the movie, she’s a full on adult.
#7: Denis Outing His Friend “I Love You, Beth Cooper” (2009)
While the films we’ve discussed so far have become modern classics, this one is more likely to be forgotten in the history of teen movies. “I Love You, Beth Cooper” wasn’t well received when it came out, but today it fares even worse. The movie starts with the main character, Denis, making a confession in his graduation speech that he’s in love with cheerleader Beth Cooper. But he also outs his best friend as being gay in front of the whole school, which is deeply not cool. For the rest of the movie, the friend’s sexuality is played for laughs, which makes it all even worse.
#6: Lizzie & Paolo “The Lizzie McGuire Movie” (2003)
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In “The Lizzie McGuire Movie”, Lizzie has just graduated from junior high and goes on a class trip to Rome. While she’s there’s she ends up meeting an Italian pop star, and sneaking away from her group to go off on adventures with him. The thing is though, Lizzie was about 14 years old in this movie and Paolo is allegedly 17, though he looks like a certified adult and acts like one too. If this movie were to ever be remade (which we hope it will be), we have a feeling they’d make Lizzie a little older so it wasn’t so questionable that she was going off with a total stranger in a foreign country.
#5: Sexism, Racism, Transphobia “The Hot Chick” (2002)
While some movies from this time period have aged well, this is certainly not one of them. It’s pretty much impossible to pick just one moment from “The Hot Chick” that wouldn’t make it into a movie today because the reality is, the entire thing would just be scrapped. The entire premise lends itself easily to rampant sexism, considering it’s about a girl who finds herself trapped in a man’s body. Rob Schneider performs femininity in an exaggerated and offensive way throughout - but that’s not the end of it. There’s also racism and transphobia to boot!
#4: Edward Watching Bella Sleep “Twilight” (2008)
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The “Twilight” movies were a massive success upon their release, beginning in 2008. From the onset, the first film had a seemingly equal share of fans and detractors. Many things about the movie were criticized, and we admit, a decade on there are a lot of cringey moments. But the one that we think is next level creepy is Edward sneaking into Bella’s house and watching her sleep. Not only is this troubling behavior, it’s portrayed as being romantic, which makes it even worse. In the
#3: Bridget & Her Coach “The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants” (2005)
“The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants” was adapted from a book of the same name, and features the stories of four friends who find themselves separated for the summer, but have a pair of pants that magically fits them all to keep them together. In Bridget’s story, she attends a soccer camp and becomes infatuated with her older coach. While at first he pushes off her advances, he eventually gives in, despite his position of authority. He apologizes for his actions after Bridget is devastated - but in a modern day film, we have a feeling this story would have gone a different way and he wouldn’t be seen as a good guy.
#2: John Taking ‘Feminine’ Hormones “John Tucker Must Die” (2006)
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“John Tucker Must Die” is your classic revenge movie, with a teen twist. A group of girls wants to get back at a guy who has played them all, and they try a variety of tactics to give him his just desserts. One of their attempts involves sneaking estrogen into his protein powder (in an effort to make him understand what it’s like to be a woman, which is totally misguided) and the results are pretty offensive. The estrogen makes him act in an exaggeratedly feminine way, crying and complaining about his thighs being fat. Just describing it makes us cringe!
#1: Harassment “Bring It On” (2000)
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While there’s a lot to like about 2000’s fun cheerleading flick “Bring It On”, there’s one part that’s unsettling all these years later. After being asked if he’s gay, the character Jan asserts that one of the other cheerleaders, Courtney, doesn’t wear underwear with her uniform, and that he takes advantage of that fact during their routines. Everyone seems to think it’s hilarious, and we eventually get to see him do it, and Courtney slaps him afterwards. Jan doesn’t have any negative consequences, and the entire thing is played as comedic. Yuck!
