Sexting in Suburbia

          So my mom and my sister are obsessed with Lifetime Movie Network movies. It just so happens that one of the titles of these movies they were watching a few years back was called "Sexting in Suburbia." I tuned in for a bit of it and the movie proved to be yet another Lifetime drama- filled, poorly acted, small budget movies designed to enamor young girls and their moms. Thinking back on this movie, however, I come to realize that its themes are echoed in both our class discussion on the dangers of sexting and in Lippman and Campbell's Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't…If You're a Girl: Relational and Normative Contexts of Adolescent Sexting in the United States.
          Sexting in Suburbia is a story about a teenage girl who was at the peak of high school popularity. She was voted prom queen and was admired by her peers. The movie proceeds to show the main character of the film, Dina experience pressure from her boyfriend to lose her virginity to him at a party. She denies him the opportunity and as a result, her boyfriend leaves the party and cheats on Dina with another girl. Dina, who is upset at this situation decides that regain the approval of her boyfriend by sending him naked pictures of herself the next morning. However, her plan backfires and as she enters school the following day she is greeted by sarcastic applause from her peers and is made a laughing stock because her pictures were leaked and viewed by seemingly everyone in the school. She opens her locker and condoms fall out- a practical joke played on her by other girls. The film takes a dark turn and reinforces the damaging effects of teen sexting as Dina, distraught from her ordeal decides to commit suicide.
          The negative consequences of sexting are clearly illuminated in this film. First, Dina becomes the laughing stock of her school because her pictures got out. In our class discussion, we spent a lot of time explaining how oftentimes, when pictures are sent, they will be leaked and more than the intended audience will view them. The film depicts the shame and helplessness that comes after the photos are leaked. Her suicide serves as a major consequence of teen sexting and I think the film definitely achieves in making teens think twice about sending pictures. The film also exemplifies one of the themes of Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't…If You're a Girl in that the doubled edged sword of girls being perceived as prude if they do not sext and considered a slut if they do is a major plot point. Dina, to make up for denying her boyfriend sex, sends the pictures. Her worries initially stem from the belief that she is being a prude and decides to make up for this by sexting. However, the other end of the sword rears its head once she sends the pictures and her actions become public knowledge and she is cast out from her social groups as a pariah and a whore.
          In my opinion, the movie, as poorly acted and typically dramatic as any lifetime movie, actually sheds light on some serious issues regarding the phenomenon of teenage sexting. The social consequences of engaging in sexting are exemplified in the film as well as the lose-lose situation teenage girls face when deciding whether to face being considered a prude for not sexting or a whore for sending pictures.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QfJpuBr268

Sources:


Lippman, J. R., & Campbell, S. W. (2014). Damned if you do, damned if you don't… if you're a girl: Relational and normative contexts of adolescent sexting in the United States. Journal of Children and Media, 8(4), 371-386.



Stimpson, J. (Director). (2012). Sexting in Suburbia [Motion picture]. United States of America: Moody Independent Film Company.