The American Way

           

            Upon meeting the students from Argentina that I would do an exchange program with in high school, they asked a question my friends and I all found to be absolutely hilarious: “are the parties in America like those in American Pie?”  I laughed and replied “no,” not realizing that this question was in fact not that outrageous. I recently re-watched the movie, and realized exactly why the Argentinian students were excited to come to America, and experience what they thought was a typical American party. American Pie 2 is just one out of many movies that depict American teenagers engaging in dangerous behavior without repercussions. 

In an article by Hust, Brown, and Ladin L’Engle, the researchers reveal that the media is very stereotypical, and often presents sexual health as humiliating and humorous (Hust, Brown, & L’Engle, 2008). American Pie 2 further aggregates these gender stereotypes in a variety of situations. The main character, Jim Levenstein, is fully consumed by the need to lose his virginity as soon as possible. In order to prepare and improve his sexual abilities, Jim decides to masturbate while watching porn. Everything goes wrong when Jim uses superglue instead of lubrication and glues one hand to his genitals and the other to the porn. Jim then ends up in the hospital, and is absolutely humiliated when his father has to come and learn about what had happened.

Despite his humiliation and the humor directors use to depict the situation, Jim continues to focus on losing his virginity throughout the rest of the film, just as society implies adolescent men should feel about losing their virginity - rushed. Not only does the film focus on his virginity loss, but there is also a lack of focus on the type of contraception Jim will use once he does have sex. In an article by L. Monique Ward, she discusses that in the media there is often “a lack of discussion and depiction of sexual planning and consequences, with few references to sexually transmitted disease, contraception, pregnancy prevention, and abortion” (Ward, 2003). The American Pie 2 directors confirm this stereotype. At the end of the movie, Jim does indeed lose his virginity, and there is no discussion about contraception. Moreover, the two wake up with smiles on their faces, as if they are not worried about any consequences of having sex. This movie, along with many others, reinforces the belief among teenagers that sex is a carefree experience.  

Furthermore, as discussed in the movie we watched in class, Spin the bottle: Sex, lies, and alcohol, teenage drinking is an epidemic that leads to a series of bad decisions. In regards to sexuality, students often times make decisions that they would have not made had they have been sober. These decisions can lead to physical as well as emotional consequences, but there is a lack of these outcomes in the media. In the final party scene in American Pie 2, viewers see many of these behaviors, minus any negative repercussions. There are a series of shots depicting the teenagers engaging in reckless behavior. With alcohol in their hands, the men are taking shots off of girls’ chests, everyone is dancing extremely promiscuously, and there is a lot of kissing. The party ends with a few couples happily sleeping together in bed. One character even has two naked girls lying in his arms. The next morning, the party is over and there are no repercussions, essentially condoning all of the behavior from the previous night. Even though the party in the movie is glamorized and it seems as if there are no consequences, as discussed in the video, this is not always reality. Individuals can engage in behaviors they regret, and there are also negative physical effects. Once again, American Pie 2 shows only the positive aspects of teen drinking.

After watching the movie, and specifically the scene at the end, I understand why Argentinian students have this perception of American parties. American Pie 2 shows that their questions were truly not that far-fetched. In order to change this reputation, the teenagers must take more precautions, and the media must show them as well.

Hust, S. J. T., Brown, J. D., & L'Engle, K. L. (2008). Boys will be boys and girls better be prepared: An analysis of the rare sexual health messages in young adolescents' media. Mass Communication & Society, 11(1), 3-23. doi: 10.1080/15205430701668139 

Ridberg, R., Katz, J., Kilbourne, J., & Media Education Foundation. (2004). Spin the bottle: Sex, lies and alcohol. Northampton, MA: Media Education Foundation.

Ward, L. M. (2003). Understanding the role of entertainment media in the sexual socialization of American youth: A review of empirical research. Developmental Review, 23(3), 347-388. doi: 10.1016/s0273-2297(03)00013-3