Gender Stereotypes In The Breakfast Club

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Rebecca Kaploun Professor Ryan Farnkopf Gender on the Internet 1 October 2015 Word Count: The Breakfast Club Over the years, The Breakfast Club has turned into a cult classic, becoming increasingly popular as time progresses. The film is viewed and analyzed in many psychology and sociology courses for its numerous displays of gender roles and typecasts. Each character portrays a different gender stereotype seen in society; throughout the movie the viewer is introduced to “The Criminal”: John Bender, “The Athlete”: Andy Clark, “The Basket Case”: Allison Reynolds, “The Princess”: Claire Standish, and “The Brain”: Brian Johnson. Due to the high popularity of this film, its influence can be seen in various other movies and TV shows produced in later years.…show more content…
Although each teen is in detention for a different reason, they are forced to look past their differences in order to endure the exhausting eight-hour detention. Their assignment during detention is to write a paper of no less than one thousand words, explaining, “who they really are”. As the day progresses, the actions of each student reveal their inner struggles pertaining to their differing cliques and family structures. Throughout the development of the movie, the reason behind each teen’s detention assignment is brought to the viewers’ attention. Finally, it culminates in a discussion about who each individual is, which paradoxically pertains directly to the essay question that all of them refused to answer earlier. In the end, Brian is tricked into writing a group essay addressed to their principal where he signs each of their names based on their defining characteristic; that’s where the nicknames “The Criminal”, “The Basket Case”, “The Athlete”, “The Princess”, and “The Brain” originate

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