The Evolution of Teacher-Student Relationships in Media
By: Sarah Dreher and Katherine Stoneman
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The film trope of teacher-student relationships has been secretly a norm, with these relationships being quietly portrayed in popular TV shows and movies without anyone batting an eye. From the light-hearted and comedic romances in Mean Girls, the trope then escalated to more intense and long-lasting relationships like in Pretty Little Liars, with some shows even trying to glamourize the relationships by having them become normalized and even leading to marriage. Recently, we have seen a new wave in the trope with a shift in how these relationships are viewed, revealing how inappropriate and exploitative they are, on and off the screen.
This trope was first used as comedy to ease the tension and poke fun at the main character. The popular 2004 teen comedy movie, Mean Girls, focuses on the story of high school junior Cady after she moved from homeschooling in Africa to a public American high school. The plot is about the dangers of tight-knit cliques and what happens when Cady joins the elite friend group called “the Plastics.” The movie is filled with comedic and chaotic moments that distract the audience from a side plot and an on-running joke about teacher-student relationships.
The movie uses the character of Coach Carr, an athletic coach, and health and gym teacher, as a comedic relief and break from the main mean girl plot. Throughout the movie, the audience learns about his incompetence in sexual education, which is then used as a form of irony when it is revealed that he has been having multiple sexual relationships with his students.
These inappropriate relationships are glossed over and ignored as the movie moves past them to return to the main plot. Towards the end of "Mean Girls", Coach Carr gets reprimanded for these relationships. However, his only punishment was getting yelled at by the principal in a chaotic riot scene. The movie never returns to the concerning and inappropriate relationships shown. In this first wave of portraying these types of relationships, no one bats an eye as they are used for comedy because of the age difference but not because of the power dynamics at play, which is the real concern.
Mean Girls' portrayal paved the way for one of the most controversial relationships in TV, beginning the second wave of the tropes depiction. Pretty Little Liars aired in 2010. In the first episode, the characters Aria and Ezra were introduced to each other by meeting in a bar. They shared things about their personal life that led them to connect and make out in the bar's bathroom. The viewer is aware during the scene that Aria is a 15-year-old high schooler but doesn't know who Ezra is. Later in the episode, it was revealed that Ezra was her new English teacher. Even after that was discovered, the two continued their relationship for over two seasons while he was still her teacher. It became a normalized aspect of the show. The introduction of a new plotline made their relationship more disturbing as it was added that during the first time they met, Ezra knew Aria's age and who she was. He additionally dated another girl before Aria that would have been 13 or 14 years old while he was still an adult.
With all the information revealed, the two still get married and Ezra is made out to be a good guy as he acts as her protector numerous times throughout the show. Impressionable children watching the series rooted for the pair, unaware of the predatory nature and grooming that took place, in addition to it being illegal. The show's creator described the two as “soulmates”, excusing Ezra's behavior and portraying it as a healthy relationship that others could engage in. The problematic and illegal nature of a student-teacher relationship wasn’t fully brought to attention until the series “A Teacher”.
TV and movies in the past have portrayed Teacher - Student relationships as taboo but never explored the long-lasting effects that the relationship can have on the student. The series “A Teacher”, a Hulu original released in 2020, was instrumental in depicting the predatory nature and manipulative behavior present in any relationship with a power imbalance, representing the third wave of its portraiture. The series introduces the main characters, Eric Walker, a popular high school senior, and the new English teacher Claire Wilson. Walker begins struggling in one of his classes, and due to his low-income status, the only tutor he can afford is Claire Wilson. The two began spending time together outside of class, leading to Eric developing feelings for his teacher as she failed to maintain a strictly professional relationship. Eric ended up kissing her, which she rejected but later had him follow her out to her car where they had sex.
The manipulative nature of the relationship, with her making him feel that it was all his idea and fault that anything happened between them, continued as she pulled him in and then pushed him away to make him reliant on her. Their sexual “relationship” was eventually discovered when Claire shared it with her friend, causing her to be fired and serve jail time. The series continued to follow Eric as he went to college and explored the harmful effects that he experienced. Claire and Eric met for coffee at the end of the TV show where he confronted her about their “relationship” and how she took advantage of him and exploited him. “A Teacher” was essential as it showed the aftermath of a predatory relationship and that the student in the relationship was a boy when typically the student was a girl.
The main message of “A Teacher” displayed how a relationship could appear healthy on the outside while causing significant psychological damage to the person without power. The show moved away from glamorizing the Student-Teacher relationship trope that numerous series have portrayed in the past, demonstrating the importance of keeping relationships with a power difference professional.
The shifted focus of society on the importance of mental health and engaging in healthy behaviors has revealed the predatory nature of romantic “relationships” occurring between teachers and students. The series “A Teacher” was an essential switch from the content previously depicted in the movie “Mean Girls” and the show “Pretty Little Liars”. The significance of the shift cannot be understated, as young impressionable children watching unhealthy relationships in a glamorized manner may then want to engage in them and end up in dangerous situations. Continuing to stress the need to maintain professionalism and the inappropriateness of romantic relationships between students and teachers can keep children out of unsafe circumstances and promote the gravity of participating in healthy relationships.
No matter the age of consent, it is always inappropriate, unethical, and irresponsible for a teacher to have a relationship with their student, regardless of their age. A teacher is meant to act as a guiding figure for their students, modeling behaviors that they can utilize to improve their life. Their position establishes a power imbalance, as they influence the students and their futures, seeing as they can affect grades, which affects graduation, college, and job prospects. Some dynamics between teachers and students are attempted to be justified by claiming that the student was mature for their age and that they could handle it. Regardless of a person's intelligence, the relationship is manipulative and predatory, where the student gets taken advantage of.
By: Sarah Dreher and Katherine Stoneman
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