HOW STEREOTYPES ARE ARTICULATED AND THEIR IMPORTANCE IN THE FILM -
Stereotypes are a large part of teen life, while some embrace the conventional norm, others rebel and push against them. In ‘10 things I hate about you’ teen groups and stereotypes are heavily intertwined throughout the story. For example, Kat, she is deeply perceived as rude and moody, another term often used is “heinous bitch”. Thus her and her friend are stereotyped as such, underbearing and cold. The once popular teen girl flipped to loner with opinions too big for her head. A major turning point was that she had also been intimate with another student, Joey not long after her mum left the family. She then realised that that wasn't what she wanted and decided to leave the popular gang as she was pressured to be with joey. Although she is seen as such things she is actually a meaningful, caring and intellectual girl who just wants to be understood. Categorising the characters into stereotypes or cliques isn't the objective of the film, as it has been articulated many other teen films both before and since its debut. The film's strength lies in the fact that the characters are complex and in each scene we find something new about them, the layers like an onion unfolding each time a major character development occurs.
HOW INDIVIDUALISM IS PORTRAYED THROUGHOUT THE FILM -
Another key idea explored in the film is the value of individualism, which is investigated from many perspectives. On the surface, Kat appears to be a strong, independent, and confident young girl. "You forget I don't care about what people think" she says, implying that she is cynical and does not believe she is required to conform to the vapid teenage society that surrounds her. "You don't have to be what other people want you to be all of the time," she tells Bianca, referring to her sister's need to fit in. Kat's strong individualism and how it evolves over her relationship with Patrick are essential to the film's portrayal.
HOW TEACHERS PERSEVE STUDENTS BASED ON PAST ACTIONS -
The teachers in 10 Things I hate about you all perceive the students in the same cliches that the students do. Mr Morgan shows this when Kat raises her hand in class and Mr Morgan says ‘Yes Miss-I-Have-An-opinion-about-everything’ This shows him judging his students and not giving them a chance to grow and surprise him. He treats his students differently depending on how he perceives them which limits both his and his students' development.
Ms Perky Is the guidance counselor at Padua High school, she meets with Kat after Mr Morgan sends her to the office for disrupting his class, during this meeting Ms Perky says, ‘People perceive you as somewhat… a heinous bitch. You might want to work on that.’ In this line Ms perky is admitting to seeing Kat the way she is seen by everyone else, instead of digging deeper as a counselor should, she looks on the surface and judges her on the outside, reinforcing that teachers see students as just another cliche and not giving them the chance to grow.