The real high school struggles 'Glee' nailed perfectly
What's the story
Popular television series, Glee, gives us a unique insight into the social pressure of high school students. The show explores teenage life from various angles, showcasing the challenges and dynamics of their lives. By showing relatable situations, Glee gives us an idea of how students deal with the intricacies of social hierarchies and peer expectations. Here are some things Glee accurately depicts about high school social pressure.
#1
The struggle for acceptance
One of the core themes in Glee was the fight for acceptance among peers. The show demonstrated how students often feel the need to conform to certain norms to fit in with other social groups. The pressure can cause stress and anxiety as people try to balance their true selves with societal expectations. By portraying diverse characters tackling these challenges, Glee highlighted the universal yearning for belonging and recognition in high school spaces.
#2
Balancing academics and extracurriculars
Another thing Glee gets right is the balancing act between academics and extracurricular activities. Students are pushed to perform well academically but also get involved in sports, clubs, or arts programs such as the glee club. The dual expectation can be a lot to deal with as they work to keep up their grades with commitments outside of school hours. The show depicts this juggling act realistically, mirroring a common experience for many high schoolers.
#3
Navigating peer relationships
Peer relationships are the essence of high school life, and it is something Glee captured beautifully through its characters. Friendships are put on the line with competitions, jealousy, and misunderstandings, and the romantic relationships only add to the mess with emotional highs and lows of teenage years. All of this makes it even more difficult to navigate through friendships with so much changing around you.
#4
Dealing with stereotypes
Stereotypes are common in any school, but Glee tackled them head-on by taking a stand against the generalization of student clusters like jocks or nerds. Characters obliterated stereotypes through journeys of self-discovery, which taught us to celebrate differences rather than pigeonhole people based on mere appearances or interests. In turn, the show inspired us to question and break limiting assumptions about people's identities.