The Women of John Hughes Films

Feminism, Misogyny, and New Criticism

Presenter: Julia Reilly

Presenter Status: Undergraduate student

Academic Year: 20-21

Semester: Spring

Faculty Mentor: Hillary Homzie

Department: Communication & Media Studies

Funding Source/Sponsor: SYRCE Symposium

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=176ThZgBB8NNmB_Ypvw7mw_bl1258wDWp

Abstract:
John Hughes' films shaped what teen films are today. Hhe became known as a teen filmmaker with his portrayals of teenagers in the 1980’s whether it was an awkward teen whose parents forgot her sixteenth birthday, a group of misfits all stuck in detention on a Saturday, or a high schooler that skips school to spend a day in Chicago with his best friends. These films are absolute classics and anyone can tell you that these films helped shape them as a teen in the 1980’s. At the time no one in Hollywood was writing about the details of high school, and certainly not from a female point of view. With a man writing these stories some of the women either get lost in the background or are mistreated by the male characters around them. In my research project I decided to focus on how these characters would portray themself on social media if they could. I looked at Sloane Peterson and Jeanie Bueller from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Claire Standish and Allison Reynolds from The Breakfast Club and Samantha Baker from Sixteen Candles. Using Photoshop I made Instagram profiles for each of the woman and used pictures from Pinterest to show what they might have been interested in as a female teen in the 80's. I also added in follower counts to show the social status of some of the characters. I wanted to portray these girls with their own unique personalities and through Instagram I could acheive that.