Throughout this class, we have discussed many different topics. These topics include taking a glance at how girlhood and the individuality/autonomy of girls was represented in novels such as Charlotte Temple and The Lowell Offering, the meaning of friendship as found in novels such as If I Ever Get Out of Here and The Miseducation of Cameron Post, and the exploration of sexuality as seen in novels such as The Miseducation of Cameron Post and Ship It. All these topics are extremely relatable to real-life adolescents trying to find themselves and their individualities in the midst of everything they have going on in their life-school, family, and extracurricular activities.
One topic in particular that struck my interest was the individual adolescent exploring his or her sexuality. One’s sexuality strongly correlates with his or her individuality, and during adolescence is when someone gets the freedom to figure out who he or she is. The reason why adolescence is such a confusing time is because it is the first time that someone can figure out who he wants to be and not just blindly follow who his parents want him to be.
A major part of finding one’s individuality is exploring his sexuality. Figuring out if he is straight, gay, bisexual, pansexual, or anything else, is really important to who he is. Unfortunately, it is not guaranteed that everyone will be very supportive of who he is. As seen in The Miseducation of Cameron Post, when Cameron found out she was attracted to girls, she did not really receive any support or acceptance from the people around her. She, instead, was betrayed by her best friend whom she was attracted to, Coley, and was sent away by her own aunt and grandmother to a “reforming” camp. The camp was set up so people who were considered “gay” could be “cured” of their “gayness”, most likely against their own will. It boggles my mind that camps like these exist in this world, because sexuality and gender is so fluid and not a black or white thing that can just be changed. In class when we discussed this camp, I learned that the camp in The Miseducation of Cameron Post was actually “tame” compared to other camps that existed for this purpose. Although obviously using words to try to coerce adolescents into thinking that their sexuality is wrong is morally incorrect, in other camps the “leaders” use physical violence, such as using the electric shock. The fact that there are camps designated to use emotional and physical abuse to try to force people to change their sexuality, something that they should proud of and something people cannot really change about themselves, is really not okay nor is it acceptable.
Fortunately, like in Ship It, there are cases that someone experimenting with her sexuality does get support and acceptance from the people around them. After battling with her sexuality and not being sure whether she was interested in boys or girls, when Claire realized she was attracted to Tess and Tess outed Claire to her mother, she received nothing but support from her parents. When her parents found them kissing and when they were on a date at Claire’s house, her parents encouraged them. They only cared that Claire was happy and content with her life, which is how it should always be.
This reminds me of an episode of 9021 when Teddy came out to his friends as seen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxVgZT-pA_4. Teddy was portrayed to be a character who was rich, popular, handsome, and athletic. He used to date and hook up with girls, as he was trying to run away from his sexuality. Because of his status in the high school, he was extremely nervous to come out to his friends, scared of them judging him for who he was. However, fortunately, when he did come out, he had the support of all of his close friends- which proved them being good friends. Besides Teddy getting the support from his friends, another reason I really enjoy the scene is because it goes against all stereotypes. In media and TV shows, gay guys are usually portrayed as being very feminine. Teddy breaks that stereotypes, which opens the world views on the diversity of sexuality.
Among the topics that we discussed in class, adolescents figuring out their sexuality sparks interest in me since it is such an important part of life. In the future I want to work with children/teenagers as a clinical psychologist, and it is so important for me to learn about how people from different families experience different things as they are exploring their sexuality, and I look forward to learning about more different experiences- hopefully good ones!
-Anushka Nageswaran
Representing Adolescence @ Pitt 
Adolescence is this time of figuring yourself out which is also a really confusing time for many people, so encouragement and knowing that people have your back can be really helpful during this time in someone’s life. In The Miseducation of Cameron Post, she didn’t have much support from her family and then they sent her away to this conversion camp, which made this confusing time even more confusing and difficult. But eventually she figured out everything by herself with the help of her friends she met at the camp. However, we see the different side of how Cameron’s life could have played out with the characters in Ship It. Claire’s parents are very supportive of her which makes it a little bit easier for Claire to figure her sexuality. I just wish that everyone’s family and friends could be as supporting as Claire’s family and friends. You did a really good job with analyzing both stories as well as making the connection to the characters in 90210 (I love that show btw!). This example also shows that stereotypes of different sexualities are completely false and ignorant. Stereotypes are a reason why people are so afraid to just be themselves and that’s really upsetting to me because people feel as though they need to act and dress a certain just because society said so. If you have people to support you and to have your back in these tough times of figuring out, it definitely makes getting through adolescence a lot easier and more exciting. Good job!
-Dominique Gatta
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Anushka,
When I read “90210” I was unaware of a more modern remake and thought “woah what a dated reference!” But I did some research on the scene you describe, and watching it was very moving. I spent the first 20 years of my life in a small town in the “Bible Belt,” watching some very dear friends perform those same heartbreaking, degrading social gymnastics. All just to fit in with redneck jocks who were too busy abusing tobacco and homemade moonshine to notice that their friends were quietly suffering. Conversion therapy was often tossed around as a threat at the first sign of queerness. Seeing a gay character on a nationally recognised television show receive love and support was a wonderful contrast.
Thanks!
-Jeremey Young
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