You are probably wondering why in the world I am doing a reading review on a ‘trashy’ teenage tv show. These reading logs are on the theme of prejudice and prejudice is defined as the ‘pre-conceived opinion/judgement that is not based on reason or actual experience’ (Oxford Dictionary). Where for a 17-year-old teenage girl is the most concentrated amount of prejudice found? At high school. I chose to do Glee as one of my reading reviews simply because it is one of the most relatable films at this time in my life. The TV show Glee is filled with relatable situations and scenarios for all teenagers. Which yes are often over dramatised but hold significant truths and relatability. All the prejudices we experience as teenagers happens in and around high school. Starting from our first day at school we were labelled and put into boxes. These stereotypes are formed off skin-deep assumptions and opinions. Such as gender, ethnicity, physique, physical features. Highschool then has a way of categorising and segregating us into specific groups that we are meant to accept and embrace.

Though I do not attend an American high school those westernised labels are still placed upon and sperate us whether we know it or not. The ‘jocks’ the ‘nerds’ the ‘stoners’ the ‘outcasts’ the ‘popular girls’ the ‘gamers’ where ever you go in any school in any town you are labelled and stereotyped. How is this fair, how can you categorise a human being into a single label? High school stereotypes are not just the faults of students but the faults of teachers, administrators and parents as well. In addition, the effect of social media plays a massive role in the enforcement and normalisation of high school stereotypes.

Glee empathises the raw reality of all stereotypes; cheerleaders, geeks, jocks etc and the impact these boxed perceptions have on us teenagers. In the ten short years of our lives when we are most vulnerable, confused and lost these stereotypes blind, separate and mislead us. Glee is one of the few tv shows or films that brings all these stereotypes, all these differences together, united as one not united against one another. Glee illustrates the beauty of defying prejudice. “Being a part of something special makes you special”- Rachel Berry.

When a high school Spanish teacher, Will Schuster, becomes the director of a failing glee club, the New Directions, he hopes he will be able to rejuvenate it. High school being the segregated, discriminative environment it is he struggled to find members to join, as many students feared that they would puncture their carefully sculptured reputation by joining. Due to many different circumstances, Mr Schuster ends up with a club full with the most unlikely set of teenagers all there for two reasons, the love to sing and the love for each other. The glee club is made up of a jumble of different stereotypes, ethnicities, sexuality and personalities. Jocks like Finn and Puck. Popular cheerleaders like Quinn, Brittany and Sanatana. Handicapped people like Artie. Bad boys like Jake. Nerds like Marlee. Divas like Mercedes. Gay boys like Blaine and Kirt. Tryhards/teacher’s pets like Rachel. Asians like Tina and, Mike. Transgender teens like Munique. And many more colours of the rainbow. It’s not the strength of all these indiiviual differences but the beauty of them all coming together and making something incredible that makes glee such a good tv show.

Glee taught me love and acceptance. This is perhaps one of the most beautiful things about this show that truly had an impact. My thoughts on equality and gay marriage have changed for the better after watching this tv series. I always believed that I had such a liberal mindset to topics including homosexual and transgender situations. It wasn’t till is watched glee and was really confronted with these issues that I really gathered and awareness around these topics. Glees approach to acceptance is done through people that need to do the accepting. Kurt, an openly gay boy from a very young age had no problem understanding, expressing and excepting who he was, his dad and step-brother Finn needed to come to terms with his lifestyle. Wade/Unique a transgender male who is content in high heels watched as Ryder had to deal with his issue of accepting that Wade identifies as a girl. Glee taught me that it was my job to accept. The people that I’m accepting are perfect and lovely just the way they are. I’ve got to put in the work to accept my LGBTQ brothers and sisters. They are doing nothing wrong, they don’t need to change.

Glee deals with the raw and emotional teenage situations many tv shows chose to skim over. Pregnancy, abortion, cheating, suicide, sexuality, bullying etc. Glee talks about these issues right out in the open. When the series first came out in 2009, the US was still fighting for equality and gay rights. The show introduced us to Kirt Hummel, and we followed him through his hardship of coming out gay and falling in love in a very conservative Midwestern community. Its the prejudice we get placed on us when we make our own decisions, descisions we choose to make, that kills me inside. The world enforces morals such as ‘honesty’, ‘express yourself’ and ‘individuality’ on us and yet when we abide and do society crushes us for trying. Like when Kurt opens up and ‘comes out of the closet’ he’s is subjected to trants of bullying and prejudice. The effect this has on him is inhumane but the love of the glee club helps him through the dark. “I swear to you I will never change. I’m proud to be different its the best thing about me”- Kurt Hummel. Quinn Fabrey falls pregnant at the age of 16 and gets knocked off her well-polished pedestal as queen bee at Mickenley and gets labelled, slut, slag and hoe. It’s bad enough to hate yourself for the decisions you make but when the world hates and holds prejudice against you for it also, it’s murderous. “When you really believe in yourself, you don’t have to bring other people down”- Quinn Fabray.

Glee really demonstrates like nothing else the effect prejudice has on people, especially teens in high school. But it also demonstrates what beauty can be created if we defy prejudice. A group of the most opposite and unlikley set of teens is brought together. Through washing away the stereotypes and prejudice they learn to love each other. “Look at us. We are all so different and yet there is nothing we wouldn’t do for each other”- Rachel Berry.

It all just comes down to the same things. Everyone is dressed in prejudice, from our head to our toes. We need to undress and view each other with love and not hate. We need to remove the false facts and see each human as they really are, human and beautiful.