The Breakfast Club: Portrayal of Adults, Relationships and Sex in Teen Movies

Relationships and sex are frequent topics described in teen movies in the 1980s. The films of this period express the sexual freedom that teens were experiencing for the first time. This chapter happened for a brief period between the sexual liberation movement of the 1970s and the start of AIDS in the mid-1980s under the conservative Reagan rule. The films demonstrate that the transition into adulthood is troubled with problems. The theme of the sex comedies is connected to sexual initiation and loss of virginity and determine how it shapes teen identity. For example, the sexual adventures of the teenage male protagonist in sex comedies like The Last American Virgin (1982) relate with a renewed sense of masculinity in the Reagan era. In the crude comedy Porky's (1981), high school boys are depicted as young, inexperienced studs in an eager quest to lose their virginity. In contrast, John Hughes ‘The Breakfast Club depicts virginity in positive terms. The films of the teen genre inspect how male and female characters cope with coming of age issues such as sex, virginity and relationships in the morally critical Reagan era.

There was a shift in the narrative of teen films in the mid – 1980s when it was revealed that the AIDS/HIV virus could be spread through heterosexual sex. Society's perception towards casual sex changed. More teen films started been produced that focused on romance with a more virtuous portrayal of youth. John Hughes’s work as a writer-director-producer featured this new representation of teen identity such as in Sixteen Candles (1984) and Pretty in Pink (1986). Hughes’ films emphasized on the emotions faced by the teen characters and not on the physical aspect of sex and its consequences. His more sensitive portrayal of adolescent emotions left a permanent mark on the 1980s teen genre.

Generational divide is common topic in the 1980s teen films. The generational gap dramatized in the films mirrored what was happening in modern society. The notion of the traditional family in the post-war years was changing, and young people were less dependent on their parents with regards to decision making and emotional support. In the 1980s, teenagers were spending less time with their parents and instead confided in their peers or siblings. Like in reality, the movies in this era portrayed strained relationship of youngsters with their parents and other adults and described their rebellion against adult authority.

In The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, adults were portrayed in a negative light. Teachers were not portrayed as role models or educators but as arrogant and incompetent bullies. They behaved in a careless attitude towards their students while demanding that the teens behave in a responsible way. Instead of setting the moral code, teachers behaved as badly as the teens. Parents were shown to be absent and obsessed with getting rich and embracing the middleclass lifestyle of the Reagan era. In Ferris Bueller's Day Off, parents were represented as distant and emotionally disconnected. Ferris is absent from school and his goal is to avoid detection from his parents and his teacher. His status is defined by his anti-authoritarian and rebellious attitude, especially to the incompetent teacher who is made to look a fool by Ferris.

There may be factors causing the increasing divide between the teen and adult world during these years. Children of unresponsive and detached parents were typically the ones involved in lawbreaking, early Sexual activity, and drug use. This is an important aspect that provides another connection between the films and their stories.