Call in the tropes!
Brunch|March 18, 2023
They don't make American highschool cliches like they used to. Here are 10 of our favourites from film and TV
Rachel Lopez
Call in the tropes!

1 The jock with the jawline.

Rewind to as far back as Grease (1978) and you’ll find that the popular boy is almost always a footballer, ambivalent about his grades, and a bit of a rogue. He’s in The Breakfast Club, She’s All That, A Walk To Remember and High School Musical. Even in The Duff, he has a jawline so sharp, it could only belong to a 27-year-old.

2 The mean cheerleader:

She’s wanted. She’s hot. She’s everything you’re not. Even outside of practice, she’s in uniform and a high ponytail. She’s currently trying to win back the jock just so the prom photos come out pretty. Quinn and the gang from Glee didn’t do as much cheering as the Bring It On girls, but they wielded just as much power.

3 The bestie with all the dope.

She knows why Twilight’s Cullens go missing on sunny days, why Regina George is one of the Mean Girls, and what they’re serving in the cafeteria. Besties guide the new girl or boy (and therefore you, the viewer) through the film’s conflicts. And strangely, for all their knowledge, seem to have no other friends.

4 The lucky nerds:

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