How The O.c. Shaped Your Teenager's Life

"The O.C." series easily became this generation's 90210 with its teen romance, high school drama and wealthy plot as a cast of fresh Hollywood faces portrayed rich Californians living in Orange County, CA. The series debuted in February 2007 with 9.7 million viewers. The series touted a Southern California style with blonde tresses and strong physiques, leaving viewers scrambling to get tanner while addicted to the show's dramatic plot. College students hosted parties where friends would watch the show together, mothers even watched with their daughters while leaving their soap operas behind.

When teen dramas aired in past years, teenagers could be seen living normal, everyday lives in middle-class homes and driving Hondas. Creator of "The O.C.," Josh Schwartz, drew viewers into the high class and wealth of the characters by allowing them to live in multi-million dollar homes with ocean views and drive BMWs. "The O.C." not only became popular because of the fast-paced storyline, but also because the lifestyle of the rich and naughty is appealing and interesting to the general public. Although the characters originally exuded sweet and innocent demeanors, their behavior began to seem "normal" when they would lie, cheat or steal. Teenage boys could be found sleeping in bed with their girlfriend's mothers, and girls began experimenting sexually with each other after (of course) walking the runway at the local fashion show that was regularly held in town.

In "The O.C.," it was normal to have parents who slept around, mothers who were alcoholics or friends who went to jail. Mischa Barton's character, Marissa Cooper, originally was just a typical teenager looking for love, until she suddenly was caught in the addiction of drugs and alcohol. The youth easily looked up to Marissa Cooper, with her long legs and model looks, who was seen running off for a rendez-vous with the gardener or to work on her father's yacht. This show began to portray the normal teenage life as one that was scandalous, spoiled and filled with casual sex and partying. From this setting, other shows glamorized this youthful lifestyle, most notably "Sweet 16," "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County" and "Gossip Girls." It set an example to the American youth that it's completely normal to drive a Range Rover at the tender age of 16, just before ditching school to have a random hook-up with a boy you just met.

Although "The O.C." ignited several other shows in the same genre to begin, it only increased teenager's obsession with the rich life just before the country entered a recession. Designer handbags, at up to $1,000 a piece, were casually bought by girls who didn't even have licenses yet, and the price of prom increased from $300 to a whopping $3,000, according to Fairfield Patch. Coincidentally, as the country's economy has plummeted into a slump, the expectations of the youth with materialism have only increased because of the bar that is set from teen dramas.

Although teen pregnancies are now the lowest in two decades, due to shows like "Teen Mom" and "16 and Pregnant," they are still nine times higher than those in other countries, according to CNN. "The O.C." has only encouraged sexual activity with episodes where characters, Summer and Seth, had a fun night of sex when she dressed up as Wonder Woman for him on Halloween. Ryan and Marissa had plenty of sexual encounters after hooking up plenty of times, without any consequences. STDs weren't discussed, and pregnancies were seldom brought up.

When soap operas are dramatic for adults and the subjects discussed are entirely normal to those over the age of 21, the effect the show has on viewers seems minimal, if anything. However, when the same plot and topics are introduced to an audience well below the age of 18, this easily has a negative effect on the development and lifestyle on the youth when it's meant to be a time for them to discover themselves and explore their purpose in life, without hooking up with the family maid.