The FOX television show, The OC, was produced for a teenage audience and revolved around the lives of 4 teenagers living in Orange County, California. Countless discourses surrounding adolescence are both reinforced and challenged through the course of the show. For one, 3 of the teenagers come from very wealthy backgrounds (Seth Cohen, Summer Roberts, and Marissa Cooper). Summer and Marissa are the most popular girls in school. They are white, rich, and attractive. Their daddy’s buy them everything they want, and they are always seen in designer clothing. Seth Cohen, although he comes from a wealthy family, is considered the school “outcast.” His Jewish background and refusal to conform to the “normal” O.C. activities leads to him constantly being attacked by peers. Ryan, who is adopted by the Cohen family, was born in raised in Chino, which is a low-class area near the O.C. The other teenagers immediately recognize that Ryan is not of “their kind” and refuses to accept him into their community. This all happens within the Pilot episode of the show. Teenage viewers are immediately confronted with the idea that you must be white, rich, and attractive to fit in.
Later in the series, Marissa’s parents’ divorce and her father is indicted for fraud. Her family loses their wealth and she becomes involved with Trey, Ryan’s older brother. Trey is considered a “thug” by the O.C. community. Trouble arises, and Marissa is forced into shooting Trey with a gun in an act of self-defense. Although Marissa faced no legal charges, the prestigious private school she attends expels her immediately. This relates to Harris’s At-Risk girl. “At-risk youth are those who are seen to be rendered vulnerable by their circumstances – living in poverty, in unstable homes, in communities known for violence, drugs, and crime…these situations tend to become the only lens through which these youth are seen, and this then invites surveillance and intervention” (Harris 25). Marissa continued to work hard and get good grades in school, yet the moment her family becomes unstable and she is associated with the lower class her school jumps at the first opportunity to remove her from their community.
In season two, the character “Alex” is introduced when Seth applies for a job at the Bait Shop. Seth is immediately attracted to her despite their differences. It seems as if the attraction is mutual until Alex’s ex shows up in town. Seth imagines a big biker guy with several tattoos and becomes overwhelmed with jealousy. The show remains very vague about the ex for a good portion of the episode. Seth eventually convinces Ryan to spy on Alex and see what her ex is like. After a suspenseful build up, Ryan eventually finds out that Alex’s ex, Jody, is in fact a woman. Ryan rushes back to Seth to tell him and Seth sighs in relief. This relates to Driver’s article about queer girls. “Within media portrayals, a girl’s queer transgressions commonly reinforce, rather than disrupt, her development into a normal woman…elusive signs of gender and sexual variance become framed in terms of a privileged and inevitable heterosexual resolution” (Driver 7). Alex is portrayed as once having queer relations, but only as an ex from her past. She shows interest in Seth, and eventually they become an item. The show is reinforcing that sometimes girls “stray” but they eventually find the right path to heterosexuality.
