Life Lessons from Heathers (1988)

The 1980’s was a gift amongst men in terms of cinema, bringing us Molly Ringwald, John Hughes, and teenage “coming of age movies”. Whilst the era had variety in film, also bringing us Top Gun (1986, Tony Scott) and Gremlins (1984, Joe Dante), detention and teenage romance gripped the young people, and promoted ideas of post-prom make-out sessions.

 However, the 80’s also brought us Heathers, starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, the 80’s answer to indie teen heartthrobs. Heathers is often viewed as a vintage “Mean Girls”, encapsulating the experience of being part of the popular clique whilst battling your own sense of morality. However, Heathers challenges the stereotypes of “teen movies”, provoking an interesting conversation to be had about teenage popularity, abusive boyfriends, and killing the popular kids at school. In my experience, Heathers is a crucial film for all troubled teenagers, and it has provided me with solace in times of bitchiness and pubescent drama.

When I first watched Heathers, I was under the impression that it was probably about a high school romance and some friendship drama, but instead I was able to learn some valuable life lessons regarding boys, friends, ambition and standing up for yourself when everyone around you wants you to follow their lead. 

As a character, Veronica Sawyer is charming, charismatic, a little bit bitchy, and she has a strong moral compass. She doesn't just follow her friends blindly, and she understands the value of morality and being an independent person. Despite following JD for a little while, she comes to her senses and branches off in order to remain independent and free thinking. JD represents the opportunity to break free from the bitchy high school clique, but also influences her thinking and actions for a short while. Veronica is a bit of a badass, and knows how to handle herself- although sometimes she displays human moments of weakness (especially when JD flips his hair and says something anarchist). She also maintains a dry sense of humour throughout the film, constantly narrating the action through non-diegetic sound, giving the audience a glimpse into her inner thought process via her diary. This provides some brilliant quote material, and some of the more relatable moments from the film. 

"My teen angst bullshit has a body count"

Opposite Veronica, is Heather Chandler, the mythic bitch- infamous for her lunchtime polls and giant red scrunchie. Although Heather Chandler is a bully, and a bitch, she is somewhat relatable for certain viewers, as most people in the school environment have met a Heather Chandler or two. And maybe, some viewers have been in Veronica's position, befriending the popular girls whilst dying for a way out, and a way to be kind and neutral without being controlled. 
Heather Chandler represents school turmoil, and the way in which we can easily become tangled in negative treatment of other people purely for our own reassurance. However, Veronica is set free from the fiery chains of Heather C's wrath, and is instead flung into the arms of generic bad boy, Jason Dean. 

Now, I would like to preface this by saying that yes, I have a huge crush on Christian Slater circa the 1980's, but JD as a character is a difficult one to navigate. Most girls appreciate a bad boy, but don't understand the difference between a bad boy and emotional abuse. Heathers teaches an important lesson in regards to this, providing JD as an example of what not to look for in a guy, otherwise all of your friends will end up dead. 
Veronica is smart, has her head screwed on straight, and has the ability to recognise this, while Heather McNamara allows boys to frequently play with her emotions and take advantage of her sexually. This provides a contrast between the characters, giving examples of what and what not to do, and how to stand up for your self worth. 
Jason Dean's love for Veronica is not enough to outweigh her moral compass, and she can be used as an example for young girls who don't appreciate their boyfriend's behaviour, whether it is abusive towards them, or others. 
Many young girls will watch Heathers and fall head over heels for JD, loving his bad boy nature just as much as Veronica, but many will also completely miss the message and want to bag themselves a boy just like JD. If I had watched this film when I was in my early teens, I probably would have felt the same. But it is important to look deeply into the film, and understand that JD is not intended to be a role model, or "boyfriend goals". The demographic of JD lovers fail to understand the concept of abuse within the film, and believe that attractiveness counteracts the behaviour, as long as he gives you cuddles at the end of a long hard day of killing all of your friends. If anyone is reading this, with a strong affection for characters such as JD, I urge you to rethink your stance, and to have a bit of self worth, because using this fictional character as a standard for real men can put you in a hospital.

Heathers teaches a lesson in terms of friendship, making it clear that having a group of popular friends is not the be all and end all of pubescence, and being your own person will get you much further than being a minion. In it's core, Heathers teaches that being your own person, and making your own decisions is overall much healthier and will shape you to be a better person. Following the decisions of others and supporting the negative treatment of other people will change how people view you personally, and you will be lumped in with the image of nasty, negative people. Whether breaking free from it will leave you all alone or not, it is always better to retain the moral highfround, and be kind to others. 

I guess all I'm trying to say, is that although Heather holds its comedic value throughout time, it's message will still stand, and I know that it has personally changed my perspective on things that have happened to me regarding friends and my sixth form experience. Veronica Sawyer is an iconic figure, who I personally look up to more than the Kim Kardashians and Kylie Jenners of this world. 

I say we just grow up, be adults, and die.