by Kate Ward
As my Hulu password recently ran out, I’ve recently been pursuing the “watch again” section of the other streaming services I’m stealing my brother’s passwords to. Scrolling back far enough, I spotted Freeform/ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars, a teen drama about four high-school girls being stalked and harassed by the elusive “A” (later “AD” or “A Team” or “Red Coat”, this show had to create a lot of new villains). Every episode, they get a text message from “A” blackmailing them or leading them into hazardous situations.
As I began to rewatch the show, I couldn’t help but think about the piece we read on Gossip Girl and transmedia TV. I think Pretty Little Liars would also have been a great candidate for a case study in this method.
Like Gossip Girl, PLL relies on the audience wanting to be like the main four girls. Would the audience ever want to be in a remotely similar situation to any of them? I can’t imagine. But while they are experiencing their psychological torture, they are fashionable, wealthy, and adored by their hot partners. The audience can’t help but want to be like them. This is where the marketing comes in.
While watching a season three episode, I noticed a long pan over a beautiful organized display of Tresemmé dry shampoo. “Wow, this is obnoxious”, I thought to myself. Then, one main character told another, “Try this Tresemmé dry shampoo, it’ll fix that oil”. What I probably would have just rolled my eyes at in the past, I begin to think a little more deeply about. If I were to have watched this episode when I was younger (which I did not because 1) my mom wouldn’t let me and 2) it seemed scary), I would’ve run to a local CVS to pick up this product if it meant I could look like Hannah. I find this thought sad and also a little insidious.
It’s not hard to find media that pushes products onto young, impressionable and insecure girls sad, but I think I’m opening my eyes to places I didn’t even realize it was being done. In a way, maybe I’m healing my inner child. It’s nice to know that maybe I didn’t need to buy the right dry shampoo to look like a PLL girl, they were just 35 playing 15 year olds.
