Very few things can connect Yellowjackets and The Idol aside from their home platform. Still, Sam Levinson‘s latest project could have certainly benefitted from taking a cue or two from the success of the other popular Max series, and Christina Ricci couldn’t have said it any better.
Although Yellowjackets and The Idol have distinct storylines that seem completely unrelated, a recent interview with Christina Ricci on Gold Derby made us contemplate the general portrayal of teenagers on television. In a culture where teenagers are often overly sexualized and subjected to unnecessary explicit content, Ricci, who plays Misty in the drama series, greatly appreciates that Yellowjackets offers a more emotionally-driven depiction of teenage girls.
“We have this incredible younger cast of truly such talented, talented young women and they also are not glamorized. We’re not selling them as sex objects. The stories are not… I don’t know. They’re raw and so emotional and so grounded, and it’s wonderful to see young female characters portrayed in this way. It’s as gratifying as seeing the older characters portrayed this way.”
Ricci’s compliment about the show was not a subtle hint to anyone, but I immediately understood what she might have been alluding to. Nowadays, many shows tend to romanticize a hypersexualized version of teenagehood, as evident in series like The Idol and Euphoria. The creator of both shows, Levinson, hasn’t exactly set an example as a respectful writer when it comes to portraying teenagers, especially with the recent criticism he has been facing towards his latest series starring Abel Tesfaye and Lily-Rose Depp.
While Ricci might have been simply complementing the series, her comment only goes to show that Levinson could definitely learn a thing or two from Yellowjackets, which does a much better job of realistically depicting women without objectifying them. Even though, in the end, they happen to be cannibals.
Yellowjackets‘ first two seasons are available on Max.
Published: Jun 26, 2023 02:26 pm