Dawson casting

Dawson casting is an observed cultural phenomenon and movie trope in film and television where many of the actors appear, and in reality are, much older than the characters they are portraying. The concept is observable in teen dramas such as Glee, Gossip Girl, and Pretty Little Liars where grown adults are cast to play teenage characters.[1][2][3][4] The term was originally circulated on the Internet in response to the casting choices in Dawson's Creek.[4]

Social ramifications

It has been suggested on several occasions by critics that Dawson casting has several negative implications, specifically for adolescents. These commonly include accusations of unrealistic beauty standards, negative body image, low self-esteem, and general mental health problems, especially in regard to one's self-perception.[2][5]

A clinical psychologist, Barbara Greenberg, told Teen Vogue that casting twenty-year-old actors for the roles of high-school students can worsen the struggles of adolescents, stating "It can give the message that they’re supposed to look good all the time" adding "That leads to all kinds of body-image and social-comparison issues".[5]

References
  1. Harry Low (7 August 2014). "When adult actors play teenagers". BBC News. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  2. Samantha Wilson (9 May 2014). "Why Teenagers Need to Play Teenagers on Screen". Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  3. Katherine Webb (8 June 2016). "15 Older Actors Who Played Teenagers in TV And Movies". Screenrant.com. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  4. Linda Yang (5 May 2017). "Inside the Phenomenon of Grown Adults Playing Teenagers on TV". VICE. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  5. "The Problem With Teen Characters Being Played by Adults". Teen Vogue. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2018.


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