Tyler Brooks
John Hughes' Sixteen Candles, released in 1984, is considered a classic coming-of-age film of the 80s. However, upon re-examination, the film has not aged well due to its offensive and toxic content, including racist and sexist jokes, the portrayal of sexual harassment and assault as humorous, and the encouragement of date rape. While some elements, such as the father-daughter relationship, are still celebrated, the film's insensitive portrayal of women and people from other cultures has been criticised.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Overall Aging | Poorly |
| Reasoning | Insensitive and offensive bits |
| Racist Stereotypes | Long Duk Dong's portrayal of Asian exchange student |
| Sexual Harassment | Encouraged by the Jake-Caroline-Ted-Sam connections |
| Date Rape | Played away as a success story for Ted |
| Sexual Assault | Played for comedic effect |
| Toxic Masculinity | Jake's treatment of Caroline |
| Problematic Storyline | Ted's harassment of women |
| Inappropriate Comments | Boys being boys |
| Consent | Lack of |
| Main Character | Often talked down to |
| Dated | Patriarchal themes |
| Positive | Groundbreaking father-daughter conversation |
| Likable protagonist |
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What You'll Learn
The character Long Duk Dong is a racist caricature
The 1984 film Sixteen Candles, written and directed by John Hughes, is a coming-of-age story starring Molly Ringwald as Samantha Baker, a teenager who finds her 16th birthday overshadowed by her sister's wedding. While the film was initially well-received and considered an '80s staple, it has not aged well due to its offensive and toxic content. One of the most problematic aspects of the film is the character of Long Duk Dong, played by Japanese-American actor Gedde Watanabe. Long Duk Dong is a Chinese exchange student staying with Samantha's grandparents. The character is a racist caricature, portrayed through a series of harmful Asian stereotypes.
Long Duk Dong's character is reduced to a series of racist stereotypes for comedic effect. His trouble speaking English is used for humour, and every time he enters a scene, there is the sound of a gong off-screen. The character lacks any real depth, and his portrayal is insensitive and offensive. The film makes no attempt to discredit or critique the racist and offensive portrayal of the character, instead using him as a source of humour. This type of portrayal was harmful to the media's representation of Asians and Asian Americans for decades to follow.
In addition to the racist caricature of Long Duk Dong, the film also includes problematic storylines involving sexual assault, harassment, and the encouragement of date rape. Ted, played by Anthony Michael Hall, is a geeky freshman who pursues Samantha despite her many rebuffs. He is persistent to the point of forceful, launching himself at Samantha and ignoring her requests to be left alone. The only way she can get rid of him is to give him a pair of underwear, which he then shows to his friends as proof that they hooked up. The film plays this off as a success story for Ted, rather than addressing the inappropriate nature of his behaviour.
Another scene involves Jake, the object of Samantha's affection, giving an extremely intoxicated Caroline to Ted with the implication that she won't know the difference, essentially giving him permission to sexually assault her. These scenes are played for laughs and are never discredited as wrong, which is especially problematic considering the influence that films can have on societal norms and behaviour.
While Sixteen Candles may have been considered a classic '80s film, it is important to acknowledge that many of its elements have not aged well and are now considered offensive and inappropriate. The character of Long Duk Dong, in particular, is a racist caricature that contributes to harmful stereotypes and representations of Asians in the media.
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Sexual assault is excused as a joke
John Hughes' Sixteen Candles, a 1984 coming-of-age comedy, is considered a classic '80s teen movie. However, upon re-examination, the film has not aged well due to its offensive and toxic content, including racist and sexist jokes, and problematic storyline that excuses sexual assault as a joke.
The film follows Samantha "Sam" Baker (Molly Ringwald), a teenager dealing with her family forgetting her 16th birthday, pining after senior Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling), and fending off unwanted advances from geeky freshman Ted (Anthony Michael Hall). While the mix of playful comedy, relatable social dynamics, and '80s style set the template for Hughes and Ringwald's later collaborations, the film contains elements that are now widely considered unacceptable.
One of the most problematic aspects of Sixteen Candles is its portrayal of Long Duk Dong, a Chinese exchange student staying with Sam's family. The character, played by Japanese-American actor Gedde Watanabe, is a caricature of harmful Asian stereotypes, meant for comedic effect but lacking any depth or nuance. The character's difficulty speaking English is used for jokes, and his name, a racist pun, is played for laughs. This portrayal affected the media's representation of Asians and Asian Americans for decades, and it is now widely recognized as inappropriate and offensive.
The film also includes a storyline in which Ted pursues Sam despite her clear lack of interest. He makes inappropriate comments, launches himself at her, and ignores her requests to be left alone. The only way she can get rid of him is by giving him her underwear as proof of a hook-up, which he then displays to other students in exchange for money. This storyline, meant to be humorous, normalizes harassment and a lack of consent, excusing Ted's behaviour as "boys being boys."
Furthermore, the film includes a scene in which Jake gives an extremely intoxicated Caroline to Ted, implying that she "won't know the difference" and effectively condoning sexual assault. This scene is played for laughs and portrayed as a success story for Ted, without any acknowledgment of the serious nature of the incident. While some critics have attempted to interpret this as a critique of upper-class society, the argument falls flat as Jake remains a wealthy and heroic figure in the film.
In conclusion, while Sixteen Candles may have been well-received and considered a classic in its time, it has not aged well due to its offensive content. The film includes racist and sexist jokes, normalizes harassment, and excuses sexual assault as a joke. It is important to recognize these issues and understand how they complicate the film's legacy, even as we celebrate its impact on pop culture and the enduring appeal of certain elements.
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The male characters behave inappropriately without consequence
The male characters in Sixteen Candles behave inappropriately without consequence in several instances throughout the film.
One of the most prominent examples involves the character Ted, who is portrayed as an over-confident and geeky freshman pursuing the protagonist, Sam, despite her clear lack of interest. Ted is persistent to the point of being forceful, ignoring Sam's requests to be left alone and even launching himself at her on several occasions. The only way Sam can get him to back off is by giving him a pair of her underwear, which he then shows off to his friends, charging them to see it. This behaviour is never portrayed as wrong in the film and is instead brushed off as "boys being boys".
Another problematic storyline involving Ted and his friends is their treatment of Caroline, Jake's girlfriend. In one scene, Jake gives an extremely intoxicated Caroline to Ted, essentially giving him the go-ahead to sexually assault her. Ted and Caroline do end up having sex, and the film plays it off as a success story for Ted rather than acknowledging the lack of consent involved.
The character of Jake, the object of Sam's affection, also behaves inappropriately without consequence. While dating Caroline, he tricks her into hanging out with Ted and later abandons her at his party. Despite his treatment of Caroline, Jake remains wealthy and is portrayed as the male hero of the film.
Sixteen Candles has been criticised for its insensitive and offensive content, including its portrayal of sexual assault, harassment, and toxic male behaviour as comedic or romantic. The film has been described as "a racist, sexist nightmare" with "insensitive, unfunny, and shameless jokes about women".
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The female characters are talked down to
The female characters in Sixteen Candles are often talked down to and portrayed as hysterical. For instance, Sam (Molly Ringwald) is pursued by Ted, a geeky freshman who ignores her many requests to be left alone. He even goes as far as to launch himself at her on several occasions. The only way Sam can get him to leave her alone is by giving him a pair of her underwear, which he then shows off to his friends.
Meanwhile, Jake Ryan, the object of Sam's affections, is dating Caroline Mulford, the most popular girl in school. Jake gives Caroline, in an extremely intoxicated state, to Ted, basically giving him the go-ahead to sexually assault her. The film plays this off as a success story for Ted and a possible future for the two.
In another instance, Sam's sister Ginny is suffering from severe period cramps on her wedding day. She overdoses on muscle relaxers, and her father has to carry her down the aisle. This disturbing portrayal of a bride is not only unfunny but also reinforces the power of the patriarchy.
Sixteen Candles, though considered an '80s staple, has several elements that have not aged well. The female characters are talked down to, and the film includes insensitive and offensive bits that would not be acceptable today.
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The film's appeal is questionable
One of the most problematic aspects of the film is its portrayal of Long Duk Dong, Sam's grandparents' new foreign exchange student. The character is a caricature of harmful Asian stereotypes and is included in the movie simply for "comedic" effect. His trouble speaking English is used for comic relief, and the sound of a gong that appears every time he enters a scene only adds to the racist portrayal. This character has not aged well and makes the film feel outdated.
In addition to the racist portrayal of Long Duk Dong, the film also includes sexist jokes and storylines that are unacceptable. The boys in the movie, including the supposedly likable and sympathetic character Ted, are shown harassing women with sexual advances and making inappropriate comments. Ted's behaviour is never discredited as wrong and is instead blamed away as "boys being boys." The film even includes a storyline where Ted has sex with an intoxicated Caroline, which is played off as a success story for him.
The film's treatment of consent, or lack thereof, is also troubling. Ted pursues Sam despite her many rejections, and the only way she can get rid of him is by giving him a pair of underwear to show to his friends. He then holds viewings of the underwear for other freshmen boys, which is wrong on many levels. The film also encourages date rape and sexual harassment in the Jake-Caroline-Ted-Sam connections, which is highly inappropriate.
While Sixteen Candles may have been well-received when it was released and considered an '80s staple, many elements of the film have not aged well and are considered offensive and unacceptable by today's standards.
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Frequently asked questions
The film has been criticized for its insensitive and offensive content, including racist Asian portrayals and the encouragement of date rape and sexual harassment. The character of Long Duk Dong, a Chinese exchange student, is a caricature of harmful Asian stereotypes and is used for comedic effect. Additionally, the film's treatment of consent and its portrayal of sexual assault as a funny moment have been deemed problematic.
One of the most problematic storylines involves the character Ted, who makes inappropriate advances towards the female lead, Sam. Ted is portrayed as a likable and sympathetic character, despite his harassing behaviour. Another example is the date-rape and abandonment of Caroline by Jake, which is never discredited as wrong in the film.
Despite the problematic elements, there are some moments in the film that have aged well and have become iconic pop culture moments. One example is the final scene where Sam finally gets together with Jake, who gifts her a cake to celebrate her birthday. Another well-aged aspect is the portrayal of Sam's dad, who is considered one of the best movie dads of the decade due to a heartfelt conversation he has with Sam about growing up.
