Ginny & Georgia: 5 Things The Show Gets Wrong About High School (& 5 Things It Gets Right)

Since initially hitting Netflix in late February, the drama series Ginny & Georgia has become a phenomenon, with adoring fans and perhaps some added attention thanks to a brief scuffle with celebrity singer Taylor Swift.

While half the show revolves around 30-something mom of two Georgia, the other half explores the daily life of high school sophomore Ginny Miller as she navigates being the new girl in school yet again. While some parts of the teen drama accurately depict the high school experience, other attempts at relating to today’s teens sadly—and awkwardly—miss the mark.

10 Right: Certain Aspects of Social Media

The teens constantly using their phones to communicate with one another, whether that be through group messages or Snapchat filters, the use of social media in this day and age is realistically represented. Georgia pointing out to Ellen that Max probably has a ‘Finsta,’ that is, a fake Instagram account where she posts what she’s really up to, was also spot on.

9 Wrong: Popularity

Hunter Chen might be referred to as the coolest sophomore at Wellsbury High, but his actions indicate that in real life he’d be far from it. Whether it be his flash mob-style tap dancing or cringe-worthy songs about Ginny and Adderall, Hunter was just hard to root for and watch. His popularity made little to no sense, and, if he really sent those ‘Happy Friday’ Snapchats to Ginny with the dog filter, he’d most definitely get blocked.

8 Right: Parties in Basements

Band practice, Halloween parties, and causal hangouts all took place in the basements of teens at Wellsbury, and they’ve all been depicted with enough accuracy to feel authentic.

Their parents had to be out of town in order for all the drinking and smoking to take place, but the size of the parties were relatively contained and realistic enough to be something high schoolers would actually go to.

7 Wrong: College Prep

Ginny and her friends are all sophomores, so why are they stressing out about college applications already? Usually, this level of stress comes at the tail end of junior year, right around the time that students are taking the SATs. But, as soon as Ginny arrives in town, it is incredibly important that she start getting letters of recommendation and joining every extra circular activity available, which seems a little early.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being proactive about post-secondary studies, but this whole saga definitely seemed played up to generate some drama.

6 Right: Cliques

Maxine quickly takes Ginny under her wing and adds her as the ‘G’ in MANG, the clique of sophomore girls that are both feared and adored by outsiders.

Despite Samantha’s endless vying to be a member of the sacred group, Max and Co. never fully let her in and give her spot to Ginny, instead. The mean girl attitude and formation of exclusive groups is very typical teen behavior, and it doesn’t feel all that exaggerated for the purposes of the show, though we’ll admit that it’s slightly over-the-top.

5 Wrong: All The Sex

When Ginny moves to Wellsbury, she has never had a boyfriend. She’s never so much as been on a date. She’s an introvert and is mainly close to her mother and her brother.

On her first day in town, she ends up sleeping with her next-door-neighbor, something fans are supposed to view as uncharacteristic behavior for an otherwise keeps-to-herself Ginny. Ginny seems to go from zero to 100 real quick by having sex with Marcus and starting a serious relationship with Hunter within hours of moving to New England. It comes off as out of character, even if viewers aren’t yet well acquainted with her.

4 Right: General Teen Angst

High schoolers are full of raging hormones and angst, and the teens of Ginny and Georgia are no exception. Ginny is constantly at odds with her mother, blaming her for problems she had no part in. Similarly, Max butts heads with her twin brother Marcus over anything and everything, citing general annoyance as her main grievance.

The high-strung emotions of these kids and their tendencies to change moods on a dime is very true to the heart of any growing adolescent. Again, like everything on the show, it’s played up to add some extra dramatic flair, but it never feels totally unrealisitc.

3 Wrong: Motorcycles

Bad boy next door Marcus owns his own motorcycle despite not having a license or being old enough to, and Ginny is somehow an expert motorcyclist at only 15 years old.

To fans’ knowledge, Marcus doesn’t have a job where he could even afford such a vehicle, and it seems unrealistic that his parents would encourage him to buy one if he doesn’t even know how to drive. For Ginny’s part, her father probably taught her, but that doesn’t make anyone feel any safer when she rides off to nowhere with Austin in tow in the season finale.

2 Right: Bad Teachers

The AP English teacher, Mr. Gitten is instantly portrayed as rude and racist, calling out new student Ginny and assuming she will be behind in her reading or have trouble understanding the content.

Ginny takes none of his crap and quickly stands up against him, which gains her the attention of Maxine and Hunter. Unfortunately, teachers like Mr. Gitten aren’t an anomaly in high schools—or anywhere, for that matter—and, while his behavior is horrible, he is never rightfully punished for his comments and actions, a lack of justice that feels all too real.

1 Wrong: Friendship

MANG’s friend group in and of itself is typical of high schoolers; exclusive, elite, and enamored by themselves. However, the way the girls treat each other is highly dramatized and not at all indicative of true teenage friendships.

Instead of communicating with her friends, Abby constantly lashes out, Norah avoids conflict at all costs, and Max is too self-involved to ever be taken seriously. Their conflicting personalities and general dislike for one another make the friendships they form ultimately unbelievable, and it makes sense why most of them decide to separate by the season’s end.

About The Author

Emily Proctor
(213 Articles Published)

Emily Proctor is an entertainment writer and avid television fan. She recently graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in Communication, Media, and Theatre Arts. In addition to writing for Screenrant, Emily frequently publishes personal essays on her Medium profile and personal blog SheWritesTV.com. She is also an aspiring actress and songwriter.

You can follow Emily on Twitter at @emproct for more of her opinions on pop culture, the latest TV and movies, and links to her work.

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