Dawson's Creek is a teenage drama from the nineties that paved the way for the genre and thus became an all-time classic. The show's main characters feature Dawson, the self-proclaimed tortured artist and "nice guy", Joey AKA the prototypical girl next door, Dawson's friend and underachiever Pacey, and Jen, a big city girl with a reputation.
While teenage angst and romance are timeless themes, certain aspects of the show aged like milk. There's a whole lot of normalized slut-shaming in Dawson's Creek. It's especially Jen who was always put on the spot for being sexually "experienced". This continues well after all of the characters have lost their virginity as well.
10 Jen Was Raped And Shamed For It
Dawson's Creek begins with Jen's arrival from New York City to boring Capeside. She is a city girl, an experienced femme fatale who doesn't belong in a small town. She's an open book, which feels refreshing and exciting especially to Dawson. When she tells him that her first sexual experience dates back to when she was just 12 years old, Dawson is mortified. There were also drugs and alcohol involved. Instead of showing compassion, Dawson judged her.
He isn't mortified because Jen was clearly taken advantage of: he is mortified because she is no longer a morally pure virgin. He was proud of the fact that he himself intends to save himself for the love of his life.
9 Joey Essentially Bullied Jen
Jen had a good head on her shoulders, even though she often resorted to drinking and other things that would never fly today. She never let Joey's snarky remarks hurt her. The more indifferent Jen was about it, the meaner Joey was.
Joey was very judgemental, which is quite unusual considering she knew how it felt to be the odd one out. Her family was poor: she literally lived on the other side of the creek. Her self-esteemed stemmed from feeling superior to Jen, reducing her to a blond knock-out who can't seem to stay out of trouble.
8 Joey Lied To Dawson About Sleeping With Pacey
Dawson always took an inappropriate interest in the sex lives of his friends, especially his supposed soulmate, Joey. Joey ended up dating Dawson's best friend Pacey. They were hands down the best Dawson's Creek romance. Their chemistry and flirtatious banter were arguably the most enjoyable parts of the show.
When Dawson asked Joey whether she slept with Pacey, she lies and says she didn't in order to protect his precious feelings. Instead of telling Dawson to mind his own business, Joey essentially slut-shamed herself.
7 Dawson Shames His Mother
Gail cheating on Mitch was one of the show's worst storylines, especially because it highlighted just how insufferable Dawson was. A full-blown teenager failed to understand that his parents are human too and that as such, they make mistakes. Dawson lived in a world of illusions, where women exist solely to soothe and validate him.
Gail cheating on her sweet husband was far from okay, but the way Dawson demonized her did her a huge disservice. Caught in the crossfire was also Joey who knew Gail's secret all along and didn't tell a soul.
6 Shelley The Waitress
Jen was the single most slut-shamed character of them all, so she should know better than to act the same way to Shelley, a waitress from "Stolen Kisses". Jen prided herself on being a feminist, but screamed obscenities at the confused girl when she showed an interest in her stalker/boyfriend Henry: "Get your boobs away from him", she said.
The name-calling didn't stop there. Jen also called Shelley a "wench". Yep, even the victim of slut-shaming resorted to it when she felt threatened. The character inconsistencies are just one of those things that simply make no sense about Dawson's Creek.
5 Joey And Audrey Fake Fight Over Pacey
In "Separate Ways", Audrey wants to help Joey break up with Charlie because Joey is not too excited about him missing out on a tour with his band just to be with her. Pacey is also there; just like Joey, he is unsure what the bubbly blonde is about to do. She goes as far as to fake a fight with Joey and she calls her a slut in front of the whole bar.
Audrey has lots of great traits, but she's often too reckless for her own good.
4 Jen's Kisses Were Auctioned Against Her Will
In season 3, Jen joined the cheerleaders and became incredibly popular. In "Home Movies", her fellow teammates told her that they are auctioning off her kisses in an anonymous bid. They did so without first consulting her - as if it's a given she will do it.
Jen wasn't too excited about it, yet she didn't back out either. In the end, she kissed Henry, a boy who paid $500 for the experience.
3 When Joey Tells Jen She's Lucky She Lives In The Nineties
"Escape from Witch Island" was a hilarious episode. In his ever so nerdy ways, Dawson wanted to make a documentary about the local witch island, inspired by the Blair Witch Project, a movie that, in his opinion, revolutionized Hollywood. Jen can't stop rolling her eyes. In this episode, her feminist views really shine through: she tells the group that there were no witches, just women who wanted to explore their freedom and sexuality.
Joey jokes that Jen’s lucky she lives in the 1990s, considering what happened to women like her a few centuries back. Jen is used to all the slut-shaming by then. "You're right, Id' be so burned at the stake by now", she replies.
2 Grams And Her Worldviews
Grams is over-protective of Jen because she deeply cares about her. Unfortunately, her outlook on life is very outdated and she often tries to discipline Jen for things that are not really a big deal.
In Grams' opinion, Jen shouldn't be wearing skimpy outfits, such as fishnets. Even though she had the best intentions at heart, Grams was also a prime slut-shamer - especially in the beginning of the series.
1 Jen Is Ultimately Killed Off
It's not uncommon for feminist characters to meet their bitter end way too soon. Just like in John Green's Looking for Alaska, the girl who rebels against social norms ends up dying way too young. The series finale is set in 2008. By then, Jen had a one-year-old baby.
She tragically died of pulmonary congestion with Grams and Jack by her side. The creator of the show, Kevin Williamson, said that he "wanted them to deal with a death of one their own as that final lesson" in the coming-of-age story. Quite ironic that they chose to kill off Jen, a girl who had to put up with so much injustice for all those years.
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