Whether your high school years were some of the best or worst years of your life, there is a reason it is one of the most popular scenes for television and film—its iconic characters. While there are new roles evolving with diverse characteristics and unique styles emerging, all schools consist of a few major stereotypes.

The spirited group consists of the popular characters with loud and powerful personalities, including: the jock, the popular mean girl and her best friend/ side-chick, and the class president. These characters adhere to some of their stereotypes such as the jock and popular mean girl being romantically involved, the class president being a rule-follower and reminding everyone else of that, and more. However, we chose to play around with and challenge these stereotypes by creating a love triangle between the jock, popular mean girl, and her gay best friend. These provocative characters and their exploration of sexuality work to both enhance and challenge character stereotypes.

With stereotypes and societal standards comes rulebreakers and those who stray away from the norm. Whether it’s through dark clothing and expression, smoking in the school bathroom, or making out in the janitor’s closet, every school has their rebels. Although the jock, the goth, the stoner/skater, and the nerd exist within different social circles, their struggle to fit in brings them together. Rather than only spending time with her nose in her books, the nerd breaks out of her shell and follows the bad boy on a journey to the dark side. These rebels learn to let one another in and discover the power of forming genuine relationships. In addition, they accept and embrace their roles within the classroom and learn to share it with one another.

Similarly to most people and their high school experiences, none of these characters leave the same as they entered. The characters’ stories intertwine, allowing them to learn from one another and each other’s experiences. Think of movies like Mean Girls and The Breakfast Club, where there are various portrayals of adolescence and different cliques clash, yet all the characters learn from one another. This further causes everyone to accept and embrace their differences while also sharing them with one another—such as the bad boy guiding and welcoming the nerd, or the goth girl and stoner/skater bonding over their shared interests. This photoshoot conveys how each character has their own style and expression but co-exist within the same community and make the most of that matter.

Credits: Photography Director/Production Manager: Will Chapman | Creative Director: Tamar Ponte | Lead Stylist and Fashion Editor: Lily Smokler | Stylists: Cecilia Muniz, Rachel Dirksen, Analise Bruno | Models: Ellie Kwon, Reeya Mathur, Austin Herrera, Nicolas Bolton, Yosra Riad, Ella Bahari, Thomas Bilotta, Malachi Roth-Cohen | Makeup/Hair: Sarah Gazitt, Lara Banks, Beverly Flores, Helena Nguyen, Paige Yoskin