When watching a Teenage Romance, one may notice the conventions being followed that help distinguish it as this specific subgenre. Common conventions include, coming-of age stories, first loves, heartbreak and feelings of indifference. Love, Simon, and The Carrie Diaries represent the best of this subgenre because they follow almost all 10 conventions of a Teenage Romance story. Whereas 13 Going on 30, subverts to the conventions, but is still able to be classified under this subgenre.

    The film Love, Simon, uses specific style and design to appeal to teens and make the scenes seem as relatable as possible. The mode of this composition is audio and visual, the audience is able to experience the film through an hour and 50-minute movie. The media is digital and can be accessed on Blu-Ray and DVD which one would have to purchase, or through a subscription to Amazon Prime video. Someone could have also seen this film when it was in theaters. The audience demographic of this film includes, young teenagers, adults and families. Love, Simon is based off a book written by Becky Albertalli, therefore, many fans off the book were anticipating seeing the film. The reason it appeals not only to a young female audience, but to male teens and adults as well, is because this film was the first major studio romance focused on a gay teen relationship. Love, Simon was able to target a larger, more diverse audience with their story about a gay teenager and his struggles. The film also appeals to families because it has aspects of familial love.

   Throughout the movie one will notice that the style and design incorporate colorful and bright scenes. The characters have on modern and trendy clothing and the high school setting is shown through classrooms, parties and a fair. The soundtrack of the film is upbeat and contains songs that are popular with teens. This is all done to appeal to the teenage audience and convince them that this is real and something that could actually happen.

   Pathos is heavily used in Love, Simon in different ways throughout the film. Simon narrates the film, through voiceovers, so the audience knows his thoughts and feelings. This tool was used for the viewer to feel a personal connection with Simon. It’s as he is friends with the person watching. Simon struggles with his sexuality and finding his identity, he is worried how his life will change once people know he is gay. As an audience, especially a teen audience, they can connect with Simon’s fear of what others will think of him. Through Simon’s narration, the viewers are the only ones who know his secret and they feel for him as he tries to hide it from the people he loves.

   Although Love, Simon hits nearly every component of the perfect Teenage Romance, it is able to avoid the common clichés that are known of this subgenre. It has a gay main character and revolves around a gay teenage romance, which is uncommon for this genre. Showcasing what a young boy, like Simon, is going through and the struggles he deals with brings a whole new perspective to the genre.

    The Carrie Diaries is a teenage romance television series set in the 80s that uses style and design to bring 80s culture to life. The mode of this composition is visual based, it aired on the CW from 2013-2014 for two seasons, each episode being 60 minutes long. The media is digital based and can be accessed through Amazon Prime video with a subscription or be purchased on Google Play. The audience consists mostly of young women, but also includes women in their mid 40s. The Carrie Diaries is a prequel to the popular show “Sex and the City,” which aired in 1998, women who watched that show may also be interested in watching The Carrie Diaries.

   The show is based in the 80’s and the style and design reflect that with big hair, neon clothing, and 80s songs. The show is fast paced which follows along with Carrie’s on the go personality. The purpose of this style and design is to display 80s culture through these characters. The music goes along with the show as well, for example, playing an 80’s love song, ‘What is Love,’ by Howard Jones during a scene with Carrie and Sebastian.

   The Carrie Diaries uses pathos to evoke an emotional response from the audience. The series begins with the audience learning that Carrie’s mom passed away at the end of school last year and she spent her summer grieving with her family. The death of Carrie’s mom is a big aspect of the show, and the audience learns Carrie’s love of fashion is inspired by her mom. Throughout the show Carrie pursues a career in fashion, constantly referring to her mom and her wish to make her proud. Referencing Carrie’s mom is a tool used to evoke sadness from the audience and lead them to empathize for her. Pathos is also used when showing Carrie and Sebastian’s relationship. Carrie is deeply in love with Sebastian, but she is not sure if the feelings are mutual. Connecting to teen girls is a device used because they can understand Carrie’s fear of rejection and relate to that.

  The way The Carrie Diaries conforms to the conventions of a teenage romance is that, it’s centered around Carrie, a high schooler, figuring out life after the death of her mom. Carrie begins a relationship with Sebastian, whom she believes is her first true love, but it’s not long before obstacles get in the way. Mean girls, her internship in the city, and arguments with her dad all contribute to the struggles that take over her relationship. Despite the fact that The Carrie Diaries meets many of the conventions of the subgenre, it avoids some clichés by making Carrie, a powerful, strong female lead. Carrie is working towards a career in fashion in the city, while also going to school. This is different than many in the subgenre because it shows that a young girl can fall in love, while also working for herself, and not get too consumed in her Teenage Romance.

   13 Going on 30 grabs the attention of the audience by having a fresh take on the Teenage Romance subgenre. This mode is visual and can be experienced through an hour and 38-minute movie. The media is digital and can be purchased on YouTube, Google Play and iTunes. It can also be accessed with a subscription to Netflix or Amazon Prime video. The audience consists of not only young teenage girls but women in their 20s-30s as well. This is due to the fact that most of the movie, stars Jennifer Garner, an actress portraying a 30-year-old. The style and design of 13 Going on 30, is fun and vibrant, with fast transitions and upbeat songs. The fashion in the movie reflects the 2000s era properly with strappy heels, spiky buns, pink bags and other flashy clothes that bring the movie to life. The purpose of this style and design is to grab the attention of the audience and help them better understand Jenna’s personality.

   The film uses pathos in the form of a flashback scene. Before Jenna is magically transported to her 30-year old self, the audience sees Jenna’s as a 13-year-old. These scenes trigger an emotional response because the audience has to watch as Jenna’s younger self is bullied and taken advantage of by the mean girls. Using a young 13-year-old Jenna, evokes sympathy from the audience and even may incline someone to feel connected to Jenna and her experience with bullying. However, when Jenna is transported 30 years to her new life, with a fancy job, expensive clothes and a handsome boyfriend the audience doesn’t feel as much pity as they did for her before. The audience may become frustrated, as they realize Jenna forgot about Matt, her childhood best friend, in this new life she lives.

  13 Going on 30 conforms and subverts to the subgenre of teenage romance. The film is able to have major components of a teenage romance, without actually having teenagers in it. On Jenna’s 13th birthday she wishes she could just grow up and be thirty already. Magically, she is transformed into her thirty-year-old self with everything she dreamed of. Soon, Jenna realizes this isn’t what she wanted. She goes in search for the one thing missing from her new life, her friend Matt. The romance part comes into play when Matt falls in love with this new Jenna, that’s not like the one he’s known the past thirty years. Although Jenna and Matt want to be together, like any teenage romance, there are obstacles that stand in their way. Matt is recently engaged to another women and Jenna’s job and snobby friends look down on her when she’s with Matt. All these components make up a teenage romance, even though, through most of the film Matt and Jenna are in their thirties.

  These three compositions show that there is repetition and clichés in a teenage romance. What seems to be lacking in this subgenre is aspects of intimacy and sex. Although these are love stories, they often leave out some of the most essential parts to falling in love. A couple’s first time, steamy sex scenes, and long passionate kisses are usually avoided in a teenage romance story. This may not be ‘PG,’ but showing these types of scenes will allow the story to feel more real. Oftentimes, just showing hand holding and small pecks between a couple can get boring and repetitive. Adding a stronger level of intimacy to teenage romances will allow the genre to grow by becoming more intriguing and authentic.