Media has become a huge part of our lives in the past decade. From the internet, to social media, to streaming services, media is everywhere and all at once. One of the pinnacles of this is the modern entertainment world of television and cinema. With the surge of global connections the 21st century has brought, the release of a hit show or blockbuster now impacts the world and LM culture to a greater extent. Important messages or commentary, from inequalities of society to cultural awareness, have a much larger impact on their audience. Thanks to this new age, the effect of messaging in the media can be seen in the largest global groups and in the confines of LM.
A prime example of this was the summer release of Barbie, a movie focused on the doll as well as everything she was designed to stand for. With the access to Mattel advertising, hot pink was everywhere the entire summer. However, the movie had a more meaningful impact, as it taught refreshing but not coercing ideas about feminism, empowerment, and self-discovery. Due to the global phenomenon that was Barbie, these messages stuck with audiences. In recent years, gender issues and inequality have become more of a concern. Barbie touched on many of these issues delicately while still raising awareness and inspiring further pushes for improvement. The movie has sparked more worldwide discussion on the importance of equality in the workplace and in society. It also uses the arc of Ken to convey how empowerment of women does not necessarily mean suppression of men, which was one of the points that made the film so successful. Looking at LM, the amount of gender bias and issues that exist is up for debate. However, awareness of these issues have definitely increased. In the March issue of The Merionite, the article Gender bias runs rampant at LM, written by Keira Edge ’24, goes into depth about the same core issues the Barbie movie presented to the world. Its effect on modern culture cannot go unnoticed.
Another big release with a significant impact was Spiderman: Across the Spider Verse, a sequel to Into the Spiderverse in 2018. The movie was groundbreaking in the animated industry with its combination of 2D and 3D animation and use of comic elements. On top of this, the movie managed to achieve important diversity in characters, jobs, and perspectives. While this may seem like no big feat, the different lives of characters and their traits weren’t shoved in audiences faces as a lot of other modern movies tend to do when discussing race or social justice. While Spiderverse has many themes, from importance of individuality to positive role models in law enforcement, these are never politicized or pushed on audiences. The storyline of the film saga stands out among other movies because it is well-written, culturally relevant, and focused on the story of Miles Morales—not the story of just another superhero or social justice warrior. Because of these successes, people are still talking about the movies and the anticipated finale that premieres next year. The animation styles have inspired many other animated projects, such as the 2023 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, that have begun to experiment with looser, comic-style animation. The story elements are what have impacted audiences and made the franchise so successful and have pushed screenwriters to flesh out their characters beyond diversity and messaging. LM’s opinion of this movie is also very high: “I went to see the sequel multiple times,” said Kalina Rauer ’26. “I remember seeing the original [in 2018]. I had never seen anything like it before.” It is clear this movie has set a precedent for animation and managed to hook its audience at the same time.
These are two recent examples, yet there are countless modern movies that continue to impact the world through their themes and messages. Even TV shows like Breaking Bad, The Office, and Game of Thrones have been influential to their own audiences with their own strengths. But the student body absorbs this influence of media culture with ease and enjoyment. It’s safe to say that once the next big blockbuster hits theaters, theaters will be full of LM students excited to see if this will be the next game changer.
