Sixteen Candles marked a revolution of teen essence, and touched many young hearts of its time. The John Hughes classic will always be seen as a martyr in media history, and Molly Ringwald is spectacular in the lead role. But we should not let this blind us from the hazardous subject matter it contains. 

The movie itself is about a sophomore named Samantha, whose parents forget her birthday. Her life is miserable, her sister is zonked out, and her crush doesn’t know she exists. She meets a freshman, Ted, at a school dance, who listens to her lament and becomes her good friend. Meanwhile, her crush Jake Ryan suddenly sparks an interest in her, discarding his current relationship with his girlfriend, Caroline. Seems like a clichè plot, but the script is well written and the movie is well shot.

However, the movie is outdated; in one scene, Jake says, “I’ve got Caroline upstairs. I could violate her ten different ways if I wanted to” (00.59.53). Clearly, what Jake insinuates is disturbing, and this is a character that many people have idolized as the ‘perfect boyfriend’. The topics of sexual harassment and rape are handled too loosely in this movie. Jake then proceeds to convince an intoxicated Caroline that the freshman is him. 

Disgustingly enough, towards the end, she legitimately apologizes for events that she could not control. Another scene where sexual misconduct can be observed is when the freshman makes a move on Samantha, she clearly tells him she is not interested, he says he understands, but then tries to force himself onto her only minutes later. What this movie fails to grasp is the concept of consent. This is not just ‘boys will be boys’, this is atrocious and borderline illegal behavior. Connecting to an issue in today’s society, people fail to realize that romantic partners are not in any way compliant objects. 

Ringwald has since been very outspoken about her perspective on the controversial movie. In an interview with NPR, she said, “Times were different and what was acceptable then is definitely not acceptable now and nor should it have been then, but that's sort of the way that it was. 

Then, there is the issue of racial stereotyping in the movie. The character Long Duk Dong (a foreign exchange student living with Samantha’s grandparents) has demeaned Asian-Americans for decades. He is portrayed as a feminine character, and there is nothing wrong with that; what is so misguided is the implication that his femininity makes him weak. Known as ‘The Donger’, he first appears with the sound of a gong, saying “what’s happening, hot stuff?” (0.18.12) with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. This character was quoted endlessly by kids in the ’80s, and the stereotype alienated an entire population of people in America. 

Gedde Watanabe, the actor who played Long Duk Dong, believes that he was “a bit naive” about portraying this type of character, as he told NPR in an interview. As impactful as it is disgraceful, the character reflected how minorities were seen by others at the time: a completely different group of people known for their race rather than their individual personalities. It was like suddenly everyone could only see Long Duk Dong instead of their peers. In the movie, Samantha’s brother Mike says, “What the hell are you bitchin' about? I gotta sleep under some Chinaman named after a duck's dork” (0.19.32). Absolutely no respect for Asian Americans comes from this movie, and the quote above is why. Many people cannot imagine what it would be like to be tormented all their lives because of a seemingly harmless movie, but that is because they have the privilege of being in the majority of America. 

In comparison, the TV sitcom “Fresh Off The Boat” starring Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians) has tackled this issue with poignant grace. Executive Producer Melvin Mar recounts his own experience with the character Long Duk Dong, saying that he was constantly bullied and pushed into lockers, mocked and forced to impersonate him. Ever since, he has worked tirelessly to put Asian-Americans in a different light, and has remained focused on the positive strides being taken. He does not feel any animosity towards Hughes, and prefers to see Dong as a call for change. 

And finally, to really add the frosting to the cake, the movie is filled with Samantha criticizing her body. She feels inferior just because her breasts are mediocre in her eyes. She states in the beginning, “Chronologically, you're sixteen today. Physically, you're still fifteen. [sighs] Hopeless.” (0.1.59). Young girls would watch this movie and think they needed to be a Caroline; a skinny, blue-eyed blonde who has curves in all the right places. We need to celebrate all body types, and contradict this message with a different one: all body types are beautiful. 

To put it frankly, date rape and body negativity as well as racial stereotyping make this movie atrocious. I watched this movie with wide eyes and an agape mouth, as I imagine any other rational person would. The world has changed since then, so it is too bad that the movie could not change with it.