Laguna Beach is a reality TV show that gives us an inside look at the lives of teenagers in our coastal town. The series follows Lauren Conrad’s experiences with young love, friendship, and the challenges of her senior year in 2004. She and her friends deal with the twisted reality of being a teenager on camera.
Lauren Conrad, also known as L.C., is a self-proclaimed “nice girl” and is portrayed as this story’s main character. Although she is a tad spoiled, she is always there to support a friend in need. Throughout the show, Lauren pines over her close friend, Stephen Colletti, who doesn’t deserve her. He is highly possessive and is the type of guy who wants to “have his cake and eat it too”. L.C. ‘s nemesis in the show is Stephen’s junior girlfriend, Kristin Cavallari, who is constantly at odds with L.C. Lauren is stereotyped as a good girl, while Kristin is a wild and carefree party girl. Viewers may be quick to judge all these characters as toxic and self-centered, but they should consider that they were just kids moving through one of the most complicated phases of their lives on television.
My favorite part was that Laguna Beach was the main character of the story; the town’s culture and beauty were brought to life so well that it felt like a character. We can compare how teens twenty years ago are similar to us now because so much has stayed the same. Places like Gina’s, Laguna Surf and Sport, Wahoo’s, and more look nearly identical to two decades ago. We also get small glimpses of Laguna Beach High School at another time. MTV tells an iconic story of growing up on the beach, from the subcultures of surfing, fashion, art, and music.
The only negative side of this show was the dehumanization of the characters. Some characters had no story, and viewers were expected to empathize with them, but half the time, it was difficult even to remember their names. If MTV had incorporated the side characters’ lives, it would put the reality of Laguna Beach into perspective. Not every person here is rich, self-centered, and spending their lives going from one party to the next. They could have cast so many different communities to give the show more personality. Some of the characters in the background had experiences and adventures during their high school career that would have added another layer to the plot. Instead, the producers prioritized the poorly scripted love triangle between Lauren, Stephen, and Kristin making the show shallow.
I would only recommend this show to certain people. Viewers who prefer scripted and acted-out television won’t be able to enjoy this show to its full extent, but if you enjoy reality TV you will spend many nights binge-watching this show. It is a wild ride if you want to take a peek into the lives of Laguna Beach teenagers during the early years of the millennium. I give the show 3.5 stars out of 5 for the rollercoaster of drama.
Of all the places in the world, MTV chose Laguna Beach to follow the drama of teens, and they created a masterpiece. Although they did not articulate all the characters perfectly, they created a love triangle that, during its time, ignited such a following that Hollister designed Team L.C. and Team Kristin shirts, rivaling the beloved Amazon Original The Summer I Turned Pretty on screen today. Watching teenagers overcome the trials of moving from childhood to adulthood is such a unique experience that can’t be replicated by actors in their mid-twenties reading scripts written by people who most likely don’t even remember their teen years. Laguna Beach shows us that growing up isn’t all sunshine and rainbows; it’s a messy time filled with amplified moments of joy, pain, awkwardness, growing confidence, and to be honest, that hasn’t changed much in twenty years.
