American Pie slammed as 'deeply problematic' by teens watching for the first time

We all remember watching the American Pie movies when we were definitely underage, but it seems as though teenagers these days find the sex comedy films “deeply problematic”.

With the first movie, American Pie releasing in 1999 followed by three more instalments, the sex comedy series was a rite of passage for teenagers growing up in the early 00s. Thanks to scenes involving having sex with hot apple pies (ouch) and a whole lot of bodily fluids, it’s no wonder most of us are deeply traumatised. Despite us all remembering the iconic Jennifer Coolidge as Stifler’s Mom and sharing our favourite scenes at school, teenagers these days are less than impressed.

Check out Eugene Levy's thoughts on playing Jim in American Pie below!

Gen-Z teenagers have taken to sharing their thoughts about the American Pie franchise, branding it “deeply problematic”. In a 2020 Vice interview, an experiment went ahead asking teenagers to watch some nostalgic movies including Clueless, Bring It On and of course, American Pie. Regarding the latter, one teenager said, “The only thing the male characters care about is having sex. They’re willing to say and do whatever just to convince the girls to have sex with them. I don’t know if that was realistic when the film came out, but I think men treat women with a lot more respect and equality now.”

It goes without saying that many of us growing up in the 2000s were not aware of any depictions of sexism. We knew the main characters were losers but that made it all the more amusing. Gen-Z teenagers on the other hand are much more tuned into societal issues surrounding feminism and that can be seen after hearing their thoughts about the cinema at the time. Another teenager who took part in the experiment even called American Pie “bordering on incel attitudes. I think if you were a teenage boy watching this, you’d basically feel entitled to behave however you wanted to towards women.”

With some fans still calling the series “a classic,” it still has a loyal fanbase. However, looking back at it, it was pretty problematic.