From Bella to Belly: How teen dramas sideline girls' real stories

From The Vampire Diaries to The Summer I Turned Pretty, pop culture never falls short of stories where one girl stands at the centre of a love war between two boys. Elena is trapped between the Salvatore brothers (Stefan and Damon), Bella is caught between Edward and Jacob, Belly drifts between the Fisher brothers (Conrad and Jeremiah), and Jackie balances her life with the Walter brothers (Alex and Cole). 

This particular plot and concept have become so predictable that it almost feels like this is the only way to represent teen romance.

But what gets lost in this chaos of obsessive devotion and brotherly rivalry is the girl these shows were supposed to be about.

Instead of being written as individuals with layered personalities, dreams and struggles, these heroines are often portrayed as little more than awards to be won. Their every decision seems connected to which boy they love more. At the same time, their own character growth is often sidelined and entirely ignored.  

These dramas share a similar plot about two boys, whether they are brothers, best friends, or rivals, who fall head over heels for the same girl. Their lives revolve around her; she drives their decisions, and their conflicts are fabricated from each other's claims to her heart.

At first glance, this might show that the girl has all the power because she is the one being pursued by them. But in reality, it's actually the opposite. The focus of the narrative shifts away from the girl's inner world and toward the boys' competition for the girl. 

From these dramas, we came to know more about the male protagonists' lives, such as Damon's dark past, Jacob's loyalty towards Bella, Conrad's vulnerability, or maybe Cole's recklessness in relationships, than we know about what Elena, Bella, and the others want in their lives outside of romance. And that's how the story stops being about her and becomes about which guy will get her. The existence of romance is not precisely the disturbing point; it's that romance is often the only lens through which these female characters are allowed to exist. Her connection with the Salvatore brothers always defines Elena. Bella has barely an identity beyond Edward and Jacob. Belly's entire summer is shadowed by the choice of which Fisher brother she chooses. Even Jackie in My life with Walter Boys is portrayed less as a girl coping with the loss of her family and adjusting to a new one, and more as someone trapped in a messy love triangle between Alex and Cole. 

But what if the plot was different? What if Elena had more storylines about her ambitions outside of romance? What if Bella were allowed to navigate her identity as a young woman instead of being defined by her supernatural suitors? What if Belly's summer wasn't only about who kissed her, but about her journey of independence, friendship, or self-discovery? These missed opportunities highlight how love triangles take away character development. Instead of getting diverse female characters, we get placeholders whose choices only fuel male rivalry. 

So why, even in 2025, are girls in mainstream TV dramas still being shown as the centre of male obsession rather than the centre of their own stories? The story sells, and it keeps audiences divided into "teams, hypes fan debates and guarantees viewership. But the most ironic part is that almost all of these dramas are based on books written by women themselves, and which means the voices meant to represent young girls often end up trapping them in the same love triangle cliches.  

So, moving beyond these love triangles, teen dramas need to expand their horizons and write girls as individuals who can love deeply without losing themselves in the process. Girls deserve stories where their lives are not the battleground for two men's egos.      

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