Entertainment

'PLL' In 2015 Was Different From The Real World

by Caitlin Flynn

There are many words to describe Pretty Little Liars, but "realistic" isn't generally the first one that comes to mind. From the the Liars' wildly inappropriate funeral attire to the lack of parental involvement (seriously, after all these girls have been through, wouldn't the parents have stepped up their game by now?), it doesn't exactly ring true to how I remember my high school days. Looking back at what happened on Pretty Little Liars in 2015, it's clear how much suspension of disbelief this show requires.

While most of us spent our senior year of high school doing boring things like filling out college applications, going to house parties, and arguing with our parents about curfew, life was a little different for Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer. They were understandably pretty busy tracking down A (because we all know the Rosewood PD is downright useless), but even when they attempted to do normal activities, things quickly took a turn for the weird and creepy. (I thought my college interviews were stressful, but at least blood never seeped out of my handbag in the middle of one.)

Here are some examples of what happened on Pretty Little Liars in 2015 that was decidedly quite different from what the year looked like for the rest of us.

Prom Night

Well, the good news is that the Liars got to attend not one but two proms in 2015. The bad news? The first one took place in the Dollhouse and it was nothing short of a prom from hell. They were forced to listen to Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" on a loop while Charlotte psychologically tortured them.

Don't worry, though — they eventually made it to their actual prom, despite being banned for safety reasons. But, they'd barely sipped any punch or finished a single slow dance before leaving to chase Ali and Charlotte to Radley. (But, it's OK — security was about to kick them out anyway.)

Meanwhile, their fellow 2015 grads spent prom night at local banquet halls dancing to "Hotline Bling," "Sorry," and "Blessings."

Teen Beauty Pageants

Since Hanna's dad is literally the worst (OK, maybe not absolute worst — that prize goes to Kenneth DiLaurentis), he refused to help her pay for college. She attempted to enter a beauty pageant in order to score scholarship money, but it didn't really work out. Emily offered to compete in her place because her dance skills are considerably better than her BFF's. (We love you anyway, Hanna.) In real life, no teen pageant contestants danced like this — and, let me tell you, it was a missed opportunity.

High School Dress Codes

On the rare occasions the Liars did spend a full day in school, I'm fairly certain that they were violating all sorts of dress code rules. In October, The Atlantic reported that students were sent home for dress code infractions ranging from their collarbones showing (huh?) and skirts that fell above the knee. Let's be honest — in real life, all the Liars except Spencer would have spent a lot of time in detention over dress code infractions. In this case, perhaps more schools should follow Rosewood's example and let students express their fashion sense — because some dress code rules are ridiculous and they are often implemented in sexist ways.

Winter Temperatures On The East Coast

I spent last winter on the east coast, and I can assure you that I would have immediately contracted hypothermia if I hung out on my front porch wearing a t-shirt or a sweater and no jacket. In fact, Weather.com reported that the 2014 - 2015 winter was "one of the snowiest and at times coldest winters on record" on the east coast. Seriously, why is the weather always so perfect in Rosewood?

Stock Market Investments

I always wondered how A managed to afford all the high-end technology necessary to carry out her game, and I figured it would be a mystery for the ages. But, we got an answer in the 6A finale — Charlotte played the stock market like a boss and "never made a bad investment." I know she's a genius and all, but this still seems pretty implausible — especially since 2015 was a particularly bad year for investors, as reported by Time.

Will Pretty Little Liars be more realistic after the time jump? I don't know the answers to very many questions on this show, but I can say with a fair amount of confidence that the answer to this one is probably a resounding "no."

Images: ABC Family (3); Giphy (3)