Girls Like That

A nude snap of a teenage girl being taken and immediately shared with the world is the sort of thing that couldn’t have happened even ten years ago. But groups have turned on outsiders since life began.

Six girls – part of a year group of 20 – tell the story of Evan Placey’s ‘Girls Like That’, deftly portraying the varied pressures felt by today’s young people. When a naked image of one of them spreads through the school, the rest turn on her, oust her as a slut and delight in bullying her. The girls never take responsibility for what happens: they’re not sure who first called her a whore, but it definitely wasn’t them. It makes the whole clan complicit. Not one of them steps out to help their friend.

Esther Baker’s production is smart and fast. The ensemble cast perform with energy and there’s humour in Placey’s script – in the sassy way the girls taunt the teachers and give nicknames to the boys. The story bounces from one girl to another and, with six white chairs, they make the stage into the classroom, the school halls and the house party.

Though it’s a grim subject, the piece is refreshingly optimistic. But the final message – that girls need to stick together – falls short of the subject. Overarching issues of sexualising girls too young and the pressures to be perfect are only vaguely touched upon. The parents and teachers – surely people also responsible – are pretty much nowhere to be seen. The somewhat crude focus here is the tendency for young people – women in particular, it seems – to work in packs to taunt.

But the pressures of growing up, bullying and taking responsibility for what you do online are difficult subjects to tackle in full. ‘Girls Like That’ certainly goes some way to attempting it, which can only be a good thing.