This dramatic series that followed the life of a few rich Beverly Hills kids doing outrageous and unrealistic things hardly seems like it would have any life lessons embedded into its story line. The truth is, while 90210 was mostly interesting to watch because of the amazing lives these teens lived, they actually tackled some really hard to talk about issues. Our favorite shows, although dramatic, can have a helpful meaning too.
1. Mental Illness: When Silver shows signs of bipolar disorder and gets medical treatment her family and friends stick by her side and she learns how to deal with the issue. She is able to live her life without letting it take over, showing the audience that your mental illness does not define you.
2. Rape: Naomi Clark started as such an unstoppable and intense character, but when a high school professor took advantage of her she had to step forward. She showed characteristics of what many victims go through such as withdrawal and denial but ultimately came forward, stood up for herself and got the teacher out of the classroom.
3. Addiction: Dixon dealt with addiction in the form of drugs and gambling while Adrianna went through alcohol and drug addiction. Both of these characters had successful lives and when addiction took control of their life, they had to address it. The process wasn’t easy for either of the characters but in the end they overcame the adversity and lived happily ever after.
4. Cancer: When Silver finds out she has a life threatening cancer gene she does not hesitate to take action. Instead of letting the situation get her down she decides to have a baby before she has her ovaries removed to prevent the cancer. Although she does not have the baby and discovers she does in fact have cancer she decides adoption is the best option for her.
5. Death: Ivy’s husband dies from cancer and Annie’s boyfriend dies in surgery, leaving them both with a void in their life. Rather than falling to depression and addiction, they are supported by the close-knit group of friends and ultimately continue living their lives with the deceased in their memories.