Smooth Talk: A Sense of Reality or Just Plain Creepy?

From the pages of Where are you going, Where have you been? to the big screen of Smooth Talk, the public is exposed to a hot topic of young girls involving themselves in dangerous environments. Young girls, like Connie, are curious at the age of 15 and want to be considered as an adult. As an adult, they feel as though they are entitled to privacy, a sense of sex appeal, and the freedom to come and go as they please. . Curiosity about the adult life is flashing in Connie’s mind and she feels the need to pursue what it’s all about. Connie certainly possesses teen angst, like most 15 year olds do, and puts up a wall towards her family. Closed off from her family, Connie feels the need to go on the ride of sexy clothes, thick makeup, and flirting at the mall with her friends. It seems innocent, most girls do it.

Once some makeup is applied, the hair is tossed up, and a fair amount of cleavage is showing, then we are in business. This is the mindset of Connie and her girlfriends. Now with some sex appeal, they walk as if they own the mall. It may seem perfectly innocent, young girls just playing dress-up, but really they are walking on a thin line. Just as they wanted, guys are looking in their direction. The serious issue is that they don’t know that guys of all age look, not just the ones their age. Older men are attracted to young females and will try to take advantage of the situation.

In Connie’s case, an older man was attracted to her and decided to pursue her. A strange man followed Connie and learned more about her than she did of herself. Stalking her until he knew it was safe to approach her at her home when she was alone. Introducing himself as a polite and interesting man, Arnold Friend grabs Connie’s attention with his smooth talk. Connie is naïve and does not realize the dangerous situation that she is getting herself into. Taking the bait, Connie goes into deep and falls into Arnold Friend’s trap. At this point, she can’t escape and has reached to the point that she must go for a ride. At this point it is uncertain whether or not Connie was raped.

Mouths of the audience drop and the look on their faces are filled with shock. On the edge of their seats, the audience becomes scared for Connie. Then the thought scrolls across their minds, “I’m glad that’s not me” or “I don’t know what I would do in that situation.” This type of situation happens more often than most would think. “Teens 16 to 19 were three and one-half times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault” (National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996). This statistic provides realistic outlook on Connie’s situation.

After reading the short story written by Joyce Carol Oats, it can be seen as baffling and a tad on the creepy side. Many thoughts are to brush the short story off and that it couldn’t happen. Smooth talk brings the whole story to life. It made it more believable that a scenario like Connie’s could exist. Young girls tend to tip-toe the line of getting themselves in dangerous situations like Connie’s and not even realize it. In the end it’s up to each person to decide; does the movie bring a sense of reality about the issue of how rapes and murders can exist, or is this just a creepy story to teach young girls to act their age?