CALGARY – A movie aimed at teen audiences hits theatres Friday, and it’s already stirring up a controversy. The Duff is supposed to be about turning an ugly duckling into a swan, but critics say it’s really about bullying.
Mae Whitman (Parenthood) stars as Bianca, a high school senior who is sent reeling when her childhood friend Wes, played by Amell, tells her she is widely regarded as “The Duff” — the Designated Ugly Fat Friend — to her prettier, more popular pals.
READ MORE: ‘The Duff’ star Robbie Amell takes social media seriously
By creating this new “buzzword,” some are concerned about the message it’s sending to young women already dealing with peer pressure and the struggles to fit in.
Though the makers of the movie say there’s really a positive message about anti-bullying, some teens in Calgary don’t see it that way.
“It puts a lot more pressure on young girls like around our age because we already have the pressures of trying to fit in and now we’re going to have the pressure of thinking, ‘Well what if I’m the Duff?’” said Maddy Crowell, a grade nine student in Calgary.
Jill Croteau has more on how teens are reacting to this movie on Global Calgary’s News Hour at 6 p.m.
With files from Jill Croteau and The Canadian Press
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