In Jessica Goodman's novel They Wish They Were Us, groups such as teenagers and prestigious schools, most notably Ivy League universities, are represented in various ways. For instance, the popular kids in this novel (called "the Players") are stereotypically portrayed as high school students who party, drink, experience drama, engage in sexual acts, and assert dominance over students of lesser social status. At multiple points in the novel, the Players throw parties that always include alcohol and almost always include sexual activity. At one party in particular, there was a mention of vaping. Additionally, the Players (who are mostly seniors) "recruit" freshman to become the next Players when the currents ones graduate. They do so by making the freshmen do "pops", which are random challenges that are either dangerous, embarrassing, or both. Many of the freshman being recruited don't have much of social status, thus these pops are a way for the popular kids to assert dominance over other students.
Additionally, this novel represents young teen girls as having goals of being popular and receiving male attention and teenage boys as viewing girls in a sexual way and using them for their own entertainment. When Jill, the main character, was a freshman, she had a crush on a senior named Adam. Because of this, she did things against her character in order to please him, such as smoking for the first time and pretending to like it. Jill and her friend Sheila also did pops not only to please Adam, but to have a chance at becoming popular. Furthermore, the Players that were in control of the pops given to freshmen were boys. Thus, the male freshmen were given easier, less embarrassing pops, while the female freshmen were made to do more embarrassing and sexually explicit pops that were a source of entertainment for the boys. In particular, a freshman named Sierra was forced to stand in front of a gas station in only a bikini while kissing another student. While it was clear she was extremely uncomfortable, the boys found it funny.
Moreover, Ivy League universities and other prestigious schools are represented as having certain privileges for some students. Gold Coast Prep, the high school in which the novel takes place, has a clear preference towards popular kids. For instance, Jill was given a chance to retake a test that she got a 65 on, simply because she was a Player and the teacher favored her. Every mention of college throughout the novel includes the name of an Ivy. Every student strives to go to Harvard, Stanford, Brown, and others. Since Gold Coast Prep is a school full of extremely wealthy kids, this conveys that for these types of kids, going to a non-Ivy is out of the picture. This represents these universities as simply being schools for rich kids.
This novel also represents rich kids in a very specific way. The students at Gold Coast Prep are described as owning expensive clothing such as loafers, blazers, and belts. They're also described as traveling to lavish locations such as the Hamptons. One student, Robert had moved from Manhattan and his parents owned multiple resorts in the Caribbean. These students are represented as stereotypical rich kids, living in mansions with expensive items and a lavish lifestyle. At times, these kids are even described as being pretentious.
