Structure
“Popular Girls” by Karen Shepardis is not so much about the action, as it is meant to be read as a sarcastic portrait of rich, popular girls from the upper class in New York.
Title
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Beginning
The short story begins by introducing the main characters and the setting: “You know who we are. We're Kaethe and Alina, CJ and Sydney. Stephanie.” (ll. 1-2); “It's 1982, and we sit on the benches lining our New York private school's entrance, after classes are over and before we head home.” (ll. 6-7)
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Middle
The rising action begins with a detailed backstory explaining the girls’ lifestyle and character.
The narration presents the girl’s school life—their flirting with boys and teachers, their smoking and general lack of respect for anyone: “We listen to the tribulations of other girls' boyfriends. The boys muse about affairs. We suggest ourselves.” (ll. 40-41); “Some of us smoke Gitanes—well, just CJ. If Mr. Bleakley catches us, we can flirt with him until he lets us go with a warning.” (ll. 70-72)
We also find out that the girls go to clubs using fake IDs and that they use drugs. Additionally, the story focuses on the way the girls dress—only buying clothes from famous expensive brands—and on what their rooms at home look like: “To school we wear sweater vests from Benetton in maroon and forest and bright pink over men's white T-shirts.” (ll. 98-99); “Our rooms at home are designed by architects and interior decorators famous for their work on small museums and boutique hotels.” (ll. 120-121)
All these aspects are character-building; they help the author convey a very precise portrait of the girls.
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Ending
The falling action presents the club at the end of the night, when it looks less glamorous and more sordid: “We dance until the lights come on, revealing a dance floor of spilled drinks and dropped coat checks, glasses holding triangles of lemon and lime. In a corner an empty condom packet.” (ll. 250-251)
The story lacks a clear resolution and features a cliffhanger ending. The girls go to the men’s apartment where CJ was taken earlier, and they realizes that they will have sex with the three men:
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