by Eliza M.
Secret Life of the American Teenager has raised eyebrows throughout viewers since its debut. Despite its somewhat fluffy and generic plot, the show confronts many controversial topics that are on the riskier side of ABC Family’s usual home-style drama series. The plot line goes like this: new freshman, Amy, has a meaningless one-night stand at band camp with the school playboy. She is ready to forget it and leave it in the past when she discovers in the school bathroom that she is pregnant. Set more to the side are a handful of stereotypical high school characters such as the devoutly Christian cheerleader and her jock boyfriend who make a pledge of abstinence until marriage together; the sweet but charming nerd who falls for Amy; and the promiscuous girl who falls for the playboy but wont admit it because she prides herself in being able to have meaningless sex just as much as he does; and the playboy who uses sex to make up for his self-esteem issues.
The overall messages that this show is sending are difficult to interpret. On the one hand, by putting teen pregnancy on a family oriented channel, in a seemingly idyllic high school, automatically glamorizes it. On the other hand, at the end of every episode Shailene Woodley (the actress who plays the main character) gives a public service announcement telling viewers that teen pregnancy is a serious issue and that kids and parents should encourage open conversation about sex and drugs and their presence in adolescent life today. If the average viewing age is ten to thirteen year olds, then what are they inferring about teen pregnancy? Another topic that is touched on is abortion. At a point in the show Amy is considering terminating the pregnancy. At this point her boyfriend and the father of the baby both know about the baby, and they both try to pressure Amy into keeping it. Then there is the Christian girl who is shocked that Amy is even considering it and tries to tell her why aborting a baby is the same thing as killing a child. All points of view are brought in when the promiscuous girl tells Amy that it is her choice, but that she should really do it. Abortion is a very controversial topic, and by having Amy not really know what she wants to do sort of sends the message that abortion is not in the hands of the mother, which essentially it is. Abortion is a mother’s choice regardless of what the surrounding people want or feel.
Personally I have not followed SLAT religiously. I’ve come upon rerun marathons while browsing channels, and it is surprisingly easy to get sucked into. Being a teenager, drama with friends, family, and school seem like the end of the world, and SLAT captures that feeling magnificently. Personally I think that is why the show is so relatable. It isn’t necessarily the most intriguing show, or the most profound, but when it comes to feelings and personal drama it is dead on.
On TV, high school is given many alluring qualities and SLAT is no exception. The generic stereotypes, the typical drama, the predictability of the characters are not original to SLAT. They show up in every teen movie that has ever been made. Honestly it gets a little tiring because who wants to watch the same characters play out different versions of the same story over and over again. But for some reason there is this fascination with that same story that keeps people interested. High school is an icon for the losing of your innocence, coming of age, finally figuring out who you really are, and then by the time you graduate the world is at peace. Which is in some ways true, because while you are in high school it is your world, and once you leave it behind it can be whatever you want it to be in your memory. For most people high school was either the best time of their lives or the worst. For most people in life I think that high school is right in the middle, a blend of great and not so great experiences that are just the pre-game to college and life after that.
This blog is really interesting because it balances background of the show the author is discussing as well as their personal opinions about the show and the controversy topics in it. The most engaging part of the blog for me was the complicated questions the author raised and began to answer. It allowed me to have a new outlook on a show I have watched a couple of times. I also was really interested because it related to my blog pretty well, the discussion about age and audience to touchy topics that might not be for their eyes yet were involved in both of our blogs. There weren't many moments of confusion because in my opinion the blog was pretty straightforward and I easily understood what it was saying about the show. A question I have is what the authors honest opinion about the audience of the show, what she thinks the effects are of having young girls watching shows like these?
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ReplyDeleteI liked this blog. I thought you touched on key points that the show raises, like abortion and teen pregnancy. I have never seen the show, but reading this makes me think if I watched one or two episodes I would enjoy it. It would completely change the way I look at pregnancy and high schools where they have pregnant women. I didn't realize how big of an issue teen pregnancy and abortion are. Going to a private all boys school shields me from things like this. In all my years at my school neither of my sister schools have had a pregnant girl attending. I didn't have a lot of moments of confusion, but one of the times I was very confused was when you were saying that "abortion is not in the hands of the mother." I do have one question, would you ever watch the show religiously?
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There seems to be two parts here:
ReplyDeleteFirst, how can media deal with complex issues in an egaging way that also invites young people to think critically. From what you write, it sounds like SLAT celebrates the complexity and ambiguity of this pregnancy, but does so with the traditional high school archetypes. I wonder if we need those archetypes to engage with a text? Or, perhaps we create them in our reading whether they are actually there or not? What figures in pop culture can you pick out that defy them?
The second part deals with a strange American phenomenon: we seem to be culturally stuck in high school! What is that about? Is it true in other countries? You write that high school is "just a pregame" for later experiences. I am not sure that is true for everybody. Many of the people I know in their 20s and 30s are still working out the questions and roles they took on in high school. Why are the "stakes" so high in high school?
So the big question I am left with: How can I get my hair to stand up like the gentlemen in that picture?!
Hahah- Jason's last comment! I think the answer is lots of hair gel.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that this summer and the summer before I watched Secret Life religiously. I loved it. One of the reasons I think I like to watch it is for exactly what you said, it is relatable. Although sometimes its ridiculous and unrealistic the general drama surrounding friends and family is fun to watch. Having read your blog earlier (before the edits) I love what you added about your personal opinion, I think it really strengthened the blog! You touch on some really interesting issues such as abortions and teen pregnancy. When the show came out it was also the same time as Juno and it was almost like this trend in movies and TV, which I think you depicted in your writing subconsciously. Awesome!
Keely
In this post you look at the show from a different out look with opens your eyes to the message underneath. Having watched the show since it started, i never thought to question how i felt about what was going on the show. This post alone has help change the way i view the show. The key points that you raised in your post are very strong. I found that because you used the word "teen" regularly, it connected with me because i AM a teen. I also really like that you added your own opinion to the post. Because it shows me as the reader why you chose to write about the topic.
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