Choice Assignment #1 Juno Analysis-Teen Pregnancy- What a breeze......

Juno is a film about an outspoken sixteen year old girl, named Juno that accidentally becomes pregnant. When she finds out that she is pregnant she tells the father of the baby that she will take care of the situation, meaning she is going to have an abortion. She goes to the abortion clinic and sees her classmate who is protesting outside the clinic. Her classmate says that Juno's baby had fingernails and this sticks with Juno as she enters the clinic. While waiting in the clinic Juno decides that she is going to keep the baby. Juno and her friend look for families that want to adopt and they find one that seems perfect. When Juno casually tells her parents she is pregnant and that she is going to give the baby up for adoption, her father says that he will go with her to meet with the adoptive parents. Juno meets with the couple that is going to adopt her baby and from that point she visits them from time to time and becomes somewhat close to the adoptive father. Throughout the film, Juno still goes to school while she is pregnant and appears to be leading a normal life as much as she can. Her parents are understanding and her friends do not leave her. She keeps in contact with the baby's father and deals with the normal ups and downs of pregnancy.
There was something about this film that I felt was not depicted as it is in our culture today and that was Juno's pregnancy seeming like such an easy, simple process that any teenager today could handle. From the moment she found out that she was pregnant it was a casual thing to call up her friend and tell her she was pregnant, making jokes and not seeming like she was scared or nervous as most teenagers would be. When she told the baby's father that she was pregnant it was no big deal, she just sat in front of his house and told him she would take care of the situation. Even when she went to the abortion clinic, she went by herself and did not bring anyone for support or to comfort her. As Juno told her father and stepmother that she was pregnant they were so accepting of it. They did not get upset with her or make her feel like she had ruined her life, as in today's society most parents would do. Instead they were very helpful throughout the whole film, between taking her to doctor's appointments and visiting the adoptive parents. The film made it seem like if you are a teenager and get pregnant you will not have any problems. Your family will be there to support you and they will be accepting of it and you will have no difficulty. However, our culture today teaches us something different than what the film teaches us. Our culture views teen pregnancy as an awful mistake that happens when parents are not keeping a watchful eye on their children. Also it teaches us that teen mothers are unfit and that they will never be able to handle raising a child, because they are in a sense, still children themselves. The film also teaches us that once you have the baby and give it up for adoption, there may be a few tears, but your life will go back to normal as if nothing happened. You will go back to your teenage life of no responsibility and the baby's father will stay with you. This is in contrast to our culture today in which the baby's father wants nothing to do with the mother and does not want to have to deal with the responsibility of his actions. I feel that Juno did not show any type of emotions in relation to her pregnancy except for when she cried after she gave birth. Her only emotions throughout the film were that of someone who is going to have a baby, give it up for adoption and then it will be over with. Teenagers that are watching this film may be getting the message that pregnancy is no big deal and if Juno can get through it so easily, then you can too. It is not showing us the pain and emotional distress that society puts on teen pregnancy. It does not show how your peers while humiliate you and adults will look down on you as making the biggest mistake of your life. To me, the film does not capture all of the aspects of teen pregnancy in today's culture. It is sending the message that teen pregnancy is a breeze or a walk in the park.
A connection to a course text is that of Thomas Hine's piece titled "The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager". In one part of the piece, Hine discusses a girl that gave birth to her son on prom night in the bathroom and then tied him up in a plastic bag, put him in the trash and walked out to continue her night at the prom. Hine's describes the girl saying, " She proved herself physically capable of bearing child, but not mentally, emotionally, or morally mature enough to handle it. She had, in a word, shown herself to be a teenager." In my opinion this relates to how Juno was depicted in the film. She was physically able to bear a child, but she lacked the maturity to handle the situation. She did not take the situation seriously and remained in her normal emotionally state. Her emotions were not that of concern or distress. Also in his piece, Hine says that, "The teen years have become defined not as an interlude but rather as something central to life, a period of preparation and self-definition, a period of indulgence and unfocused energy." Juno, being in her teen years, is at this stage in her life and is not concerned at all about the future. She does not think about how her actions today will affect her in the future. She is living for the here and now.
Another connection to a course text is that of Linda Christensen. In her piece, "Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us", she discusses how the media has an affect on how we view ourselves and others. She has her students critique movies and cartoons and one of her students' discusses how the media can shape your opinions. She says, " It can be overwhelming and discouraging to find out my whole self image has been formed mostly by others or underneath my worries about what I look like are years of being exposed to TV images of girls and their set roles given to them by TV and the media. It's painful to deal with. The idea of not being completely responsible for how I feel about things today is scary." The media has a significant influence on how teenagers view themselves and others and the film Juno is an example of a film that tells teenagers, that being pregnant is not that bad of a situation and if it happens to you it will not be difficult. Your parents will understand and your friends will be there for you. It is sending a message that you have nothing to worry about being a teenager that is pregnant.
All in all I feel that Juno is sending a message to teenagers that pregnancy is something that is not difficult and once you have the baby your life will go back to normal and you will have nothing to worry about. It is in contrast with today's culture and it's views that teen pregnancy is an awful mistake and your life is ruined if you get pregnant when you are a teenager. You are not emotionally ready for the responsibility and demands of being a parent.