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Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

New MTV shows engage teens but enrage parental groups

There’s no doubt that exploiting high school stereotypes can be as enthralling as it is cathartic. From Danny and Sandy in “Grease” to “Queen Bee” Regina George in “Mean Girls,” television sitcoms and blockbuster hits have attempted to categorize nearly every face in the high school hallway.

The cast of "I Just Want My Pants Back." Photo via Pamela Littky.

Given the three-season success of Fox’s “Glee,” a musical comedy-drama centered around high school stereotypes, viewers seem to react positively to nostalgia trips. But not every high school experience should be relived.

In the last year, MTV has been criticized for its attempt to diversify its television line up with scripted series like “I Just Want My Pants Back,” “Awkward.” and “Skins.” These scandalous exploitations of youth in the 15-22 age bracket have frenzied MTV ratings and advocacy groups alike.

The Parents Television Council (PTC) said “Skins” in particular is one of the most dangerous shows for children and that “Pants Back” is taking HBO-content and targeting it to a Nickelodeon-age audience.

Targeted or not, viewers don’t seem to mind. Last August, nearly 5.1 million viewers tuned into the pilot episode of “Pants Back.” The show is based on David J. Rosen’s 2007 novel with the same name and capitalizes on the subtle nuances of being a Brooklyn-based hipster in the post-high school graduation age range. The series kicked off with an ill-fated one-night-stand, leaving the protagonist in search of his dream girl and of course, his pants.

U.K. export “Skins,” a gritty exploitation of high schoolers enslaved to the “realities” of teenage angst, curiosity and rebellion, drew in almost 3.3 million viewers for its season premiere in January 2011, 2.7 million of which were between 12-34 years old – MTV’s target age range. However, it was cancelled last June after declining ratings and sponsors.

“Awkward.” earned a series-high 2.2 rating in last year’s finale and is scheduled for a second season this year. The show follows an over-emotional 15-year-old girl looking for love in life and “likes” on Facebook.  Not to mention the ‘awkward’ part when heroine Jenna Hamilton is quickly ostracized after a freak accident leaves her in a bulbous neck brace longing for the boy who deflowered her.

According to Gary Eckstein, a social and cultural sciences lecturer at Marquette, these shows illustrate the classic debate between high-brow and low-brow culture. There is a pull between MTV’s goal as a business to make money and their responsibility to consider a show’s social implications.

So, what are “Pants Back,” “Skins” and “Awkward.” saying about our generation?

“That we are easy to subtype, apparently,” said Rob Matuszewski, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences. “You can just make categories of these people, stereotype them and subtype them and show them to people in an exaggerated way and say, ‘This is you. Which group do you fit in to?’”

Marisa Galvez, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said her 15-year-old sister watches “Awkward.,” and that it accurately portrays her and her friends’ lifestyles. But as a college student, the show is less relatable.

Kirsten Nelson, a junior in the College of Communication, called “Skins” in particular an off-the-wall and X-rated portrayal of the high school experience that is unrelatable.

“I think my high school life was pretty PG-13, and that’s the same for everyone else,” she said.

Perhaps that’s why “Awkward.” was considered one of the best shows of 2011 in a Huffington Post article – for creating a high school character that was relatable and believable without submitting to cliches.

“A person isn’t just a nerd, and a person isn’t just a jock. People are far more complex than that. Shows that do really well have more to them than a one-note character,” Nelson said.

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