Juno’s combination of quirky humor and typical stressful subject matter creates an interesting view for movie watchers. In our society it seems that teenage pregnancy is a tabooed subject that brings to mind carelessness and ignorance, which is only perpetuated by television shows such as “16 & Pregnant”. In this way it also seems like we are told that to be pregnant at a young age is shameful and should be wrapped tightly in secrecy. In contrast, Juno is portrayed as a witty, creative and beautiful girl whose pregnancy brings her closer to her athletic, high sock wearing, love interest Polly Bleaker. Contrary to this is Linda Lowen’s article for womanissues.about.com, ‘Is “Juno” Anti-Choice?’. Lowen’s argues Juno portrays inaccurate views of abortion clinics and a disassociation of the characters with sexual behavior. It’s fair to say Juno has a pro-life script with subtle anti-abortion scenes- like Juno’s friend who protests in front of the clinic she initially goes to. Yet, it should be noted that it’s her pregnancy that propels the plot, otherwise the movie would have ended with her at the abortion clinic. As Hadley Freeman admits in her Guardian published article, ‘A Choice Films Ignore’, in regard to the onslaught of pregnancy related comedies including Juno, ‘I don’t believe any of these films is consciously designed to be anti-abortion propaganda’. Indeed, it wouldn’t be the first time a comedy botched a topic in exchange for humor. It’s also important to remember when watching movies that make light of tough topics that they exist for the viewer’s entertainment, and do not always intend to make bold assertions. Abortion will perhaps be a topic of debate for many years, in the meantime, it’s important for women to have options and to live as shameless as they can with which ever choice is right for them.
Links:
Hadley Freeman, “A choice that films ignore”, The Guardian, January 28, 2008. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/jan/28/healthandwellbeing.fil
Linda Lowen, ‘Is “Juno” Anti-Choice?’, about news. http://womensissues.about.com/od/teenpregnancy/a/JunoAntiChoice_2.htm
I very much appreciate the fact that you present both sides of the issue and hint at your own analysis. Good use of the literature to substantiate your presentation.
Hello,
Certainly, teenage pregnancy is relatively tabooed, but I begin to wonder if this is because it is rare. However, even though it is rare, I think it is something that is very important. I remember that in high school we did cover sex ed, and this is an important component of teen pregnancy that I think is covered in class. I am interested to know what the rate of teen pregnancy is, and whether including sex ed into the curriculum has made a major improvement to the number of teenage girls getting pregnant.
Thanks,
Kathy