Media Analysis on a Drama Series | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Media Analysis on a Drama Series

The Secret Life of an American Teenager

143
Media Analysis on a Drama Series
Tv-shows Pretty Famous

The one-hour episode of a television drama I analyzed was The Secret Of The American Teenager. This show is about teen pregnancy in American society. A band geek, Amy, finds out that she is pregnant after a one-night stand with the school’s bad boy, Ricky. This complicates many of their friendships and relationships among their family and friends. I analyzed the Pilot Episode. The pilot episode was pretty dramatic compared to the other shows I’ve seen because it's so closely related to reality. Outside of reality shows like Teen Mom and Sixteen and Pregnant, I believe this also contributes to the percentage decrease in teen pregnancy among a mass audience.

In the Pilot episode, Amy runs into her bathroom take a pregnancy test and finds out that it is positive. She does not tell her family that she is pregnant, but tells her big mouth friends who told the whole school. Ricky later finds out that she is pregnant from word of mouth.He is very flabbergasted and denies that he had any intentions / encounters with Amy during band camp. The pilot episode then introduced another character, Ben. Ben is an awkward rich boy who wants to be Amy’s love interest and willing to be the father of the child. Ben really feels that Ricky is financially and emotionally immature for a son. Soon Ricky’s girlfriend, Adrian, founds out and destroys his property.

The members of society are naive American teenagers. These teenagers are eager to have sex and soon learn that there are consequences to their actions. This applies to almost all teenagers. Teens are at the age where they want to experiment and too immature to know there are consequences. There is such thing as Teen Pregnancy and it is prevalent in American society. This show depicts this stereotype. Another stereotype I notice was Teen Bands. In American society, “everything happens in Band Camp.” I heard this saying from a lot of my band friends and movies like American Pie. Amy was in band camp when she had the one-night stand with Ricky.

Another stereotype that I notice in this episode is that good girls love bad boys. Amy is such a good girl, but she became lovestruck over Ricky. Ricky is known as being a bad boy and sleeping with every girl. However, Amy doesn't see that. The lesson that was not shown was Abstinence among teens. Honestly, a mass audience would not be entertained. Subjects like this keeps the audience interested. For myself, my intention was just to watch the pilot episode, but there were so much reality dramatized that I wanted to keep watching it. This show depicts the stereotypical American family: stay-at-home mom, workaholic dad, two good children. This stereotype was tested once she revealed to her family that she was pregnant.

The “picture” of reality presented in the show is the life of an average American teenager. This picture was distorted with teen pregnancy. The cultivation theory argues that this abnormality can destroy the image of the American teen. Pregnancies among teens are known to cause trouble among families. It can end relationships and distort the family image. Also, the teen will be forced into adulthood at a much younger age.

In The Secret Life Of The American Teenager, the pilot episode did have one significant event of the mean world syndrome. Ricky’s girlfriend, Adrian, found out that Ricky got Amy pregnant so she broke Ricky’s house window. Adrian’s anger and betrayal led her to demonstrate the mean world syndrome. This is also an example of hypodermic needle model. Her reaction came from a message. Messages cause the receiver to do certain things.

There was no physical violence, but there were emotional and verbal violence. Emotional, verbal, and psychological violence involves manipulation to control an individual. This can be embarrassment, swearing, intimidation, accusing of things they have not done, such as flirting with someone else and stopping them from seeing their friends and family. This also happened a lot in the pilot episode. Amy was intimidated with Adrian. Amy’s friends embarrassed her by telling the whole school that she was pregnant.

The Secret Life of The American Teenager depicts teen pregnancy. The purpose of the show is to gate-keep the reality of teen pregnancy and be careful with your decisions. The mass media function that is focused highly is agenda setting. The pilot episode alone called attention to teens who had the idea to engage in sexual behavior. Shows like these give mass audience the idea that this is a real issue. This episode also depicts many stereotypes among teens which is pretty extraordinary because even though it is dramatized, there is still truth to teen behavior.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

187805
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

13361
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

456713
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

25927
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments