Young Adult

For a class I took this summer, Media and Society, I had to write a critique over the media product of my choosing. I chose the film Young Adult, which coincidently became one of my favorite movies. Enjoy the clip and my opinion.

Media Critique: Young Adult

            Young Adult is a Facebook generation comedic drama that depicts the present-day challenges men and women face growing up in the American society. Mavis Gary, played by Chalize Theoron, struggles with the cliché American issue of trying to live up to perfection. She is an author currently writing the last novel of her newly cancelled series about a popular teenage girl who has her high school in the palm of her hand. When appearing in public, Mavis dresses flawlessly, attends to her makeup and even wears hair extensions; however, when she is alone she refers to sweatpants and a ponytail.

            Four different times in the movie when Mavis is alone in a dark bedroom, the television displays two different reality shows from the E! Network: Kendra and Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The first scene in the movie when the audience is introduced to Mavis, a sound bite from Kendra is playing that says, “I don’t feel pretty right now. Having my friends here is great but it’s making my self-esteem go down really bad. They look so good and are the hottest girls in the world and here I am…” The inclusion of the reality show clips is significant because it is a true portrayal of how young American women set their standards and what they are comparing themselves to, i. e. “flawless,” airbrushed Kardashians.

            Throughout the movie Mavis is writing her novel and a voiceover conveys the book to the audience as the plot moves forward. There is a parallel between Mavis’ novel and her life – her novel is based on her former high school life as “the popular girl,” and her wishful thinking about her adult life, when in reality she is suffering mentality, physically and emotionally.

            Mavis is a struggling ghostwriter with a lightly haunting past, which leads her to alcoholism and depression – both concerns in today’s society. Currently, 6.7 percent of the U. S. adult population has had a 12-month occurrence of depression (2 percent being classified as severe) and 16.5 percent have lifetime prevalence. One in three American adults have abused alcohol, that’s more than 30 percent of the adult population that has had an alcohol related problem. Young Adult addresses these common issues and gives the viewer insight to how the pressures of the real world, anxiety of perfection and body image in media affect young men and women negatively.

            Instead of being another movie that breeds insecurity and morphed self-perception in society, I believe Young Adults brings awareness to the negative influence of media on body image and the consequences of needing to live up to some unimaginable standard. The question is, will the audience see the same message? 

Copyright © Jenalee Alexander 2013