Juno - a positive representation of a woman

I went to see a pre screening of Juno last night. I was somewhat dubious how the film would play out, although I had read good reviews and seen the trailers.

I was surprised to find the film really funny and uplifting, despite dealing with the serious issue of teenage pregnancy.



What was most impressive was the representation of Juno, the main character, aged 16 and pregnant. Unlike in most Hollywood films where pregnant teens are represented as foolish, airheads and 'sluts', Juno was an extremely smart character, not the dumb cheerleader type. She knows about old music, slasher films and guitars and is intelligent, funny and does not dress as most teens do in Hollywood films - she was not perpetually half-naked and her image was not sexualised (although her best Friend Leah was in some respects).

It was refreshing to see a film asserting that smart, level-headed girls do sometimes get pregnant, that it can happen to anyone, and that it is not necessarily something to be ashamed of or something that will ruin a girls life and reputation forever.

However, the film does not glamorise pregnancy and even dares to broach the subject of abortion - unlike many other films - although the issue was not explored in much depth and treated humorously instead.

The representation of gender in the film was also interesting, on the one hand women were not seen as inherently maternal - Juno's mother abandoned her when she was little and Juno herself does not display the usual angst represented in culture when a woman gives up her baby for adoption.

However, the adoptive mother, Vanessa, unable to have kids, conforms to the stereotype, displaying the 'natural' female trait of being desperate to have a child.

The male characters in the film are also surprising - Juno's father is supportive and reliable and Juno's boyfriend and the baby's father is shy, geeky but totally reliable and in love with Juno.

The adoptive dad-to-be however, Mark, is a traditional male let-down, deciding he is 'not ready to be a father' and also making a pass at heavily pregnant Juno.

Aside from these interesting representations of gender, the main point is that Juno is definitely a for once positive representation of a girl - which you don't often come across in films.