I remember seeing the commercials for this new MTV show Skins. It honestly looked pretty scandalous. Watching this show this past week, I couldn't help but realize how much it reminded me on the Canadian teen-drama Degrassi.
Degrassi was my show, and I still am an avid fan. I've kept up with it throughout the years and I thought no show would ever be this REAL. It dealt with many teen issues, that aren't exactly shown on television. The episodes followed a new dilemma for every character, and what attracted me so was how real the issues portrayed were. I haven't known of any other show that had so much depth and meaning that this show catered toward a younger audience.
And now here comes MTV's version, SKINS. Taken from the British version of Skins, MTV wanted to remake their own version. This show clearly seems uncut, showing scenes of partying, drug and alcohol abuse, and sexual content. Though it is claimed that this show is good for children to watch with their parents, I'm thinking, "why would anyone want to watch this type of show with their parents?" I know it's great to push boundaries, but why for teenagers. I'm sure it's pretty obvious what mishaps can happen to this generation when the teen years roll around, we don't need it portrayed on a television show.
Though many of the issues are similar to that of Degrassi, I feel like Degrassi had a sort of class about it. They dealt with the same issues, yet didn't explicitly portray it. On the other hand, maybe that's what television needs, something so raw it causes controversy, and that's what this show is already doing with just it's premiere episode airing the other day!
MTV, once a music video haven has gradually turned to reality shows. Now I can see the transition to actual shows such as "My Life As Liz" and "Skins." But thinking to shows MTV is becoming to be known for, such as "Teen Mom" and "16 and Pregnant," it seems kind of odd that MTV would be wanting to put pregnancy and teen exploitation as part of their programming. What message is MTV trying to send?
Out of all the issues Skins does portray, the biggest controversy is the use of actual teenagers in the show. Usually with any show or movie, there are actors 18 or older who play high school characters. Not Skins. They use teenagers under 18 as the title characters of the show, resulting in possible "child pornography exploitation."
If you want to see for yourself this teen drama that pushes every limit there is, catch "Skins" on MTV Mondays at 10pm.
You Just Do You, Imma Do Me
Camille
