Today I watched an episode of Degrassi, a show that I was formerly an avid viewer of, but have lately strayed away from. I used to love this show, but once my favorite characters were taken off of the show and slowly replaced by casts of new seasons, I lost interest. The show is based at a high school, Degrassi, in Canada. There are about twenty characters in the show, the male to female ratio being relatively balanced. The show represents the typical cliques and types of teenagers found in average high schools – nerds/wannabes, preppy/rich kids, popular kids, jocks, and bullies, and aims to tackle the usual issues and drama found in the daily lives of teens. In this episode, Adam, a transgender teen faces problems with a bully. Biologically a girl, Adam is starting the school year with his transgender identity remaining a secret. He tries his best to blend in as a boy, wearing a wrap to cover his breasts while, often a bit awkwardly, trying to make typical “guy conversation” among his peers. As Adam is getting bullied, his friend Eli comes to his aid, unfortunately getting caught in the bullying at the same time. Claire, always the pacifist, advises Adam and Eli to simply ignore the bullies. But in an angry rage, Eli convinces Adam to refuse to be victimized, and so, the two begin to scheme and plot ideas in order to get the bullies off of their backs.
This episode also features Holly J, a preppy and formerly rich senior, who is in a constant effort to get her grades and test scores to Ivy League material. Her boyfriend, Declan, currently lives in New York, and so, the two have a long-distance relationship. Every move that Holly J makes is geared towards getting into Yale to be with her boyfriend, as she struggles to find work and maintain a steady flow of money. The story changes though when she suspects that Declan is cheating on her while he is attending a Yale trip. Holly J now contemplates whether she wants to go to an Ivy League school for the education, or simply because she wants to live out a fairytale fantasy with her boyfriend. In an effort to gain back her independence and refocus her dreams, Holly J breaks up with Declan through a voicemail.
I think that Degrassi does a great job of depicting the different issues of teen life, especially those pertaining to gender. It represents characters of every group, tackling issues important to gender, race, sexuality, drugs and alcohol, money, family, and social life. I believe that the show has a pretty modern view of society, as gender is depicted in a myriad of ways and on a large scale. For this reason, I think that Degrassi breaks the traditional gender roles.
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