SPOILER ALERT: DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED BIG MOUTH (seasons 1 AND 2.)
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PERSONIFICATION
per·son·i·fi·ca·tion
pərˌsänəfəˈkāSH(ə)n
noun
(This is not me being an asshole. This is me making sure that you all understand what I’m saying, so that you don’t have to close out of this jawn to look up the word personification and come back. #EachOneTeachOne)
Now.
For those who have: was this season not amazing?!?
For me, both the hormone monster and the shame wizard were two of the best personifications I’ve ever seen in a cartoon. It is sometimes hard to accurately explain what exactly it is we are feeling inside, but the writers at Big Mouth nailed it. Your hormones are ridiculously insane during adolescence, as are the mental/emotional changes you go through during this period of your life. The Shame Wizard was an excellent addition to the show, as it truly represents the inner battles kids face during this time, deciphering wrongs vs guilt. Society is comparable to the Shame Wizard, as I noticed that he would say mean and hurtful things to the children from a societal perspective. You’re fat! You’re a bad person! You’re a slut! We can see this idea of societal judging come to fruition as Shame literally judges Andrew after his bathing suit incident. Who else do we hear say these kinds of things? Andrew’s dad. Remember the basketball game and the mustache scenes? Parents are very much like the Shame Wizard, as they often make children feel ashamed of things that they have done or don’t agree with. Yes, we need people to tell us when we’re not so good at things, and parents should be able to express their sentiments about their children, but there is a way that it should be done, preferably with diligence to maintain one’s dignity. While he means well, Shame’s delivery certainly reeks of the scrutiny kids face on a daily basis.
As a parent, I have read quite a few reviews of Big Mouth, and a lot of them have negative things to say regarding the content and delivery of the points made within the show. I think, and this is just my personal opinion here, that a lot of adults have forgotten what it’s like to be a teenager. The show is literally showing the world what it’s like being a kid in this day and age. Of the many lessons learned whilst watching the second season, this was the reoccurring sentiment for me:
We don’t remember what it’s like to be a kid.
It’s even worse being a teen, especially right now. I don’t know for sure if I would fit in, let alone be able to cope with the advances in technology being used to my detriment, like the episode where Nick tells his friends that he touched Gina’s boobs and the rumor spreads that she’s a slut. People have pointed the finger at Jesse, but what about Nick? Had he kept his mouth shut, no one would have known and she wouldn’t have been shamed. Gina trusted Nick with their private moment, and he broke that trust by telling his friends. This is classic teenage behavior, and not enough parents are having conversations about not gossiping and respecting privacy/intimate moments. Should they have been kissing in the first place? No is the obvious answer, but since it did happen, he should have respected her enough to keep that between them.
Also, let’s talk about Jesse here.
As I watched the end of the sleepover episode where Shame had been cast away, I wondered briefly why it was that Jesse still had this sadness around her; why wasn’t she free of the shame and guilt of her actions? Why was she so sad? Then it occurred to me: she is depressed. The feelings Jesse felt weren’t just societal woes, they were her own woes, thoughts and feelings manifesting within herself. The Shame Wizard thought his magic was working, when all along Jesse was falling into a state of depression (I don’t believe he knew she was depressed.) This is important for all parents to note, because all too often we attribute mood swings and changes in behavior to puberty and being a teen, when they could be sinking into a depression. What we see as “not so bad,” they see as the end of the world. Society has made it tough on these kids, and it is our job to build our children up to kick society’s whole ass if they need to. It’s not enough to take our kid(s) (sometimes hurtful) words for it when they tell us to leave them alone, or when they say they’re OK; sometimes, we have to pry and get to the root of what’s really going on with them.
Yes, the Planned Parenthood episode could have been better, but this show is for adults, and we should ALL know and understand the importance of sexual health and testing. Missy is amazing, and the pro-feminism theme was also important to note in this season as well, because there are still men and women that are ignorant to the movement and what it stands for. Also, Jay dealing with his homosexual and heterosexual feelings was yet another key moment in the show, but, since I am not as versed on the topic, I won’t speak on it in depth. Coach Steve…yea. I won’t touch that either.
Above all this, I am happy that they incorporated depression into this season. These are 7th grade kids going through changes, changes that some adults have put behind them as they stand in their present day busy adult lives. Depression Kitty was another great personification, as we see her trying to keep Jesse in the room laying in bed, only for Jesse to reach her breaking point and shout out, “I need help!” This scene was brilliantly done!
It’s almost like this season was a reminder for adults to take a step back and assess their children. I am a busy parent, no doubt about it, and it can be hard to balance your life, professional and parental, but we have to keep in mind that kids don’t always understand that.
As Lola says,
Parents need to like, get their shit together and be like, good parents and talk to their kidssssss… or whatever!”
(Lola didn’t actually say this, but it’s something I’m sure she’d say, if given the chance. LOL)
Peace,
April Bee
I enjoyed this piece as well as the season. One thing that stuck out to me in this article was the Nick and Gina situation. Why would Nick need to keep his mouth shut? That experience was 50% his. He was there too. And the excitement that would possess a teenage boy after his VERY FIRST experience is one that even the top scientists can’t explain. It wasn’t a secret but at the same time the immaturity of these kids will cause them to take this information and stamp Gina as a “slut”. We as adults understand that there is soooooooooo much more she’d have to do to be labeled that and myself as a feminist understands that there’s no such thing as that term, but in any event I don’t think he’s wrong, nor do I agree that he as an adolescence should have or would have even been able to keep his mouth shut. He’s a boy. Now if they made an agreement to keep it a secret…then we’d have an entirely new situation to discuss. Keep up this amazing dialogue!