| Childrens' TV: Report Card |
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Childrens' TV: Report Card
> School-Age
> 6teen
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6teen
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| NAME: | 6teen | | NETWORK: | Cartoon Network
| | GENRE: | Animated sitcom
| | SHOW DESCRIPTION: | 6teen follows an ensemble cast of six friends as they explore their lives as teenagers while working their first part-time jobs at the Galleria Shopping Mall.
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Appearance/Body Types | How characters are portrayed in terms of their bodies—weight, hair, breasts, muscles, etc. Is there a broad range of sizes or are all characters featured in similar, stereotypical ways? | |
Interpersonal/Emotional Style | How characters are portrayed in terms of their communication styles and interactions with other characters. Do they display characteristics such as assertiveness, confidence, sensitivity, kindness, adventurousness, etc.? | |
Leadership & Independence | How characters are portrayed as leaders or followers. Do they act independently, initiate conversations and actions, show respect for others, etc.? | |
Activities | How characters are portrayed in terms of their activities and physicality. Are characters portrayed doing only stereotypical activities (girls cheerleading and boys playing sports, for example) or are there a broad range of activities for each? | |
Self Image/Self Worth | How characters are portrayed in terms of valuing themselves. Are characters too focused on, or worried about, their appearance? Are characters overly concerned with attracting potential romantic partners or behaving differently when they're around? | |
Skills & Intelligence | How characters are portrayed in terms of their intelligence and abilities. Do they show aptitude with science, technology or math as well as art, dance or music? | |
TRUECHILD SAYS: The characters in 6teen fall into the trap of being one stereotype after another. From Caitlin, the boy-crazy, looks-obsessed blond who loves to shop to Jonesy, the good-looking, girl-crazy jock. While the show also features Jen, a more sensible and intelligent girl, her storylines often portray her as bossy and controlling and, ultimately, she ends up succumbing to Caitlin's pursuits for boys. Nikki is a bit of a standout character in that she is somewhat more of an independent thinker and tends to hang out more with the boys. Wyatt is another character that stretches a bit beyond the stereotypes as he is more sensitive and tends to work out his sorrows in his music.
Ultimately, 6teen is buried underneath cartoon characters that are overly-skinny, with girls that have disproportionate bodies and boys that have small waists and large muscles. The undertones of this show tend to communicate very negative messages to kids about what they should look like and how they should behave. We think they can do much better.
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