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Teen girls are facing unprecedented pressures in the age of social media. Because of their hyper-connected online world, and their increasingly disconnected real-life world, they’re facing skyrocketing rates of body dysmorphia and other mental health problems. Teen girls are more likely than any other group their age to experience depression, a possibility that has been rising since 2012, when social media and smart phones became prevalent forces in society. These two Peabody-recognized works take very different approaches to teen girls’ distress and potential—one through unusually honest storytelling, the other through animated fantasy—but both honor this audience beautifully.
‘Forever’
This sensitive series adapts the controversial 1975 Judy Blume novel to a contemporary 2018 Los Angeles setting, making the central couple Black teenagers negotiating class differences, sports pressures, and modern sexual mores in first love. The series from Mara Brock Akil focuses on two athletes who connect over the pressures of possible scholarships, but what makes it truly shine are its young stars, Lovie Simone as Keisha Clark and Michael Cooper Jr. as Justin Edwards. With a pilot directed by Regina King, the cast also boasts a deep bench, most notably Xosha Roquemore as Keisha’s harried mom and Karen Pittman as Justin’s demanding mom. A beautiful and realistic blend of genuine financial and social pressures and the unique challenges of the social media age for young people, especially young women.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Explore More at Peabody’s Website: Forever
‘Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur brings Marvel superpowers into the life of a 13-year-old genius named Lunella Lafayette (voiced by Diamond White), who lives with her grandparents on the Lower East Side of New York City. She activates a portal that produces a red Tyrannosaurus Rex, whom she names Devil Dinosaur and makes her sidekick as she transforms into her superhero alter ego Moon Girl. Co-produced by Laurence Fishburne, this animated series celebrates the larger-than-life possibilities of girlhood.
Where to Watch: Disney+
Explore More at Peabody’s Website: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
Further Listening: Forever: Mara Brock Akil on First Love, Judy Blume, and Her Love Letter to Her Sons
On Judy Blume’s book: “She was honest with us. That’s what it felt like. This is 1982 I’m talking about. And the world wasn’t being honest with kids about certainly not only their feelings, but their feelings attached to this growing sensation and urge for sex.”
Where to Listen to We Disrupt This Broadcast: PeabodyAwards.com
Mara Brock Akil’s Peabody Conversation About ‘Forever’
“[Blume] wrote that book 50 years ago, and we are exploring what love looks like in a modern time in Los Angeles seen through the lens of a Black boy and a Black girl. But it becomes complicated in a world for Black children where they’re under threat.”
Where to Watch: PeabodyAwards.com
Further Viewing: ‘Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret’
Blume also broke societal silence on female puberty with Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, which was absolutely earth-shattering if you were growing up in the ’70s, ’80s, or ’90s, the subject of vast whisper-networks of tween girls. It got a delightful 2023 screen adaptation starring Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret, Rachel McAdams as her mom, and Kathy Bates as her grandma. A wonderful way to learn about—or relive—first periods and a desperate longing to grow up.
Where to Watch: Prime Video
Co-creator Steve Loter’s Peabody Acceptance for ‘Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’
Loter tells the story of seeing the impact of Moon Girl during a premiere party at a roller rink: “… a Disney parks performer came dressed as Moon Girl. There was one little girl, she just stood, frozen, just mesmerized. Then suddenly she just ran towards Moon Girl and threw her arms around her in a big hug. And that’s when it finally clicked for me. She was seeing a hero who looked like her.”
Where to Watch: PeabodyAwards.com
“It doesn’t matter what your gender, what your color, what your faith, what country you live in. I’ve always thought that it was really, really cool to be smart,” Fishburne said. “I think it’s just important for us to have this kind of representation because you can’t be what you can’t see. So if more young girls of color get to see an experience of a person like Lunella, then perhaps, they won’t be afraid to show their intelligence and to lead with their intelligence.”
Where to Read: D23