Madeline Nilson

FLM 1070 Final

5/4/14

Reversed Gender Roles in Juno
Juno was released in 2007, detailing the story of sixteen-year-old Juno MacGuff and her
unplanned pregnancy. After having a sexual encounter with her friend Paulie Bleeker, Juno
discovers that she is pregnant. At first she decides that she is going to have an abortion, but
changes her mind after she visits the abortion clinic unable to go through with the procedure.
She makes the decision to carry the baby to full term and give it up for adoption. Juno finds a
nice couple to give her baby to, Mark and Vanessa Loring, who end up getting a divorce. Juno,
however, sticks with her decision and ends up leaving the baby in custody of Vanessa Loring.
Throughout the film there are multiple examples of how the film Juno demonstrates
reversed gender roles, and I will be addressing these three; first, womens empowerment and
how the main female characters of the film (Juno and Vanessa) demonstrate the reversal of
masculinity and femininity, going against stereotypical gender roles. Second, I will discuss
Paulie Bleeker and Mark Loring, and their reversed male influence. Lastly, I will discuss how the
film portrayed the issue of teen pregnancy and sexuality.
Juno MacGuff and Vanessa Loring are both strong female characters that demonstrate
feminist principles. Throughout history, women have been known to generally behave
submissively to men. Juno, however, is a confident and spirited teenager who makes the
decision on her own to keep her baby and give it up for adoption. She is very independent and
quick to act on her impulses, not afraid to reject guidance from her family and friends and do
what she feels she needs to do. She does not allow Paulie to have a say in what will happen to
Madeline Nilson
FLM 1070 Final
5/4/14

their baby, taking it upon herself to find adoptive parents and attend all of her routine doctor
appointments, etcetera, without him. Vanessa is a strong and independent business woman
who is the primary breadwinner of her little family and seems to wear the pants in the
relationship. For the Lorings, it is easy to see that in this case, the male is more submissive in
the relationship than the woman, thus breaking the traditional gender role of women being
submissive to men. Vanessa is very eager to become a mother, even choosing parenthood over
her marriage when her husband tells her that he is not prepared to become a father.
Through Juno choosing to go through her pregnancy without the help of Paulie, still
deciding to give her baby to Vanessa as a single mother, and Vanessa choosing motherhood
over marriage, Juno has not only supported feminist ideologies, but shown that fatherlessness
has become more accepted today. This empowers women and their ability to work and
support themselves and their children without being submissive to or dependent on a man.
The women in this filmpredominantly Juno and Vanessaare powerfully
autonomous. Juno minimizes the significance of men in society and, concurrently,
empowers women. In promoting feminist ideologies, this film directly challenges
conventional gender stereotypes that portray women as submissive to, and dependent
upon, men The men of Junoespecially the fathersare powerless to the women
Traditionally men assert dominance in the household, but the women of Juno have
displaced and usurped their power. Juno and Vanessa are taking a more active role in
society as women in their rejection of men. (Beaudoin, Isabel)
Madeline Nilson
FLM 1070 Final
5/4/14

Not only does Juno demonstrate the empowerment of women through female
characters, but through the male characters as well. Paulie Bleeker is the man who got Juno
pregnant at the beginning of the film. What is interesting to note, is that it was Juno who
initiated the sexual encounter in the film, going against the stereotype that traditionally,
women behave submissively toward men. He did not take advantage of the girl or get blamed
for getting her pregnant. Juno initiated the sexual contact, and Juno is the one who got
pregnant. Another example of Paulie demonstrating reversed masculinity, is that he has no say
in whether or not Juno as an abortion. She makes it clear that the decision is up to her, clearly more
assertive than Paulie. He offers his help to Juno throughout the film, but is rejected many times, never
going to a doctors appointment or anything per Junos request.
Bleeker being a more submissive type of male, and Juno is more assertive. This is a
classic reversal of who wears the pants and in this situation it is most assuredly Juno. These
reversals show the shift that is happening in the post-modern world, where gender roles are
being blurred. The movie tries to point out that no longer do men need to be five-star football
players, or women need to be cute and fragile. It instead insists that relationships and people
come in all flavors and sizes and that people need to find the connections that work best for
them. (Secuskie , Tophel)
Mark Loring is also the submissive partner in his relationship. When you first meet Mark
and Vanessa, they seem very similar. As you continue to learn about Mark, you learn that his
life with Vanessa is more of a faade than anything else. He is more immature and does not
take parenting as seriously as Vanessa, being more interested in music and gory horror films.
Madeline Nilson
FLM 1070 Final
5/4/14

Vanessa makes it obvious to us as time goes on that she is the mature partner in the
relationship, and that she does not approve of his interests or lifestyle. I feel like Vanessa just
wants him to grow up throughout the film, and when he doesnt, that is what makes it easier
for her to choose motherhood over her marriage. She is the more assertive partner, and she
did what she had to do to get what she wanted. Juno saw that Vanessa was strong and knew
that she could do it, and that is why she stuck with her decision and gave her the baby.
Lastly, I would like to discuss the issue of teen pregnancy and sexuality. Usually, teen
pregnancies are looked upon as unforgivable; a horrible act that leaves a girl with a tarnished
reputation and parents being blamed for bad parenting. Even the unborn child of a teen
pregnancy is also judged because of the manner or circumstance in which it was conceived.
Juno depicts the event of a teen pregnancy in more of a lightheartedness and humorous manor.
This movie depicts the strength of women and single mothers. It also shows the support that
Juno received from friends and family during her pregnancy. Throughout the entire movie,
Juno is not once called any kind of derogatory name like slut or whore because she engaged
in casual sex with someone, and even though her fellow high school students make fun of her,
they are not disrespectful of her of her child. I feel that is because today, teen pregnancies are
not as rare or looked down upon as harshly, and neither is teenage sexuality. Heck, there are
multiple TV shows centering on this events, including Teen Mom and Sixteen and Pregnant.
Juno is a very entertaining film, and an excellent example of womens empowerment,
the reversal of gender roles in todays society, and the growing acceptance of teenage
sexuality.
Madeline Nilson
FLM 1070 Final
5/4/14

Works Cited

Beaudoin, Isabel. "An Exploration of Gender Roles in Juno." Notebooks for Dialogue . N.p., n.d.
Web. 5 May 2014. <http://notebooksfordialogue.org/post/75146777644>.

"Media and Cultural Analysis, Spring 2014." Media and Cultural Analysis Spring 2014. N.p., 30 Apr.
2014. Web. 5 May 2014. <http://www.karanovic.org/courses/mca008/archives/1562>.

Secuskie , Tophel . "Film & Culture." : Juno and Gender Role Reversals. N.p., 16 Apr. 2013. Web. 5
May 2014. <http://comm237a.blogspot.com/2013/04/juno-and-gender-role-reversals.html>.\\