Dear MTV

While watching your regularly scheduled quality programming, I saw the commercial for ‘Made: The Movie’.  The trailer’s first lines talked about the high school stereotype:  you are either a jock, a popular kid or a nobody.  The jock was a muscular basketball player, the popular kid was a peppy blonde cheerleader, and the nobody was the band member with a tuba.

Instantly, I was offended.  Clearly you are not above childish ideas of how social circles break down.  Because you cannot see this for yourself, I am going to point out a few things that you have missed while doing your high quality research.

Number 1.  Just because someone is in band, it doesn’t mean they are a nobody.  The drum major in my junior year of high school was voted by my peers to be the homecoming queen.  According to you, MTV, nobodies can’t be voted into a position of popularity.  During high school, the members of the band were involved in other school activities-spring sports, the musical, student government.  All of the activities listed are not meant for “nobodies”. 

Number 2.  Clearly, because someone is in band, they are anti-social, clumsy, and ugly.  I’m sorry, but you are wrong.  It infuriates me that some people assume that because we choose a certain activity we are branded with a label that is the farthest thing from the truth.  Some of the most beautiful people I know have been involved in a music program.  And they have friends from every walk of life and from every so-called clique.  And clumsy?  Have you seen what we do?  If a color guard is clumsy, everyone will die.  They have to be graceful.  All of my dancer friends that are involved in a music ensemble-are they clumsy? 

Number 3.  All of those singers and songwriters you worship?  I’m pretty sure somewhere along the line they’ve been influenced by a music teacher or an ensemble that taught them what they know.  Why else would there be a Save the Music campaign?  Oh wait, that’s VH1.  Sorry.  I actually gave you credit for something.

Number 4.  The concept of Made: The Movie, is to take a girl (whose name is Tuba.  Seriously?) from being a nobody in the band and make her into a popular cheerleader.  By doing this, you are saying that a person can do whatever they want if they completely change everything about them-their hair, dress, personality, anything.  If you want it bad enough, you have to be made into a new person.  This is the final straw.  Why do we have to remake ourselves to be someone who we are not?  What is so amazingly important that we have to become a completely new person?  Popularity?  I must be missing something here. 

I’ve been told that to be truly happy, one must be happy with the person that they are.  At 18, I am.  I am happy with where I am in life and I am happy with the choices I have made.  I am happy with my friends and I am happy with my family.  I am happy that I have made it this far, and I am happy for the future that I have in front of me.  Why would I change this just so a few more people would like me?  You have much to learn MTV.  Happiness isn’t about hair extensions or forgetting everything and everyone you loved just so you got a chance to do a roundoff back handspring (yeah, I googled it).  Happiness is about doing what you love, whether it’s playing a sport, being a cheerleader, or playing an instrument.  Be happy with who you are, not who society wants you to be.  Love yourself.   

MTV, happiness is about being yourself, and no one else.  No reality show or made for TV movie can change that.  Please learn that. 

And since we’re on the subject of being yourself, want to go back to what you were made to do and play music videos? 

Respectfully,

Casey