As Told by Ginger
Most can agree that discussing relationships with one’s parents isn’t one the most
comfortable experiences in life, yet few can deny how utterly important this is to the development
of a child. It can shape a child’s future body image, self-respect, and even the success of their
future relationships. Unfortunately, something so important is often left undiscussed by parents,
leaving children to learn from their peers and the media, which can often result in misguidance.
The Children’s series, As Told by Ginger, follows the life of an adolescent girl, Ginger, and her
peers as they go through the awkward stages of life. Ginger is put into a lot of mature situations,
which typically turn out negative until she receives advice from her mother. Through the strong
relationship that Ginger has with her mother, the show shows the importance of parental guidance
on the development of a child.
Media is criticized often on the show for its notorious tendency to misguide its viewers
about relationships. In the episode, “Dare I, Darren,” Ginger is told by others that she and her
best friend make a cute couple, and that because an infomercial host, Dr. Fondfeelings, said,
“friends first is a fool-proof formula for relationship success,” she and Darren were meant to be.
Later, Ginger and her friends interpret a dream that she had about Darren, with the use of dream
books, and conclude that she must be in love with Darren (“Dare I, Darren,” 2000), rather than
acknowledging that the dream could simply have been influenced by suggestion. Although at the
end of the series, Ginger and Darren have a family together (“The Wedding Frame,” 2009),
media had pushed Ginger into believing that there was something in between them before they
were ready for those types of feelings at the time. They were both too young for a serious
relationship, which was true even in high school when they were dating. They began to explore
different interests, resulting in a painful breakup between the two. In a later episode, when
Ginger develops feelings for Darren again, she is taught by a television talk show to handle her
jealousy over his sudden popularity with other girls by giving him the cold shoulder (“Never Can
Say Goodbye,” 2002), which is certainly not the proper way to handle jealousy, as it hurt Darren.
Lastly, media is present in the episode, “Ms. Foutley’s boys,” where Ginger is convinced by Dr.
Fondfeelings that being single will ultimately lead to loneliness and misery (“Ms. Foutley’s
Boys,” 2002). The media constantly misguides Ginger when it comes to relationships, showing
that it is not always a proper medium through which children should learn about such subjects.
Of course, media’s impact on a child’s view of relationships depends on the source. Some forms
of media can be useful, but when parents fail to properly address the subject of relationships,
children, particularly girls, are extremely vulnerable to the negative influence of certain sources
of media.
It is also shown how children can be negatively influenced by their peers when making
decisions about relationships. In “Dare I, Darren,” It was Miranda and Mipsy that convinced her
that her and Darren should date, based on what they had seen on television , showing that
children’s peers are often as misguided as they are. They wouldn’t be able to provide useful
advice in most cases. Miranda also had her own intentions to make Ginger like Darren so that
she would forget about a guy she was also after (“Dare I, Darren,” 2000), showing that dishonest
advice can result as a form of manipulation. In the episode, “A fast reputation,” Ginger is
constantly made fun of for being a “nice” girl who plays it safe. This pressure leads her to crash a
party, where she bumps into a high school boy when looking for her keys that she had lost.
Eventually rumors spread that she made out with the guy, and Ginger is called “fast” or, in other
words, a slut. She is then shamed by the entire school (“Fast Reputation,” 2002). This response
from her peers could have ruined Ginger’s desires to have a relationship in the future out of fear
of being thought of as “fast,” but luckily her mother had convinced her that she didn’t need to
worry about what others think and the rumors eventually dissipated. Nonetheless, it shows the
importance of Lois’s support and involvement in Ginger’s life, because her peers don’t always
have the best advice or the best intentions.
The show briefly criticizes the education system’s failure to properly educate its students
about relationships. In an episode, Ginger and her classmates have to watch a video about the
pituitary gland. The video is nothing but an animation of a tap-dancing gland, stating that it
secretes the hormones that lead to sexual appeal (“Dare I, Darren,” 2000). It teaches them
nothing about anything else, like healthy relationships, resisting pressure to do things they don’t
want to do, or positive body image, which are all very relevant issues to the age group the show
is directed towards. By showing the minimal effort the school put into educating its students, the
show is stating that parents can’t fully entrust the proper education of their children to the school
system. While it contributes to their lessons, and not all schools are quite this incompetent, it is
still a parent’s responsibility to be involved in discussing such things with their children to
ensure they get the information they need.
Whenever Lois gives her daughter advice from her own experiences, Gingers worries
always seem to vanish. When Ginger comes to believe that women need to be in a relationship to
be happy, Lois tells her that “being in a relationship just for the sake of being in a relationship is
just plain crazy” and that “you have to let your heart lead the way,” (“Ms. Foutley’s Boys,”
2002). She eliminates the misconception that a woman can’t be happy and strong without a man
in her life, which is a misunderstanding that could have led to Ginger placing too much
importance into finding a boyfriend, rather than just making herself happy. Her mother also is
the reason Ginger was able to finish healing from her break up with Darren. When Darren broke
up with Ginger, she began to fear commitment, because she couldn’t let go of him. It wasn’t
until her mother told her that she “can’t base [her] feelings on that one experience” and that
we’re not meant to “live perfect lives, where we never get hurt” that she was able to move on
(“The Wedding Frame,” 2009). Once she was able to accept what had happened, her friendship
with Darren had been pieced back together, thanks to her mother. Lois constantly supports
Ginger and leads her in the right direction whenever the influence of others points her the wrong
way, showing that the best medium of relationship advice comes from parents, and that a strong
parent-child relationship is very important.
As Told by Ginger serves to remind parents of the importance of their involvement with
their children. The audience watches Ginger change from an awkward pre-adolescent to a strong
and wonderful young lady, along with all of the confusion, heartbreak, and insecurity she faced
along the way. She was able to conquer her obstacles throughout her story with the help of her
mother. Through this, we should keep in mind the importance of giving children all they need to
know to make informed decisions and feel confident in their relationships, confident that they can
trust the person they are with, and not be afraid of getting hurt.
Works Cited
Criswell, D. (Director), Kapnek, E. (Writer). (2000). Dare I, Darren [Television series episode].
In Klasky-Csupo (production company), As Told by Ginger. Los Angeles, CA:
Nickelodeon Animation Studios.
Noble, R. (Director), Risley, M. (Director), Kapnek, E. (Writer). (2009). The Wedding Frame
[Television series episode]. In Klasky-Csupo (production company), As Told by Ginger.
Los Angeles, CA: Nickelodeon Animation Studios.
Risley, M. (Supervising Director), Kapnek, E. (Writer). (2002). Never Can Say Goodbye
[Television series episode]. In Klasky-Csupo (production company), As Told by Ginger.
Los Angeles, CA: Nickelodeon Animation Studios.
Risley, M. (Supervising Director), Noble, R. (Director), Kapnek, E. (Writer). (2002). Ms.
Foutley’s Boys [Television series episode]. In Klasky-Csupo (production company), As
Told by Ginger. Los Angeles, CA: Nickelodeon Animation Studios.
Risley, M. (Director), Kapnek, E. (Writer). (2009). A Lesson in Tightropes [Television series
episode]. In Klasky-Csupo (production company), As Told by Ginger. Los Angeles, CA:
Nickelodeon Animation Studios.
Scott, J. III. (Director), Kapnek, E. (Writer). (2002). Fast Reputation [Television series episode].
In Klasky-Csupo (production company), As Told by Ginger. Los Angeles, CA:
Nickelodeon Animation Studios.