“Very Mary-Kate: Presentation 3” – Satire in Society
“Very Mary-Kate” is a CollegeHumor sketch series. It is a satire in which the problems of celebrities are explored through humor. An actress– pretending to be Mary-Kate Olson– is the vehicle for exposing these problems.
The particular video I chose to share is called “Presentation 3.” This is one of the funniest videos I have seen in a very, very long time. Its portrayal of the ignorance and self-destructive behaviors of Mary-Kate Olson is hilarious! The video depicts a stern professor, along with a classroom of bored students who have clearly been bribed to comment on Mary-Kate’s presentation.
I really liked this video because it takes difficult topics such as drug abuse and eating disorders, and makes fun of them in a fun (yet not too disrespectful) way: a perfect satire. It also incorporates some simple silliness (i.e. Mary-Kate not knowing what a potato looks like, the jokes about her Photoshop skills, etc) without distracting too much on the social commentary the satire is trying to make.
I feel that the purpose of this video, aside from its obvious entertainment value, is to expose the poor attention that is often paid to the personal development of young stars. Put simply, it’s hard to think of sassy little Michelle from “Full House” developing an eating disorder like anorexia nervosa. Thankfully, Mary-Kate has made a significant recovery from that dark time in her life, but it is a blemish that will be forever remembered as part of her public image.
However, with certain other stars, this recovery takes much more than rehab for an eating disorder. Britney Spears, for example, is only finally getting her life together at the age of 30; considering that her professional career started when she was in her teens, 30 is a sad number to see in that sentence, isn’t it? Others who attained stardom at an early age, such as Lindsay Lohan and Michael Jackson, have been less lucky than Ms. Olson.
… And this is why I found this video to be so amazing! It is just as entertaining as it is thought-provoking 🙂 Please leave comments, personal annotations, etcetera.
— Ari Himber —
One response so far
In my first blog post, I commented that viral videos should be both entertaining and provocative. They should use entertainment as a means to convey a more serious issue. I think the video you selected is a great example of this. Although it may be insensitive to portray Ms. Olson as a total idiot, I think the video does accurately describe her struggles with anorexia and drug abuse. I am glad that she has been able to turn her life around and put to good use many of her talents. I think it unfortunate that so many talented young people go through periods of “darkness”. Fortunately as time goes on, most have been able to recover. I wish Ms. Olson the best.