Known for programs that highlight the awkward and unfair parts of teenage lives through television shows like Awkward and Catfish, MTV is also known for its award shows. The 24th annual Movie Awards show premiered on April 12 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, hosted by comedian Amy Schumer. By having Schumer host, MTV helped show how powerful and funny female comedians can be. Many moments of the show focused on girl power. Along with Schumer, American pop singer and actress Zendaya, and British stars Jessie J and Kelly Osbourne hosted the pre-show, again bringing attention to strong female voices in an industry mostly dominated by males.

However, MTV has a history of television shows which degrade women. Popular MTV shows like 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom feature young teen girls struggling with unwanted or unexpected pregnancies in a reality-show setting. Some viewers criticize the show by saying that its existence is misogynistic as it does not shame or guilt the fathers of the babies. Fans often defend the show by saying that this is how it happens in real life and MTV is only showing the truth.

That being said, many people are surprised at how this network is making an effort to promote gender equality. With small steps toward equality in their television shows, MTV is starting to gain more fans. Guy Code, a show started in 2011 was followed by Girl Code two years later. Creating a show equal to Guy Code brought more female fans to the network as celebrities began to give advice to girls as well.

The 24th annual MTV Movie Awards also brought more female celebrities into the mix with awards going to Jennifer Lopez, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Elizabeth Banks and Rose Byrne in categories that also had male nominees. Shailene Woodley won the Trailblazer Award, an award first won by Emma Stone only a few years earlier. Woodley stole the night by giving an ad-libbed acceptance speech when accepting the Trailblazer Award. Charli XCX and Tinashe performed as well, reaffirming the message that MTV is altering its agenda in regards to women.

After a night of laughs and memorable moments, fans looked back on the night at the celebrities who helped promote a message embedded in an awards show. With all these popular stars coming out for a night of awards, fans were happy to see that MTV was able to promote elements of equality as well as have a memorable show.