I think shows like Teen Mom have now began to glamorize teen pregnancy because of the money and capitalism that goes on behind the scenes, that TV viewers are unable to see. In the first season of Teen Mom, which was originally called Sixteen and Pregnant, this show seemed more realistic, displaying financial, relationship, and family strains and difficulties because of a teenage pregnancy than Teen Mom that is not being shown on TV for young girls to watch. The mothers on Teen Mom are in a very privileged position, much different than average young mothers, because they are signed a contract with an attractive pay, to be featured on the show. This new generous income allows them to more easily take care of themselves and their children without
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They are almost all exclusively white middle class, as well, which completely fails to acknowledge the experience of a young mother of color. The show no longer features ordinary girls, because they are now celebrities, and therefore do not accurately depict what it is like to raise children as teenagers. Also, it is problematic if viewers do not watch these shows and take them in “with a grain salt” because they are not shown the complete 360 degree of the girls’ lives, and thus, perhaps situations may be misconstrued or manipulated for the sake of fueling drama, and maintain and increase viewers. While teen birth rates have increased within the past few years, some have even wondered if reality shows like Teen Mom and Sixteen and Pregnant, encourage young girls to get pregnant with the hopes of getting on TV, and striking fame and fortune, as they see like the girls on these shows. It is also important to keep in mind that this statistic does not mean that teen pregnancy rates have lowered, as more young girls may still be getting just as pregnant as they were before these shows …show more content…
This showed the drama that girls had with the father of their child, the relationships with their families, and the overall pressures they now experienced during pregnancy and after their babies were born. I also think teen pregnancy is a problem that needs to be addressed, and thus resolved, and it was very clever and strategic to do this in a way that directly grabs the attention of the U.S’s youth, as a fair amount of them have access to cable TV. The show, according to online reports, paid the mothers a generous amount, which allowed them enough money to compensate for any financial struggles that for some, only increased after they had their baby. However, they were not given six figure salaries nor were they repeatedly featured, which would have turned them into mega rich stars, like the newfound stars of Teen Mom. However, it is also problematic for kids to overly rely on an MTV show as their primary source of sex education. Sixteen and Pregnant and Teen Mom are no longer similar shows, because a show that was once intended to address the prevalence of teen pregnancy among young girls is America, has now turned into a show that documents the privileged lives of girls, who also happened to have been teen mothers. Therefore, a show that once presented the raw and unappealing truths of
They are almost all exclusively white middle class, as well, which completely fails to acknowledge the experience of a young mother of color. The show no longer features ordinary girls, because they are now celebrities, and therefore do not accurately depict what it is like to raise children as teenagers. Also, it is problematic if viewers do not watch these shows and take them in “with a grain salt” because they are not shown the complete 360 degree of the girls’ lives, and thus, perhaps situations may be misconstrued or manipulated for the sake of fueling drama, and maintain and increase viewers. While teen birth rates have increased within the past few years, some have even wondered if reality shows like Teen Mom and Sixteen and Pregnant, encourage young girls to get pregnant with the hopes of getting on TV, and striking fame and fortune, as they see like the girls on these shows. It is also important to keep in mind that this statistic does not mean that teen pregnancy rates have lowered, as more young girls may still be getting just as pregnant as they were before these shows …show more content…
This showed the drama that girls had with the father of their child, the relationships with their families, and the overall pressures they now experienced during pregnancy and after their babies were born. I also think teen pregnancy is a problem that needs to be addressed, and thus resolved, and it was very clever and strategic to do this in a way that directly grabs the attention of the U.S’s youth, as a fair amount of them have access to cable TV. The show, according to online reports, paid the mothers a generous amount, which allowed them enough money to compensate for any financial struggles that for some, only increased after they had their baby. However, they were not given six figure salaries nor were they repeatedly featured, which would have turned them into mega rich stars, like the newfound stars of Teen Mom. However, it is also problematic for kids to overly rely on an MTV show as their primary source of sex education. Sixteen and Pregnant and Teen Mom are no longer similar shows, because a show that was once intended to address the prevalence of teen pregnancy among young girls is America, has now turned into a show that documents the privileged lives of girls, who also happened to have been teen mothers. Therefore, a show that once presented the raw and unappealing truths of