In popular fictional television shows, characters that happen to be teen mothers are always depicted as irresponsible and bad mothers. These characters are always blamed for their pregnancy. The negative stereotypes depicted in these shows can lead society to believe that all teen mothers are irresponsible and bad mothers, which is an assumption that can affect how the teen mothers are treated. In order to erase the negative stereotype about teen mothers, television producers should cease to use teen mothers as entertainment devices until they can properly portray them in the media.
The negative stereotype that teen mothers are irresponsible is commonly depicted in popular fictional television shows. One popular show that revolves around this …show more content…
As depicted by a British PhD research project, 20 teen mothers were interviewed at various times after the birth of their child, and all 20 mothers that participated in the study said that felt stigmatized by the general public, with a majority being able to recall specific situations that ranged in severity (Yardley 674). In addition, the women said that they felt stigmatized by the media, because of how the British media unrealistically portrays teen motherhood (Yardley 675). This study shows that the portrayal of teen motherhood in the media, whether British or American, actually affects real teen mothers’ experiences, and that even the teen mothers believe that there is a problem with the way they are represented in the media. Regardless of the stereotype, some teen mothers figure out ways to be successful in their own lives while simultaneously raising a baby. An article by Valerie Williams, a writer for Oxygen, lists 10 celebrities that were teen parents. One of these celebrities, for example, is popular actress Sofia Vergara, who had her son at the age of 19 (Williams). Sofia is just one example of a teen mother who was able to find success while also experiencing motherhood. Despite the amount of success stories of teen mothers, television producers do not depict success because there is not enough drama to be entertaining. As a result, society believes the stereotypes in television shows and does not consider the other possibilities of the situation, causing uncalled for judgement of teen
The negative stereotype that teen mothers are irresponsible is commonly depicted in popular fictional television shows. One popular show that revolves around this …show more content…
As depicted by a British PhD research project, 20 teen mothers were interviewed at various times after the birth of their child, and all 20 mothers that participated in the study said that felt stigmatized by the general public, with a majority being able to recall specific situations that ranged in severity (Yardley 674). In addition, the women said that they felt stigmatized by the media, because of how the British media unrealistically portrays teen motherhood (Yardley 675). This study shows that the portrayal of teen motherhood in the media, whether British or American, actually affects real teen mothers’ experiences, and that even the teen mothers believe that there is a problem with the way they are represented in the media. Regardless of the stereotype, some teen mothers figure out ways to be successful in their own lives while simultaneously raising a baby. An article by Valerie Williams, a writer for Oxygen, lists 10 celebrities that were teen parents. One of these celebrities, for example, is popular actress Sofia Vergara, who had her son at the age of 19 (Williams). Sofia is just one example of a teen mother who was able to find success while also experiencing motherhood. Despite the amount of success stories of teen mothers, television producers do not depict success because there is not enough drama to be entertaining. As a result, society believes the stereotypes in television shows and does not consider the other possibilities of the situation, causing uncalled for judgement of teen