Earlier in American history, being a teen mom was considered taboo and rarely spoken about publicly. Now, many teen-aged women seem to view pregnancy as a claim to fame. TV shows like MTV’s Teen Mom and Teen Mom 2 glorify teen pregnancy and help bring the phenomenon into the mainstream. These shows follow the lives of teen mothers as they struggle to meet the demands of raising children. While the shows reveal many of the unglamorous aspects of motherhood, they nonetheless romanticize teen pregnancy by making celebrities of the young women whom they spotlight.
I admit that I watched my fair share of these shows when they first came out—fascinated by the hurdles that women my age face when confronted with the demands of motherhood. Now, however, I worry that—by viewing these shows—I may have fueled a phenomenon that I find so troubling. By gawking at the spectacle of young women—practically children themselves—raising their own children, I’m afraid I may have unwittingly inspired the next wave of teen mothers. While the producers of these shows may have intended to teach young women that being a teen mom is not an easy task, I worry that the shows may impart the opposite lesson.
In 2010, a survey was conducted to determine the levels of teen pregnancy in America. The results showed that teen pregnancy is on the rise for the first time in over a decade. In recent interviews, several teens teen mothers reported that they considered getting pregnant as a way to get on TV and possibly become famous. Indeed, many of the participants on the show have become celebrities, gracing the covers of magazines such as People, OK!, US Weekly, in-touch and others.
So why do we Americans have this obsession with teen mothers? Is it because we want to live vicariously through these people? Is it because we love to see others struggle? Or do we crave a glimpse into an unknown world? I suspect that each of the more than five million viewers that tune in to show has his or her own, private motivation. But the collective effect is disturbing. It may help explain the fact 70% of girls and 64% of boys in America think that teen pregnancy is okay. I think it is important that we teach our young people that pregnancy is not a short cut to fame, but a life-altering experience that should not be undertaken until one is fully prepared.
TV shows like MTV’s Teen Mom and Teen Mom 2 most definitely glorify teen pregnancy. We see today more than ever teen pregnancy brought into the mainstream without much thought of what the repercussions will be on young and easily influenced viewers. The shows do reveal more of the unglamorous aspects of motherhood at a young age. However, even though the show highlights the difficult parts of motherhood, these shows end up bringing this idea of teen pregnancy out to the mainstream in a very casual way which almost makes teen pregnancy seem like just another thing that is inevitably going to occur and this show is just a way of making us aware and more accepting of it. I too have spent time watching the show, more because of the fascination with a completely unknown life. As the show has progressed, it would be interesting to see how the reactions of viewers have changed and whether there is more acceptance and approval than disapproval of the show and the actions and choices of the people on it?
ReplyDeleteI agree with your concern, romanticizing teen pregnancy and letting girls capitalize on their situation does raise some concern about what type of overall message such shows are sending. Nonetheless, I'm hesitant to say that shows like Teen Mom necessarily cause a rise in teen pregnancy. For a handful of girls, I'm sure they're delusional enough to think that their pregnancy would make them a star via one of these shows. But, those particular girls are probably getting pregnant as teens all on their own, without the motivation of stardom. They probably think after the fact, that landing a role on the show might make their situation into a cash cow. I could be completely wrong here and the girls might actually get pregnant in order to try to become a star, but if that's the case there's something more wrong with them than simply being exposed to MTV. Yes, the show MIGHT have some negative after shocks but is it really worse than not talking about the issue? Teen pregnancy is not going away, we might has well have a venue to talk about the issues accompanied with it. So, maybe MTV's shows do romanticize a bit too much but it's only a matter of time before other networks catch onto the trend and start similar shows--hopefully with more realistic content.
ReplyDeleteI think the problem with shows like teen mom is that it distorts the beauty of the vocation of motherhood. On one hand, if these girls did get pregnant by accident, then I am happy that they chose life and kept their child. So I commend them for letting their children live. However, unfortunately this show also encourages women to be careless and go out and have sex, get pregnant and be on television. This is teaching the young women of our country to be selfish. To be a mother means to love, to die to self and live for your child, to raise someone that will contribute positively to society. I'm not judging the mother's on this show, because regardless of being famous or not, they are still mothers, and struggle with raising a child so young. However, like I said, this show is encouraging young women to be selfish in their reasons for getting pregnant. I am afraid young women will see these shows and only care about being famous, making money and being a celebrity and neglect their role as a mother. The children of these teen moms, regardless if they are on t.v. or not, deserve a life with a mother that is there for them, not for worldly desires. After you have a child your number one role should be a mother, not a reality t.v. star. MTV should really rethink the concepts of their shows. They promote contraception in these shows, this will do nothing, but promote irresponsibility and falsity. MTV is poisoning the minds of young women everywhere. They are using these young girls and making a mockery of their motherhood to get ratings for their failing network that lacks rating and money. I hope and pray shows like this will stop and that the sanctity of motherhood will be preserved. To be a mother is something special, something sacred. Only women can physically have babies. Our bodies were created to carry life. MTV is taking something so truly special and treating it so carelessly. This is not more about the rise of teen pregnancy, but rather the distorting of motherhood.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Courtney, I don't really think that these types of shows are the direct cause of a rise in teen pregnancy. They may cause a spike with some young, impressionable girls but as an overall population, I doubt it. These types of shows pop up every few years. They are trashy and moronic and people love to watch them. Tila Tequila, the Rock of Love, heck even the Bachelor are all similar shows that glorify the party rock and rich lifestyles that everyone thinks about from time to time. These teen mom shows are just another way to make money.
ReplyDeleteI do think that shows like these need to be addressed as a larger public, as well as stupid gossip magazines, but I don't think they are to blame for the rise in teen pregnancy. Sex-ed is being eliminated from schools and teens aren't being taught about the dangers of unprotected sex that lead to pregnancy and diseases. The government is at fault for cutting these vital programs because they want to save money but when all of these teen girls are getting pregnant and asking for government money, it doesn't end up saving them money. It's a flawed system that needs to be fixed starting with the education of the masses.
I agree with the two posters above that I doubt this show actually leads directly to a rise in teen pregnancies. I have heard cases where teen pregnancy was intentional on the part of numerous parties, one of which was a town in Massachusetts a few years ago where a group of friends all decided to get pregnant for numerous reasons that all boiled down to an incredible level of immaturity.
ReplyDeleteI do, however, think that Teen Mom is just one of a series of shows that truly have served only to devolve the culture. I do not hold myself as some sort of high moral authority, and I do not condemn aspects of culture that other people enjoy just because I might not. But I still cannot help but to think of the movie ‘Network’ and the predictions it made over 30 years ago for the destruction of society by means of television. In that film, networks began to televise human breakdowns, crazy psychics and even terrorist acts. Shows like Teen Mom or the Jersey Shore are simply our generations’ version of P.T. Barnum’s circus, glorifying and celebrating those in our society who we deem to be ‘freaks’ or those who struggle to overcome the difficulties of their everyday life. Ultimately, it is all just a distraction, leading teen audiences to focus not on the news or the realities of the world outside their windows, but to obsess over the documentation of characters who contribute nothing to society besides the absurd.
Teen Mom is a devilish television program. It takes advantage of the trainwreck that is teenage pregnancy. Having watched the show multiple times, I can't recall one Mom that seemed to be enjoying her life entirely. Most of the girls don't even seem mentally sane.
ReplyDeleteYour view that Teen pregnancy is on the rise appears to be challanged by the previous posters. Earlier in the shows run I heard about a study that proved shows like Teen Mom were in fact leading to reduced pregnancy levels. However knowing anything about statisics tells me that it really depends on where you surveyed.
I'm sure numbers are down here in california, but I bet they are high in the Midwest, or the South. Kids in these areas are bored. They turn to sex because they think it sounds like fun. Huge mistake. I support Safe sex over abstinence. Perhaps the people who conducted this study should look into the quality of sex education programs to teens around the country.
Having four nephews and nieces younger born after myself taught the responsibility it takes to raise a child. Your statistics in your conclusion are shocking cause I don't need a study to know that 100% of teenagers are not ready to raise kids.
Great post! you found really cool topics all year
I think teen pregnancy shows are being made incorrectly. While I wouldn't say they are a clear and direct cause, I agree that they play a part in the glamorization of teen motherhood. This is only amplified by the Lifetime movies, magazine covers, and Dr. Drew Rehab specials that they are awarded for their nine months of trouble. However, I think they could be made to actually deter teen pregnancy. If all the development deals were removed from 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom, everything wouldn't look so great. The majority of those girls actually have terrible home lives, with parents who either chastise them or outright evict and abuse them and baby daddies who tend to be uninterested in their children. They are always overwhelmed, too busy, confused, and feel left out of normal teenage life. It's the fact that they go on to become celebrities and that MTV pays them exorbitantly that everything looks glamorized. If they could just cut the crap and the insistence that everything gets a happy ending at the reunion show, then the teen pregnancy epidemic could be pared down.
ReplyDeleteThe shows are horrible. Besides exploiting the lives of children with children of their own, there is nothing innovative or positive coming from this show. The show is full of girls I would never want to be my child, let alone friends with my children. Their families are not an example of the American family or American dream everyone yearns for. Yet, we are treating the families like celebrities, giving them covers of magazines and glorifying their lives on TV. If its on air just to laugh at and get viewership numbers its cruel and not helping teen moms in any way. Clearly it is not easy to be a teen mom and now the numbers are on the rise... wow.
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