Critics Fear That The Wrong Message Is Being Sent Out

A baby is a huge responsibility, and young girls are starting to forget that with a recent rise in the presence of teen pregnancy in pop culture.

The popularity of MTV’s Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant has had people wondering if these shows are glamorizing teenage pregnancy.

16 and Pregnant shows the struggle of pregnant high school girls. It follows them from their fourth month of pregnancy until just a few months after their child is born. It shows them trying to keep up with school, deal with their finances, and get support from their parents. Of course, there would be no drama without the complications that come with having a “baby daddy” and the show includes those as well.

Teen Mom focuses on what happens after the baby is born. It follows four of the girls featured in the first season of 16 and Pregnant as they struggle with parenthood. One of the girls struggles to keep on top of her finances as a single mom, while another deal’s with custody battles, giving up her plans for college, and dating. One of the teen mothers gives her daughter up for adoption, so we are shown her struggle to come to terms with that. The final mother is in a toxic relationship with her on-again off-again fiancée, where the baby normally takes back seat to their heated arguments.

However, despite the sad picture of parenthood that these shows paint, many people fear that the sheer glamour of being on TV, being followed by paparazzi, and making tons of money, makes teen pregnancy worth it. There has been much debate around this, and those who say that this show is communicating a bad message to teens accredit their argument to the popularity of the show. After all, why would kids watch the show if they didn’t think what they were watching was cool, right?

Wrong.

It is clear after watching these shows there is nothing glamorous about MTV’s look at pregnant teens and teen moms, and MTV does this on purpose. In fact, studies have shown that after a 5% increase in U.S teenage birthrate from 2005-2007, 2009-2010 saw a 6% decline in teen pregnancies. Evidently this show is making an impact, and not by encouraging teenagers to have children before they are ready.

Teens are not stupid, and it’s safe to assume that they watch the show for the same reason that adults do. Sadly, maybe morbidly, this show is entertaining. The characters are over-the-top, and the tabloids make it even more worth while.

That said, it’s important for all viewers to remember that the people on the show are not actors, and the babies in their arms are real, not dolls. No matter how comical their southern twang, or how “Jerry Springer” their domestic disputes are, those poor kids are growing up in that reality.

Now, will someone call Child Protective Services already? Yeesh.

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Vanessa Matyas
		About the author:
		After finishing her Masters in Communications and New Media from McMaster University this August, Vanessa Matyas jumped on a plane to California in search of some adventure.  The self proclaimed pop culture junkie was in heaven, enjoying all the sights, sounds and weather of Los Angeles. After returning to Toronto she decided to put her passion for all things entertainment to good use, which led her here to WOMAN.CA.
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