When we think of young mothers
across the nation, we may think of hard work, tolerance, and effort. If some of
us are not in that position, we can only imagine how much work it truly is to
be a mother, especially at a young age.
In 2009, the nation could see what
it was exactly like living like this. The original show was first called “16
and pregnant” then after their pregnancy, the same girls were broadcasted on “Teen
Mom“. Teen mom is a television show about teenage women and their lives as
mothers. The target audience is for young women across the nation. This show’s
intent is to expose these women that if they do not practice safe sex, their
lives can change drastically with friends, parents, and the father’s of their
children. How will these audiences perceive this? Does this really encourage the public to be
safer about their intimacy life? Or does this encourage them to act on it?
Since the show has been airing on
television, the producers are showing the public this type of lifestyle. If it
were not aired, people would continue to live their lives like they are doing.
So, why not take the chance and broadcast this? Perhaps, the producers are
trying an attempt to let women know that this life is much harder than a
regular teenage life. “Producers defended their decision to put a
spotlight on the issue and claimed the show would prevent more young girls from
getting pregnant if they saw what it was really like to be a teenage mother”(Majeski,
2013). In fact, this did drop teen pregnancy rate in 2009 for the first time in
ten years (Majeski, 2013). This shows a positive
meaning in society and hopefully will continue to decrease the number of teen
pregnancies.
Yet, some teen girls will not always
follow the norms of society. Are these young ladies really taking it seriously? Viewers
may assume, “that would never happen to me” or “I can’t see myself doing that”.
But it can. Now what? Many mothers have a hard time deciding what to do with
their child. This show explains how hard life can be if they do keep their
child; juggling with being a mother, a student, a daughter, a significant
other, etc. is a lot for someone that young to manage. What about adoption?
There are some women on the show that choose this option and do think it is
better for their child as well as the couple. However, that can come with
consequences as well. Either way, I believe this show is trying convince the
public that if you make a choice irresponsibly, be prepared for these outcomes.
Some of these teens on the show say that they wish they
could go out and do normal teenage things. A baby is a tremendous blessing.
Yet, the young couples wish they could of waited a little longer. I believe
this show is a huge help for society. It portrays the struggles of being a teen
parent and hopefully encourages viewers to be safer or even wait until they are
truly ready. Personally, when I watched the show, I thought I would never want
to be put in that position because we have our whole lives to be parents. So
why not enjoy it later?
Majeski, A. (2013, March 14). Has 'teen
mom' lost its original message?. Retrieved from
http://www.today.com/entertainment/has-teen-mom-lost-its-original-message-1C8866403
I found your opinion on this subject very interesting. I on the other hand tend to think the opposite. I have only watched the show maybe 2 times, and have felt that the way they idolize teen moms is negative. I went to a high school that had a huge teen pregnancy rate, it was so high that the state actually funded a day-care for students' children. When the show came out it was so popular among my peers that I wished it would have never been aired. Although they do show the strain a child puts on relationships, other aspects of the show speaks louder to me. These teen moms are making a killing off of showing little glimpses of what we "think" is their life, they are still partying, cheering, having time for friends, and continuing their education. However, the real hard truth to teen pregnancy is that your social life is gone, you have to choose to be a parent or a friend, most high-school parents drop out and never even get their GED. I wish the show would not idolize these girls and instead show how difficult that life really is. In my opinion shows such as this do not make a positive difference, but I hope I am wrong.
ReplyDeleteHello Kristen, In highschool I was forced to watch this show and thought it was pretty entertaining. However, if I perceive the show as entertaing then i know a good chance that others are doing the same thing. I think this show is providing false hope to teenagers who watch this. I also belive this show does not hurt nor help our society. furthermore, some people can reflecyt of the show in both a positive or negative fashion. Also, I simply think that it provides behind the curtain entertainment and does not reveal what its really like to be a teen mom,the show just gives a general idea.
ReplyDeleteI see where you are gathering your opinion on this show and respect it but I tend to disagree with this view. I feel like this show has exploited teen motherhood in a way that glorifies it. It glorifies teen motherhood in that hey you can get pregnant and still make it on a reality TV show and become famous from it. Not to mention the young girls that idolize the teen moms in these shows. I think most the viewers of this show are females in their young teens and it doesn't set a good example. It takes an older more mature individual to understand all the hardships and struggles the show portrays in some parts. To younger immature individuals they think it's cool that these girls are on TV and are reality TV celebrities. MTV for years has created shows solely for entertainment purposes and they created the argument in which you stated as a way to keep the show airing.
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