Does society really want to live out
the shows they see on television or is it merely a fictitious idea brought on
by media hype? MTV’s reality show “16 and Pregnant” has not only the viewers of
the show talking about it, but also non-viewers. The theory behind the media
madness is if young viewers watch the show, they will want to be teen parents
too because the show “glamourizes” teen pregnancy. The media’s extremist views
are persuading others to see things that way as well. I was never informed that
fighting with a boyfriend and having no money is considered the good life now
according to the media’s idea. Last time I checked I was not running around
trying to get pregnant after watching a “16 and Pregnant” episode nor did I see
any of my friends doing it either. Since the beginning of the first season,
individual reports of how the shows “corrupt teen girls” has quickly spread to
concerned parents. “I want to get pregnant, be on ‘16 and Pregnant,’ and make
millions from MTV just like Kailyn and Janelle are.” This is the kind of
statement parents fear their children will make, but then there is no evidence
to prove this is what is happening. The only reason parents are having this
idea in their heads is because it is being feed to them by the media. Being on
a popular television network like MTV might have people thinking they are
millionaires (Pauly D reportedly brings in thousands of dollars per episode of
“Jersey Shore”—or was it each time he says "OH
YEAH!"), but that is far from the honest truth.
While it is true that in the girls’ final thoughts at the end of the show tell
how their babies have given them a new joy in life, the media has used this as
an example to tell parents it is encouraging their children to do what they see
on television. But apparently the media has missed the second part of the
statement when the teen moms say, “It has been very hard, and I wish I would
have waited until after high school and college!” In one episode of “16 and
Pregnant” people have received well beyond their recommended daily intake of
vitamin stress and folic tears. The cast members constantly have to fight with
their boyfriends for either not having a job, partying too much, or not helping
out with the baby. In addition, they show the girls barely getting sleep and
not being able to go to the parties they want to because they have to take care
of a baby. So why has this show become so popular with teenagers? Like any
reality television show, people like watching people’s sucky lives because it
makes them feel better about their own. It is a way to be involved in drama
without actually having to fight or cry. Teenagers would say that if anything
the show makes them want to put off having children until they are financially
and emotionally stable. Unlike the adults buying into the media hype, they do
not agree with what it suggests.
In the United States, teen pregnancies have been decreasing for several years
now, and after watching the show a few times it is hard not to memorize the
sponsored website itsyoursexlife.org. The website, started by MTV, encourages
the use of contraceptive methods as well as explains the various types, and
advice to teens on how to take control of their life so they do not ruin it by
having a baby too early. Both MTV’s show “16 and Pregnant” and
itsyoursexlife.org are supposed to go hand-in-hand to advocate the importance
of using birth control and most importantly staying baby-free until after being
stable. Such positive approaches on as a way to deter teen pregnancy has been
met with negative media attention (like Amber’s domestic violence arrest and
Janelle’s drug use) and are brainwashing the public. Because one critic thought
the show promotes sex by bringing the subject up with young viewers, others
have mindlessly hopped on the wagon. The media’s views have distorted the real
motives behind the show. They have gathered a herd of freaked out parents that
worry if their child watches the show they will want to go get knocked up.
Although it is nothing but a flawed theory, the media has hyped it up as
factual.
Abbott, Francie. “MTV’s 16 and Pregnant – The Controversy.” Suite 101. 3 Mar. 2010. Web. 20 Mar. 2012.
Focusing
on creative writing and with a bachelors in English, the author discusses the
common idea of how MTV is glamorizing teen pregnancy and how it relates to the
public's views. In the article, she makes it a point to illustrate all the bad
things that happen to cast members during the show. She uses this as a way to
disprove the ideas many believe that the show is bad for teens. The article
provides a list of many controversial questions asked about the show in the
news and uses the cast’s lives as a way to discredit them. Her ideas help shine
a light on the other side of the media’s view of teen corruption by “16 and
Pregnant” and gives a better outlook on what teens actually watching the show
feel about it.
