This is an "unprecedented look at the controversial issue of teen pregnancy" is a slap to the face of teen parents everywhere. Lets not look at the fact that a majority of the people shown in the trailer are southern white Americans with middle to high living standards with that one black girl. Let us not look at the fact that the girls in the series 16 and pregnant have it too easy, they are not living in a country like brazil where 12 years old is an acceptable age to become a prostitute. Let us also not look at the fact that a majority of these reality shows are scripted, they have turned this issue of teen pregnancy into nothing but a crappy tv show that is easy to swallow. Lets look at how this show portrays women and men, the girls in the show are generally shown as "sluts" or strict traditionalists while the men are the assholes who don't care about that baby. This show has gotten so popular in fact that there are cases of girls getting pregnant just to appear on this tv series.
To someone in a country where teen pregnancies and child pregnancies are a serious issue, this show is a bigger piece of crap than it seems to us. The controversy of teen pregnancies in the United States and Canada is whether or not the guy used a condom. In the less fortunate parts of India, a girl becomes a woman when she first has her period. Girls are married off at 13(on average) to men, they are not given the chance to have an education and they do not decide who they will spend their life with. Why pity these American girls when they clearly made their choice to start having sex with the first Bobby Brown that walked down and sweet talked them. In Europe girls are sold into prostitution and trained at a very young age to please men, and unlike the prostitutes we have here those girls can not choose to leave that profession behind. The only controversy in the issue of 16 and pregnant should be "How the hell did this show get higher ratings than the first season of Breaking Bad?".
Questions
1) How do you feel about the issue of teen pregnancy?
2) How do you feel about mtv expoliting teen pregnancy for profit?
3) Should these girls get any attention whatsoever, given the circumstances of their pregnancy?
4) Would you ever want to be featured in a reality tv series on mtv?
I think these shows are very superficial and the people in them are attention seekers. These shows should not even be on television, it leads people into thinking that life is way easier than it actually is. It make teenage girls think that it is okay to get pregnant at sixteen (not that it isn't if you are mature enough for such responsibility) but as for those that believe they are madly in love and they need to have sex with their partners to show their love and end up getting pregnant, they end up having to face the consequences which, by the way, is nothing like what is shown on television. Again being critical when consuming any type of media is essential if you do not want to fall into a fantasy.
ReplyDeleteI want to start off by answering the first question. Teen pregnancy is just something everyone, or in most cases, teens should be aware of. They should know that pregnancy leads to a lot of responsibilities in terms of raising the baby, studying, going to school, that sort of stuff. I mean how will they balance things out after giving birth to a child? I think the show is targeting to teens so that they can know the certain consequences that can occur.
ReplyDeleteThe reality is that MTV and other media outlets do like to make a profit off of people's pain/embarrassment, like in their previous productions of "The Hills" and "Jersey Shore". I definitely agree with Lauren that despite their intent of showing the consequences of teen pregnancy, they're actually doing the opposite by inadvertently advertising to teens that if they happen to get pregnant, they can always apply to be on the show and get a fat pay cheque out of it. 16 & Pregnant, much like many other "reality" shows, demonstrates an unrealistic world that end ups messing with our ability to coherently deconstruct these types of media texts.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Erica. I don't believe MTV was trying to promote teen pregnancy, they were just trying to get the message out that getting pregnant at a young age is bad because it comes with many responsibilities and you are not able to balance everything with the time you have. Unfortunately many people these days want to become famous without doing any work and they believed getting pregnant and getting filmed in the show could give them their "big break".
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI have to some what disagree with you Ramoos. Don't get me wrong, i do feel that MTV does portray certain information in a wrong way. I feel the show 16 and pregnant maybe a bit crazy show to watch, however believe it or not it's an eye opener show to certain individuals. If you ever watched 16 and pregnant, you see it's not a walk in a park they show but also the trouble they phase. Me being a female, I learn from the show. It's not an easy job being pregnant and raising a baby and the show proves and making me never want to be pregnant till I'm ready. And I guess I do speak on behalf of other females as well when I say that. The information may not be shown in a pleasant way but what's being told is loud and clear.
ReplyDeleteThe amount of vulgar language in the post in this post is more than suitable for a vulgar topic. The way MTV uses young teenage girls as their market is quite shady, not to mention the fact that they're pregnant too. The technique itself is actually quite effective because it brings out the borderline sadism in consumers and the controversy brings up a lot of ideas about the director and the producer of the shows. I don't exactly feel right giving into their shady market technique, but I don't feel enough to side with them.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your first question i would say that teen pregnancy is a issue towards the mother, father and their families. For example, teens are usually still in the phase of learning and exploring the world, however if they have a baby, they would not be able to attend school, work, or even support the child. In my opinion, I believe that MTV is just making a big business by showing teen pregnancy drama. Since if you think about it, many teens watch MTV and they prefer to watch reality shows, and a good example of a reality show is 16 and pregnant. Moreover, teens are actually being used in this show in order for entertainment companies profit purposes.
ReplyDeleteI think teen pregnancy is a bigger issue now than it way 60 years ago, if a woman got pregnant back then, all it meant was she had unprotected sex and society would call her a slut. The fact that teen pregnancy is more controversial now means that society is evolving, women should make something of themselves. It means that people are not as misogynistic as they were. That being said, what mtv is trying to do with 16 and pregnant is instead of making teen pregnancy an issue, they make it a form of entertainment. It is devolving society back to 60 years ago where the woman is considered a slut. I think Mtv should go back to showing shitty celebrity shows instead of talking about real issues.
ReplyDeleteTo answer question number 2, I feel that MTV is exploiting the pregnant teens in a good way. They are making the best of a a bad situation. Most of the moms on the show do not have a job and the fathers are either working at a minimum wage job or not working at all. This is not enough to take care of a child, so just reading some lines for the mom is an easy way for them to provide for the family. No one is really getting hurt.
ReplyDeleteI also have to agree with Erica, Selina, and Dharshiga. It is not like MTV is making fun of being a teen mom but, to show other girls the consequences of becoming one.