Brace yourself: this article is about to enter into a serious discussion about reality TV.
Some might consider such a statement oxymoronic, but MTV’s Teen Mom is anything but a typical reality show.
Although reality TV gets (and deserves) a bad rap, Teen Mom is a unique beacon of insight amidst a sea of otherwise vapid peers. The show follows four teenage mothers, Maci, Amber, Catelynn and Farrah — teens formerly featured on MTV’s 16 and Pregnant — through the triumphs and trials (mostly trials) of teenage parenthood. To the fullest possible extent, the show capitalizes upon the strongest inherent facet of reality television: first person narrative.
Teen Mom deals with a fairly sensitive cultural theme that some people aren’t ready to see on television. According the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, the United States has the highest number of teen pregnancies in the industrialized world. So, to those who lack the stomach to face the facts, I have only one thing to say: Get over yourself and let’s start doing something frank and effective to counteract the extent of this unfortunate phenomenon.
Part of finding solutions is acknowledging initiatives that potentially affect discussion and self-reflection among teens. Teen Mom is one such initiative but it doesn’t always get the credit it deserves.
According to NPR, “There have been critics who worry that airing a television series of expectant teens is somehow making what should be considered a trauma — or even, for some, a stigma — ‘glamorous.’”
It would be of sizeable concern if a popular show for teenagers seemed to promote high school pregnancy; however, anyone who has watched Teen Mom walks away thanking her lucky stars she isn’t a pregnant teenager, with a renewed intent to keep it that way.
The show’s moms repeatedly discuss the difficulties they face every day, reflect on intermittent longings for their old lifestyles and directly urge their peers to avoid falling into similar circumstances.
Additionally, at nearly every commercial break MTV runs a screen displaying the web address itsyoursexlife.com with an accompanying narration that declares: “Teen pregnancy is 100 percent preventable.”
In no way is it reasonable to posit that MTV or the young mothers it features are actively trying to glamorize or promote teenage parenthood. On the contrary, the show demonstrates how parenthood makes life significantly more chaotic and is, in general, an enormous struggle for teenagers — even when the babies are being cute.
All of the mothers report they were using no form of birth control when pregnancy occurred. Two of the mothers had only ever had one sexual partner, and one of the mothers reported getting pregnant after having sex for the first time.
Liz Gately, vice president of MTV Series Production comments on Teen Mom’s simplicity, saying: “This show doesn't preach; it doesn't teach. It just shows 'this could happen to you,' and that there are often unforeseen consequences to being sexually active at a young age.”
Teen Mom makes a frank, well-supported case for pregnancy prevention and in doing so illustrates the utility of discussing responsible sexual health practices.
As a nation we need to create an atmosphere where sex can be discussed so that those participating in it, especially those who are young and vulnerable, can understand their options, identify what is at stake and envision themselves as active agents responsible for practicing discretion and responsibility in their sex lives.
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