The MTV reality series “16 and pregnant” produced by Morgan J Freeman and Dia Sokol Savage was first broadcast on June 11, 2009. The show highlights teen pregnancy and the difficulties of being pregnant at a young age. The show is full of relationship drama, money, and family issues. Each episode features a different teenage girl, with the episode typically beginning when she is 4 1⁄2–8 months into her pregnancy. The episodes end when the baby is a few months old. The show is nonjudgmental and is told from young mother’s point of views. It highlights some of the realities of having a baby while in high school and focuses on relationship issues. The fathers of the babies are usually shown as fathers who are not ready to handle fatherhood. The teens come from all different racial and ethnic groups and economic backgrounds.
There are mixed reviews about the show, as it does show good and bad events of teenage pregnancy and it is not judgmental because it is told from the eyes of the expecting teen mother. The series is said to be educational and it is said that every teen boy and girl should watch the series.
Is this show actually reality? The girls are shown as struggling to buy diapers and food, but they are driving brand new Dodge cars towards the last episodes, they have manicures, hair colored, and are wearing top of the line clothing. “People” magazine recently had photos of the girls holding their babies; all the young mothers were wearing stunning dresses. Does this prove that this reality show is not really reality at all? In the real world a teen mother would not be on the cover of extremely popular magazines or even be on a TV show, therefore you wouldn’t have all that money to help take care of your child. In some cases the series does show the mother struggling to care for the child, other mothers have their parents to help them care for their child, and some have no family at all to help.
Being a single mother myself, I know the struggles of having a child. I may have not of been a teenager when I had my son but I could not imagine being in High School, not having a job and trying to raise a child. In ’16 and pregnant’ you do see struggling and hard times but other times in the show it makes it look like having a child in your teenage years is easy.
References
16 and Pregnant (n.d.). Retrieved May 28, 2011, from Wikipedia:
I love this show! I have a 15 year old stepdaughter, who I encourage to watch this to deter her from making these mistakes. I want her to see the trials and hardships these kids are going through on a daily basis trying to raise a baby.
ReplyDeleteBut that aside, this show has been a changing factor in television. Years ago, most networks wouldn't have dreamed of airing these kinds of scnearios. I think it does good, and shows the changing times.