16 and Pregnant | The Show That Changed America

That might sound slightly melodramatic, but honestly MTV’s hit television show, 16 and Pregnant, did change society in America quite drastically since it debuted in 2009.

I am not saying that they are to blame for the amount of teenage pregnancies there are in the U.S. – though I do believe the celebratizing of those young ladies was not the best thing in the world.

I believe the show was first introduced in a way to show the hardships and struggles that come along with being a teenage mom, but in the end I feel like the public became enamored with the show and the young ladies on it, which escalated to the next series, Teen Mom.

This show then continued the fantasy that was played out during 16 and Pregnant premier. After the show ended their fame didn’t, they are so-called celebrities now. If you head into your local grocery store there is a large chance that there is a ‘teen mom’ on the cover of it with details of some type of drama that is going on in their life.

Linda Levin, a college professor, special education teacher, pediatric/early childhood therapist and parenting consultant, said that she believes that the people affected by the show range because of their family backgrounds and upbringing.

Being a young woman myself, at the ripe age of 20 years, I feel that I fall into the upper age where young ladies are affected by this show. The sensationalism of these teen moms is extremely hard to ignore, and I can see how someone could fall into the fantasy. I remember when I was in high school how much the young girls were talked about on the show.

“Some things are glorified on television and they [young girls] see how happy they are and how they are doing after having a baby,” Levin said. “But there are aspects that are very realistic and show the struggles that teen moms are going through.”

All photos credit to: MTV, 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom