Photo: MTV – 16 and Pregnant
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.
Photo: MTV – 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
