Caitlin KirkhamHour 110 November 2013Senior ProjectTeen Pregnancy Shaped By the MediaTeen pregnancy is not an uncommon occurrence nor is it something that has just started, pregnancy among young women has always been around, and will always be around. Actually teen pregnancy was more common in earlier years because women would traditionally be married at a younger age resulting in younger pregnancy. Time has passed and things have changed; although the numbers of teenage pregnancies have dropped people are becoming more aware of juvenile child-bearing, through the media. Becoming more aware of the subject makes it seem as if these pregnancies are happening more frequently, when in actual ...view middle of the document...
I also acknowledge that some of the viewers believe that is helps show the bad consequences of becoming a teen mother. Some reviews say that "Teen Mom" shows teens just how hard it is to raise a baby as a teenager, by letting you see what goes on in their lives and the struggles they deal with everyday." (D) As I mentioned earlier, yes I believe that the show had good intentions, but it isn't there to inform its audience, it is there to entertain. It is evident when taken into consideration that it is on a network also popular for the hit TV show "Jersey Shore." You can't expect a channel that is famous for such a show to present to the viewers the truth about this unfortunate occurrence with young teenagers. The media is using teen pregnancy as a way to entertain people and is making it look cool or appealing to young viewers.In addition a review I read for "Teen Mom" asked an important question, "Are we really (supposed) to take MTV seriously as an advocate for teen sexual health?" No we can't, "Teen Mom" is there to entertain and receive high ratings and views. The show focuses more on the drama between the mother and the father, or the new mother and her parents, rather that the mother and her baby, let alone all the chores that come with having a child. Not only is the series generated around all the drama, magazines and reporters swarm around these young mothers as if they were celebrities writing articles like "Second Chance at Love" rather than one like "Running on Three Hours of Sleep Because My Baby was Screaming all Night."Alternatively some believe that these types of shows are very educational and present the "realities" of teen pregnancy, showing young viewers what not to do. When in reality these mothers are being paid generous amounts of money for just being on the show. They each make about sixty five thousand dollars a season, usually thirteen episodes in season, so about five thousand dollars an episode. They are paid just to have people follow them around with a video camera, while they raise their kids, and maybe take an online class. A real teen mom would have to get a real job, just to pay for the expenses of the kid, let alone rent and bills. The moms on these shows have greater opportunities than most people would have. Progressing anywhere is difficult when raising a kid with a minimum wage job and most likely trying to go to school at the same time. This show makes parenting look easy when in reality it is a very difficult task let alone when you are an unstable young adult.Although MTV has a very strong toll on the inaccurate realities about teenage pregnancy, making it look as if anyone can do it and it is a fun and desirable thing. Many movies that have come out in the past few years have given unrealistic views on the subject. Juno, is a film that was released in 2007 about a young lady who gets pregnant at age 16 by her best friend. She goes through with the pregnancy with a very humorous approach, which ta...
