Motherhood is wonderful for most women but if you are too young to take on the responsibility then it is deemed as a ‘social problem.’ Babies born to teenage mothers are at risk for major problems in their lives like failing school and poverty. Reality television shows about teenage pregnancy do not reflect those major issues. The movie, Precious, depicts a gritty reality of motherhood for many teenagers who live in poverty, do not have the support of their parents or others, and are not doing well in school. The film also highlights the homosexual community whereas, it was avoided just years prior.
In June 2009, the channel MTV debuted a hit American reality show called 16 and Pregnant. The show followed high school girls typically from four
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Teen Mom only followed four of the girls from the previous show, 16 and Pregnant. Later, Teen Mom created two more spinoffs from the prior show. The show followed the teens after their babies were born to find out what happened to their lives (Do, 2014). The show focused on their family and relationship difficulties (Stewart, 2011). Despite the study of the Nielsen television ratings and birth records that suggests airing of the show has prevented more than 20,000 births, it still has received a lot of criticism due to its portrayal (Do, 2014). Some people have argued that the reality show gives a false perception and glamorized teen pregnancy. And perhaps teens watching may think of the reality stars as their role models. A naïve teenager may think it is acceptable to have unsafe sex because there is not a real consequence as displayed by the girls on the show. Or they may have hopes of landing a spot on a reality show to gain money and fame. In fact, one “Teen Mom” star stated in court that she earns $140,000 per season, not including endorsements and appearances. Sometimes they are even featured on the front of magazines to highlight the risks of teen pregnancy or in a positive view (Stewart, 2011). It may be hard for a teenager not to look past the fame and money of a professionally edited reality show designed to draw viewers
In Precious (2009), directed by Lee Daniels, we meet 17-year-old Claireece “Precious” Jones, experiencing the unfortunate circumstances of her impoverished living with a physically and verbally abuse mother, her inability has to read or write, all while having to go through a pregnancy committed by her own father for the second time. Through the movie we find physical, psychological, and educational consequences it has left on her, but also see the willpower she gains to overcome the oppression of her living condition towards something better.
Sipple, L. (2011). The appeal of reality television for teen and pre-teen audiences. Journal of
Maci, who did not, is now the mother of a five-year-old son. Nevertheless, she proactively speaks out about teen pregnancy prevention to help other young girls. Yet some of the girls who come from the show do not always leave with the best intentions or become great role models. Like Ferrah, who used the show to skyrocket her to fame. The show also caused conflict due to the fact that a majority of the series is faked or reenacted and edited to appear real.
American actress, Lisa Bonet, once said, “What saddens me is the corruption of youth and beauty, and the loss of soul, which is only replaced by money.” Today’s television shows are decaying into more polluted and inappropriate ideas, which are then presented worldwide. This is a negative influence on not only young people, but also society as a whole. How can it be expected of youth today to be appropriate role models to future generations with such corrupt influences? With the filth, dishonesty, and abuse of freedom of speech, reality television ultimately does more harm on today’s society than good.
“Everything is going to be O.K.,” my mother said, before walking into her bedroom and crying her eyes out. Throughout my teenage years I had it made. I had security, support of my family, and everything I could ask for. When I turned 16, I found out something that would change my life forever, I was pregnant. Being pregnant at a young age is a very difficult thing to go through. It can be hard mentally, financially and also physically.
Red and blue lights are flashing and the noise of the ambulance impels everyone to a point where they have to look outside and observe the situation, as if a mystical force was compelling them. From what they can see, the paramedic is holding a tiny hand telling her to hold on. As the stretcher rolls by, the onlookers notice a huge lump, or ball as a few may say, under the pallid cotton covers. What they also take note of is that the pregnant woman is not a woman at all, but in fact a teenager. As some are astounded that a child is being born from a child, others possibly will look at it as a “blessing in disguise.” The issue of teenage pregnancy is affecting our society in innumerable ways and has become one of our top social issues of all time. “The latest estimates show that approximately 1 million teens become pregnant every year” (East, Felice, and Associates 1). With this high number of teenage pregnancy, it is no wonder that many authors try to exemplify this common subject matter. Katrina L. Burchett, author of Choices, accurately and effectively depicts teenage pregnancy among female adolescents living with domestic issues.
Kids are very impressionable human beings, they see one thing and they begin to imitate this thing. Reality TV enables kids to think for themselves. Going back to the show Maury, it is mostly African American teenagers seen yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs making a spectacle of themselves. Teenagers watch reality television more than anything else. One statistic states, “On average, a teen will watch 28 hours of television per week, adding up to almost 15,000 hours a year” (reportherald.com). Shows such as Love & Hip Hop, exposes teens to
Often young women have these problems even though they have good values. The problem is they are not well informed.Parents don’t talk about this because “the girl is too young to learn about this themes”. This is a really sad mentality because unfortunately young girls are more in danger of a sexual abuse or have unprotected sex because they don’t realize the consequences of this action. So now we have to think. For example, If a poor person can’t support his or her family of 4 people. what would do the family if one of the girls has a baby?. The operation that the mother needs for giving birth and the medical assistance is too expensive. According to the author ,“many people received public assistance at some point, Those who worked usually in low-wage jobs made less than $10,000 in the years prior to the birth of the first child’’ . By focusing on what the author said we can assume that with some income you can support a little the birth of a child because the government is also helping you with medical assistance .But poor families that don’t work , and don’t qualify for this
16 & Pregnant is a TV show aired on MTV that as the name suggests, focuses on the lives of various teens who are pregnant whilst still in high school; each tells a different story. In these episodes, viewers are able to observe the struggles these teens face as a result of pregnancy during pubescent development. Controversy has been made as a result of the release of this show; this left viewers torn between whether 16 & Pregnant discourages teen pregnancy or shrouds it within curiosity. There is more than sufficient evidence to say that 16 & Pregnant, does in fact discourage teen pregnancy for various reasons. According to the New York Times report, the National Bureau of Economic Research compared Nielsen television ratings to birth records, and concluded that in areas where teens viewed MTV more after the debut of 16 & Pregnant, there was a rapid decline of teen pregnancy rates when compared to other areas that viewed it less frequently although some believe the show glamorizes the subject matter. Some also believe that it encourages the teens to disrespect their parents in every way possible; quite to the contrary, watching 16 & Pregnant is very beneficial to discouraging teen pregnancy and family problems by displaying the hardships these teens face, teaching the importance of completing high school and encouraging viewers to use various contraceptives methods or practice abstinence.
This “Land of Opportunity” seems to be turning into a land of disrupting opportunity. Of all pregnancies in the U.S., about half are unintentional. Of these unintended pregnancies, 4 of 10 are aborted (“Abortions in America”). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that there were over 300,000 babies born to teenage girls in 2011 alone (“About Teen Pregnancy”). This data shows how Americans value, (or don’t value), the lives of their unborn children, and those of the teenages that have made a decision that will stick with them for the rest of their
middle of paper ... ... This makes teenagers and other young adults do unruly things to try and gain their own spot in the limelight. Even though reality television is supposed to be this great source of entertainment and may make us happy at the moment, if not watched carefully and really thought about it could ruin someone’s life with its negative values. Works Cited Ann, Oldenburg.
Women’s Health Weekly. “MTV Reaches Out to Teens to Prevent Teen Lisa Krueger.” Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Polk Community College - CCLA. 28 Mar. 2011
Many reality TV shows are driving young kids to be driven by money and fame. Our reality television makes us seem ignorant to other countries. Young viewers of these reality TV shows do not realize that most of the shows are often scripted and are not “real”. Although the programming of reality TV can be highly entertaining, it is important to be aware of the messages, and values that these shows often portray. Since reality TV has such a strong foothold in American pop culture, it is likely not going anywhere or changing its content any time soon.
Attention Getter: Nowadays, no one is astonished by the presence of pregnant or parenting teenagers. In fact we have a fascination with pregnant adolescents which is evident in the creation of “16 and Pregnant,” a MTV series that follows the real-life stories of American youth who have engaged in sexual activity and who have realized that reproduction system works because they are or will be parents to a cute baby boy or girl. We watch this series in anticipation of the child’s birth and to witness how the teen parents cope.
In 2012, 305,420 babies were born to females ages 15-19, resulting in 29.4 births for every 1,000 adolescent females (Hamilton). While teenage pregnancies were once considered normal and expected for young women to ensure lifelong stability, it is now considered a taboo subject. MTV's reality television show, 16 and Pregnant, which began in 2009, has popularized pregnancy among adolescent females. Glamorization of the subject has shown to be the top reason for the increased risk of becoming pregnant during adolescent years. Although statistical trends have declined over time within teen pregnancy, roughly 40% of females in the U.S. will become pregnant before their 20th birthdays, with 50% giving birth each year and around 45% receiving abortions (OAH).