The New Intimacy

Does Teen Mom send a bad message?

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Contributor: KRD KRD
It depends. If you're looking at it from a money aspect, then yes. These girls agreed to do this show and are now making more money than most americans. However, it shows how hard they struggle and the obstacles and sacrifices they have to overcome by becoming a young teen mom. So it depends I think.
08/04/2012
Contributor: digit88 digit88
Quote:
Originally posted by destinationtwilight
Does the show Teen Mom show young girls that it's ok to get pregnant?
nope
08/04/2012
Contributor: digit88 digit88
Quote:
Originally posted by destinationtwilight
Does the show Teen Mom show young girls that it's ok to get pregnant?
nope
08/04/2012
Contributor: Envy Envy
Never seen it but heard about it. I think those shows shouldn't be shown if they glorify them in any way. (Not sure if it does, haven't seen it, but just saying.)
08/04/2012
Contributor: KrissyNovacaine KrissyNovacaine
I think that those kinds of shows don't encourage teen pregnancy as much as flawed sex education does.
08/04/2012
Contributor: Lildrummrgurl7 Lildrummrgurl7
I don't think it glorifies teen pregnancy at all. All of the mothers are miserable, dealing with custody battles, legal troubles, and just general drama in their family. Hell, Amber Portwood is a mess who lost custody of her daughter and is serving 5 years in prison. I don't really think that's glorifying her position at all...If anything is shown in a positive light on the show it's adoption.

And yes, the show does emphasize the use of effective contraception. After giving birth, almost all of the women return to their doctors to discuss their options for contraception. With the exception of one woman, no mother on Teen Mom has been pregnant again.
08/04/2012
Contributor: TheirPet TheirPet
I think TV shows tend to glorify it, but lots of reality TV encourages irresponsible behaviors.
08/04/2012
Contributor: snowyslut snowyslut
Quote:
Originally posted by destinationtwilight
Does the show Teen Mom show young girls that it's ok to get pregnant?
I think teenage pregnancy shows have more of an effect to keep people from wanting to get pregnant... you can see how stressful and un-glamorous it is.

TV shows don't make people want to get pregnant... what gets teens pregnant is, in large part, little access to factual information and contraception, lots of hormones and peer pressure, and other social factors.
08/07/2012
Contributor: crazycouple7281 crazycouple7281
I think so, and I hate this show. Teenagers are sometimes too naive and believe everything they see or hear. :|
08/07/2012
Contributor: Vaginas Vaginas
I think teen pregnancy has certainly gone way way up. I honestly don't know if I can name 10 girls from my high school who don't have a baby(s). and I went to a big high school that included three towns. I'm not saying it's wrong. I just think a lot of young people get pregnant for the wrong reasons and don't really know what they're doing. but on the other side of things the girls on teen mom are probably getting extra money to help them support their children that they wouldn't normally have
08/07/2012
Contributor: Lildrummrgurl7 Lildrummrgurl7
Quote:
Originally posted by Vaginas
I think teen pregnancy has certainly gone way way up. I honestly don't know if I can name 10 girls from my high school who don't have a baby(s). and I went to a big high school that included three towns. I'm not saying it's wrong. I ... more
Having studied this in numerous college courses, I can tell you that teen pregnancy has actually been declining for many many years. However, the media attention on teen pregnancy has increased dramatically, bringing the public's attention to the issue of teen pregnancy. Teen pregnancy has been stigmatized and sensationalized, making it appear as if the rates have increased.

I recently read Kristin Luker's book Dubious Conceptions: The Politics of Teenage Pregnancy which explains how the media blows the issue out of proportion. While the book is outdated, you can find recent statistics and her theories are still credible.

ETA: Teen birth rates have been declining since 1957, when they hit their peak.
08/07/2012
Contributor: bettle590 bettle590
I think what angers me more is people's reaction to it- completely demonizing teenagers who end up pregnant for whatever reason. "girls are such sluts nowadays!" I think the culture of slut-shaming and placing the blame entirely on the girl outweighs any "glorifying" this show might do.
08/20/2012
Contributor: LittleArtemis LittleArtemis
Quote:
Originally posted by destinationtwilight
Does the show Teen Mom show young girls that it's ok to get pregnant?
In my opinion, yes. It glamorizes it with out showing the pitfalls of being a teenage mother. As well as giving them 15min or more of fame. It makes being a teen mother look happy and easy (or just a mother in general) when it is not.
08/20/2012