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2nd Trimester
overtonhayes
member
16 and Pregnant: rant
overtonhayes
member
Ok, so I've never really watched this show. I've seen one episode other than the one I'm watching now, so I don't know how 'normal' this is for the show. But...
Everyone knows that there is a huge stereotype that anyone who gets pregnant before a certain age is either stupid or has ruined their life, or both. Or that they must be a ditzy blonde cheerleader. Obviously both stereotypes are absolutely ridiculous and untrue. I figured 16 and Pregnant would try to show that.
So guess who is the star of this episode?
Yep, a 16-year-old, blonde cheerleader. "Oh," I find myself thinking. "I bet she's going to be insanely smart and mature and level-headed. Because no way would the show actually set out to make people think that those stereotypes are true."
Nope. Here are some of her highlights so far:
- Going to her old cheerleading class while 4 months pregnant, and showing off that she's still just as flexibile as the other girls (I was cringing watching her, just waiting for one of her ligaments to give up)
- Telling everyone that no, she doesn't see any reason why she can't go back to cheerleading immediately after the baby's born. Someone asked her who will watch the baby when she's cheering and her response was "oh... Ok, I guess cheerleading is priority #2 now"
But the best one? Her mother asked her how on earth this happened, because the baby daddy seems so shy. The girl's response? "Well I wasn't taking my birth control because I didn't want to get fat".
Way to go, MTV. Make all of us young MsTB look like absolute idiots who just don't know how to use birth control, or think it's not important. Can someone please tell me: is this show normally this ridiculous? Or is this episode an exception?
Rant over...
This discussion has been closed.
Re: 16 and Pregnant: rant
I think teenage mothers who are insanely smart, mature and level headed would not agree to be on the show, so the ones that are tend to be insanely stupid, immature and impractical.
Also, I think the main point for the show is to discourage teenage pregnancy, so they film it in a way that does not portray the participants in a flattering way.
You know how I said I'd only ever seen one other episode? Well, that episode (no idea which season or whatever) was a 17-year-old girl. She had a drug-free birth by choice; breastfed her baby; got on the ball and applied for income-based housing before the baby came; moved out of her parents' house with her boyfriend/baby daddy (who got a job in the coal mines working really long hours so he could pay the rent and not have to rely on parents); AND enrolled in online college. I wanted to give her a medal, and I figured that was what the show was about: proving to people that not all young mothers are idiots.
Btw, dumb b*tch's boyfriend just got in a wreck and is in the ICU. He is conscious and alert but needs an operation on his neck which, if it goes wrong, could paralyse him. Dumb b*tch is sitting there, ranting at him about how she doesn't want to drop out of high school. Yep: waaah waaah waaah, you could be paralysed by the end of the week BUT I MIGHT HAVE TO DROP OUT OF SCHOOL OHMIGAAAWD.
This. If a teenager with her head on straight got pregnant by accident, I highly doubt she would apply for or agree to be on the show.
Unfortunately they are all pretty much like that. It's MTV's way to get ratings. Have you seen half the shows they put on that channel? Jersey Shore anyone? They take the extreme of every kind of person/personality and put it on the air because people love to watch train wrecks. Have you ever caught Teen Mom or Teen Mom 2? If not, save yourself the anger!
I agree that it gives a poor image of young mothers. I have friends that had kids young and are very successful. My mother was a teenage mother and she raised 3 kids who have all graduated with their Bachelors degrees and who have either graduated or (in my case) are in the process of obtaining a Master's degrees. It has nothing to do with age, it has to do with the people themselves.
True... But the episode I saw with SuperMama (that's what I'm calling her because it should clearly be her name) did not make it look easy by any means. In fact, she talked all the time about how incredibly hard it is being a mother, and especially a teenage mother. She just managed to not look like a total f*ckwit! I think they can do both (show that teen pregnancy is not just a walk in the park, but also show that not all teenage mothers are idiots) and they're just too lazy to bother.
First, it's MTV -- a network run by a bunch of overgrown teenagers. I wouldn't look to them for any intelligent, thoughtful or mature programing.
Second, I doubt any intelligent, self-respecting, mature and level-headed teenager who happens to find themselves pregnant would even be interested in participating in such a show. I think only people dumb enough to go on there are exactly the kinds you are going to see.
Mama's Clone - 07/18/12
I'm willing to wager that casting specifically looks for those that fit the insanely stupid / immature category. I'll also bet that off camera the sh!t boy (production assistant beleaguered with this task) feeds them lines and gossip to cause drama and or physical altercations.
I only know this because I accidentally auditioned for Flavor of Love. lol. One of my friends was friends with a casting assistant and he was having trouble getting people to come in and audition (big surprise). All I was told was her friend needed more people to auditon for a dating show that Flavor Flav was hosting. So, I went. The paperwork I had to fill out before going on camera contained questions like, "How many times have you been arrested for assault / battery?" "If someone was talking bad about you, they deserve to get slapped. Stongly Agree / Disagree" Stuff like that. Good grief!
When I finally got on camera one of the first things they asked was, "So, why do you want to date Flavor Flav?" My response was literally, "Why do I want to WHAT????!!!!" I honestly up to that point had no clue the show was about dating him. Needless to say, my audition was over nearly as soon as it started. Ha!
I've also talked to Heather from Rock of Love on several occasions, and while she's not exactly the most together person I've ever met, I do take her word about certain things being staged and / or encouraged for "good" TV.
lurker here
One day when I was pregnant, I spent the whole day watching a marathon of this show. A couple of the girls were smart and got stuff done right. But most of them were like the gem who said "Who knew skipping my birth control for like, 3 days would make this happen?". ...? I blame whoever taught her about birth control, obviously they aren't the brightest either.
I watch it once in a while- the season shows drive me nuts. they pick these people as its a train wreck- otherwise they wouldnt pick them. Honestly what 16 YO - has their life tgether.
I was 17 Pregnant with my 1st - However I graduated high school. I actually feel sorry for these girls as their reality is so far from what life is really like.
I've never been able to make it through an entire episode of the show, but I can tell you that is scaring teenagers from sex/pregnancy is the goal then the shows WORKS.
Before I moved, I was in a Starbucks reading and a group of four 15-16year old girls sat down near me -- they looked like "popular" girls to me. They were gossiping about friends and boyfriends. One girl nonchalantly asked the other if she was going to have sex with her boyfriend. The girl responded without even thinking "Have you seen 16 and pregnant? No thank you. Besides, my dad would kill me."
Honestly, I felt a pang of hope for humanity when I heard that.
Check out my blog: La Vita e Bella
I like that they show how hard it is to be a mom. I had DD at 26, I was married, had a great job and it was still not a walk in the park. I really hope teens watching this show will be discouraged to get pregnant in their teens because they see the late nights, no money, no fun time, etc.
I'm sure there are a lot of teen moms out there that do a great job like "SuperMama" you mentioned but I doubt MTV wants to show them succeeding. It's much "juicier" to have a show with ditzy morons who get themselves KU and try to party, leave their kids at home with their parents, and have slap fights with baby daddy's new flavor of the week.
I'm glad that in the shows that do depict the good moms they still show them struggling. It wouldn't do anyone any favors by pretending it's easy to raise a baby when the mom is still a child herself.
It's a reality show which means they rarely show reality. Not everybody from the Jersey Shore are actually like Snookie, not everybody that has a baby has the experience of "A Baby Story", etc.
My sister had a baby in high school and worked her butt off to graduate early with top grades, which ended up paying for a year of college, and then putting herself through college. She is still with the baby's father, just bought her first home, and had #2. I hate that all teen moms are represented in this poor light. I know women who have gotten pregnant on accident in their 40's. True they're more emotionally and financially ready to have children but life happen no matter how old you are.
Make a pregnancy ticker
Good for your sister!! There were 7 girls in my graduating class who were either pregnant at graduation or had babies our senior year. 1 of them died in a car accident 5 years ago, 4 are living off the system and have more than 1 child with some other guy and 2 are married now and have "normal" lives. Your sister is the exception, not the rule.
There are always going to be people out there that get pregnant and are crappy parents regardless of age. The fact that MTV airs such a ridiculous show is what gets me.
Nancy James 9.1.12
Calvin Donald 8.27.14
I know two girls who got pregnant while we were in high school (there were others but I didn't know them). One struggled with drugs when she got into her 20's, went to rehab, cleaned up and now owns her own business. The other went on to marry the father, went to school, started her career, and recently had #2. I know my sister isn't the rule, just showing that there are teens out there that make the best out of the situation. I definitely don't think teens should get pregnant, but I also don't think a teen is less intelligent than the girl sitting next to her because she did. I would hate to think that everybody sees teen mothers as 16 and Pregnant or those crazy girls who made a pact to get pregnant while in high school just because those are the ones that are make it onto Lifetime or MTV.