I am analyzing the popular MTV show Teen Mom 2, which follows four teenage
mothers through their experiences as teen mothers. The world was introduced to
these women while on the show 16 and
Pregnant, another MTV show. The mothers on Teen Mom 2 include Jenelle, Chelsea, Leah, and Kailyn. Jenelle has
struggle through abusive relationships with men, drug use, and criminal charges
while attempting to have a relationship with her son that lives with Jenelle’s
mother. Jenelle just recently, had another child with a different man. Chelsea
has one daughter and relies on her own father to support much of her lifestyle.
She does not co-parent well with her daughter’s father which leads to confusion
in her daughter’s life. Leah, mother of twin girls and a newborn, struggles
with dealing with a daughter with special needs and her own anxiety. Although she
and her ex-husband (father of the twins) have co-parented well in the past,
things have changed. Medical expenses of their handicapped daughter have caused
a strain in the relationship. Kailyn is learning how to be a parent to first
son Isaac and newborn Lincoln. Kailyn and her ex-boyfriend (father of Isaac),
live three hours about so they struggle with co-parenting and giving Isaac the
time he needs with each of his parents. On the other hand of all these stories,
the show also points out other life events of the mothers that show happiness.
The show highlights the good parts of the rocky relationships the mothers have
with their boyfriends and husbands. The show highlights the love these teenage
mothers have for their children. While showing the struggle, the show is sure
to expose how the mothers overcome their challenges and how their life is great
amongst all of the chaos.
My main question when analyzing this
show is whether MTV is correctly presenting the life of a teenage mother. Does
the show glorify teen motherhood? This show, no matter how realistic MTV tries
to make it be, will never represent the real experience of a teen mother. Any
other teen mother does not have a camera man following her around. MTV cannot
be representing reality while paying their cast three figure salaries.
According to various tabloid magazines (which are not very reliable) the
mothers make between $60,000 and $100,000 per season. Although their salary
information is not readily available, it is not outrageous to believe that
these mothers do get paid a substantial amount. I do not believe that many
mothers would display their life and their children, to the world, for free.
Teen
Mom 2’s audience consist most of girls in their teens; girls
that are similar ages as the mothers and are experiencing similar things, minus
the motherhood aspect. Should other teens, possibly even pre-teens, be watching
this show and does it influence their life in any way? There are aspects of
this show that clearly show struggle which the audience can sympathize with.
The purposes of those parts are to deter teens from ending up in a situation
where they are pregnant. However, the other parts, simply shows that teen
motherhood is not that bad and that love and happiness can be found within it.
Teens in the audience who are looking for love, happiness, and confidence might
look at this image of teen motherhood and think that they can get it too, if
they have a child. This side of the show is dangerous to society.
This show is popular because many teens
like to watch shows that they can relate to. Although many of the teens who
watch the show are not mothers, they can relate to the age and stage of life
that the mothers are in. This show may also be popular because female teens,
that don’t have children, might think of themselves as superior to the teen
moms and enjoy their stories because it is something that they cannot relate
to. Another question to consider is why people, in general, like reality TV
shows.
As far as connecting Teen Mom 2, to history, select teens experienced
unplanned pregnancies. What is interesting is how teen pregnancy has moved its
way into the eyes of the media. This transition is something I would have to
research.
Monica, I enjoyed reading your analysis! I do not watch Teen Mom or Sixteen and Pregnant, but I understand the phenomenon behind the shows. I agree that many girls around the ages of the mothers on the show watch because they feel like they can relate to having challenges as a teen, and also watch because they do not feel that they can relate to the particular situations that the teen mothers are in. I have also been skeptical about the salaries of the mothers on the show and whether or not this is truly a "reality" show. Most teen mothers probably do not have as much financial stability as those who are on the show. I also wonder if MTV pays the mothers on the show less money than other reality stars on the network because they want to protect the integrity of the show as a reality show.
ReplyDeleteWhat are your thoughts on the impact of the show on the children who are on it? Do you think they will be mortified later in life because of the way their families are portrayed on the show, or do you think that they will accept it? Will they want future friends or employers to know that they grew up in "challenging" home situations? I am not sure if these questions relate to the assignment or if they are relevant to it, but it would be interesting to know your thoughts!
Although I’ve never seen this show before, I did a little background research about the cast on the show and have a couple of questions about them as well as some aspects of their lives. I think MTV does a good job of portraying the life of a teenage mother because it allows viewers to watch all of the daily routines of their lives. They show all of the challenges that come with having a child as a teenager as well as the good things that also can come along with teen pregnancy. Viewers are able to see all of the struggles the cast members go through such as finishing high school, but they are also able to see the happiness some of the mothers have being with their kids. I believe that this is a great show for teens and pre-teens to watch because it allows them to see the realities of having a child. After watching this program, they might choose to take precautions if they engage in sexual acts or hold off until they are ready. I do not believe that a teen watching the show would want to get pregnant at such a young age just because of the some of the downturns some of the cast takes. Most of the show seems to be focused more on the struggles they have ranging from obtaining their GED to severe drug abuse. By showing viewers more of the challenges of parenthood with fewer family moments, I believe that it would deter teens from actually choosing to get pregnant whether it be by accident or not. Most if not all of the mothers on the show did not choose to have a child, which leads me to think that it is not something that teens would want to imitate, especially knowing the struggles some of the cast members have had. After reading this blog, I had a few questions myself; how do the cast members afford their financial struggles without the money from the show? Do a lot of their parents help with childcare? How does Janelle still get to see her child? Do most of the relationships between the father and mother fail?
ReplyDeleteMonica,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your TV show description specially because I recently watched my first episode of 16 and Pregnant. I had mix feeling about the TV shows. Because in one side of the spectrum it shows the daily struggles the teen moms go through each day, ranging from financial issues, to even mental dilemmas. Which may be one reason why teenage girls choose to watch those types of shows; it gives them a sense of self-assurance that their problems are minuscule compared to the situations they are observing. In the other side of the spectrum, they portray these teen moms as “celebrities” giving them minutes of fame in national television, paying them decent money for their mistakes, and encouraging in a subliminal way some girls to aspire that level of fame. I doubt there is any type of integrity in the “reality” of the show as well; I think most of the situations are dramatically exaggerated and given MTV reputation about reality shows, there is no doubt in my mind this is just another one of their set-up shows with a scrip.
My biggest concern is for the psychology of the newborn once he is matured and look back at the TV show. Do you think there is any positive image portrayed in most of the mother’s qualities? How healthy are the couple relationships after the show ends? How does the newborn end up doing in life?