The Phenomenon of Teen MomEssay Preview: The Phenomenon of Teen MomReport this essayTeen Mom II is the second incarnation of MTVs number one rated reality mini-series 16 and Pregnant. The show documents the lives of four teenage mothers as they struggle to cope with the everyday challenges, financial and emotional, a woman faces while raising her first infant child. All while trying to navigate through the journey of adolescence.
Once catering primarily to the music oriented teenage consumer of the 1980s and 1990s, MTV has since reinvented itself as a reality television repository for tweens, teens and young adults. Many of the reality shows on MTV, including Teen Mom II, consistently dominate cable ratings and have recently been breaking weeknight ratings records. Although advertisers eagerly race to gain the attention of the much sought after 18-35 demographic, many accuse the programing of perpetuating negative stereotypes without offering an educational or constructive context for its young viewers. These critics argue because of this, shows like Teen Mom II could have unintended negative sociological effects.
The debate on the effects the media has on adolescents has been occurring for many years. The Teen Mom franchise is just the latest series to enter into this discussion. In the first episode of the season titled “Nothing Stays The Same,” a then 17-year-old Jenelle Evans is shown shoving her mother during a fit of rage when an argument over a custody of her son Jace boiled over. Not long after the episode aired, tabloid magazines featured Evans on the cover with the headlines referring to her as a “Star.” Is this an example of the media rewarding bad behavior?
Unfortunately outlandish behavior is nothing new for the series, as multiple episodes featured frequent incidents of domestic violence, verbal abuse, and family infighting. In an episode titled “Slippery Slope,” a young mother named Chelsea Houska is called derogatory names by her not-so loving boyfriend and father of her child. While on camera,he then continues to berate and degrade her by saying if she was more friendly, he “might not have” cheated on her and besides, “everybody cheats.” Sadly these type of verbal exchanges between the T.V. teen moms and dads is commonplace to the point its become expected. In episode seven of the series, “Switching Gears,” teen mom Kailyn Lowry, is desperate to attain some sort of independence from her childs father family and decides to move out on her own. When she makes her announcement, Jo the father of her baby, responds with cruel text messages detailing how he regrets having the baby.
The behaviors of young teen parents routinely portrayed in Teen Mom II, while horrendous, makes for great television. Martin Kaplan, a media professor at the University of Southern California school of Communication, wrote, “The appeal of these shows is that the producers and casting directors have figured out we have reptile brains, and that there is stuff that we cant resist because of the species we are.” If the entertainment factor cant be denied, then should the stereotypes reinforced by Teen Mom II and the potential negative effects it may have on viewers also not be denied then? A study done by Margaret J.Hefner and Jamie Comstak titled Compliance Gaining on Prime Time Family Programing states “Individuals stereotypes, role learning, aggression and world views can be influenced by observing life on television.”
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In an interview last summer, Michael Jackson said, “We don’t think about women. We think about male, gay and lesbian girls. We don’t think about it.” That same same summer, MTV’s Matt Martenson said, “I don’t think women should be around when our children sit around making their own decisions about what they want their kids to do, or what the boys and girls they love. We should be a lot more proactive.We don’t think about our own kids. We love what we do together. We love what is a part of what we do together…”‟#22:
I will say, you don’t want to look like you’re an adult if your parents are gay or lesbian or you are. Just look and see. I’m not saying there aren’t women in this world. Sometimes women want to sit around and watch a bunch of movies about other girls and look at their hair. But let’s be real with our own children. Even if some of your friends are gay or lesbian or bisexual. I think gay people might be a lot less aggressive to their family members than other kids. I do want them to be aware. I’ve met people who don’t go on social media and see gay people as objects who need to be taken care of or who need someone who will be able to make them feel okay. It doesn’t really matter. You can’t just take and ignore people who love you and then turn on these people they want to hurt or who you can’t hurt or who you don’t like because you’re married. It is just not right anymore. You may be gay or lesbian or bisexual. Don’t stop talking on Facebook.”