The tv shows 16 and pregnant and Teen Mom glorify teen pregnancies, despite their efforts to show pregnancy in a negative light..
Reason 1
The mothers from teen mom and 16 and pregnant are not realistic examples of teen moms in the present day. The mothers who appear on 16 and pregnant do not accurately represent the teenage mom for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that the moms that appear on the show gain fame and notoriety. They may not be well liked but they are like a b-list celebrity. The girls may get special treatment from public places since they are little hometown celebrities and can get public places a few more customers just by being there. MTV treats the girls like celebrities. They pay them for appearing on the show and they also get them different endorsements with magazine companies. The mothers on the show generally make about 60-65,000 per season. That is more than some college trained professionals make in a year. Most teen mothers don't have the opportunity to make so much money without going to school and work for a long time.
Rebuttal: Some people may argue that the teen mothers are realistic teen mothers because they don't receive the money until after the show is over. They must struggle and depend on their parents and boyfriends and try to find part-time jobs while taking care of their baby.
Refutation: Although the mom's do not get the money until after the season is over they still get the money. The mom's have a healthy amount added to the bank account when the babies start hitting their twos and start growing rapidly. The mothers have ultimately been payed money as a reward for recording their life as a teenage mother. The show makes it seem like the mothers are and will be struggling full time when in actuality they aren't.
