I love Teen Mom. I’m so excited that the original Teen Mom crew is back for a new season. I feel kind of pathetic watching it, seeing as I’m fifteena few years outside of MTV’s target demographic. But I can’t stop!
Despite this, there’s something that nags at me whenever I watch the show. And with each passing season, it nags at me more and more. Teen Mom is a spin-off from MTV’s other successful show about teen motherhood, 16 and Pregnant. It was meant to follow a few of the mothers after the show, to broadcast the consequences of teen pregnancy to viewers in the long-term. Even though MTV wants us to see these four girls and their situations as typical, they’re really anything but. They’re on TV. These girls are famous. And they have a giant safety net that most young single mothers don’t have–sizeable paychecks from MTV.
It’s hard to find specifics and there’s conflicting information online, but one story has the moms making over $60,000 per season. Then there’s the magazine interviews, publishing deals, and speaking tours. Of course, none of this is ever mentioned on the show. Certainly these girls deserve to be paid for airing their private lives on TV–that’s not my point. What bothers me is that there’s no acknowledgement of this on the show.
In the first episode of the season, we see Catelynn and Tyler making plans to get their own apartment. At the time this was filmed, neither of them had finished high school and neither of them had a job. Although a friend chided the two of them about how they’d need to find jobs, we see in the preview for the next episode that the two are already touring apartments. There’s no explanation for this, but it’s clear that they’re using their MTV money to find a place. Farrah is getting a breast augmentation (and, at the plastic surgeon’s office, she hilariously fills out the intake form with “HERE FOR BOOBS”) and tells her mom that she’ll “take out a loan for a few months and then pay off the rest.” Why can she suddenly pay off the balance in a few months? That’s surely when filming ends for the season and that big paycheck comes. Maci decides to take the summer off, yet she can afford to pay rent, utilities, and to support her son. How many single moms do you know who can take a few months off of work and school just to hang out? Amber and Gary also appear not to have jobs (at least as far as we’ve seen), but somehow they’re managing to afford rent and such as well.
I guess it just bothers me that the show is so terribly unrealistic and that there’s a huge divide between the reality these young women live and the “reality” being portrayed by MTV. Would it really be so terrible to acknowledge that, yes, they can afford giant ugly tattoos and apartments and trips to Florida because MTV is paying them? Can’t we admit that, at this point, they’re all celebrities? That they’re on tabloid covers on a weekly basis? Instead of showing situations that are inauthentic, can’t we follow Maci on her speaking tours? What does she do with Bentley when she’s gone? I’d love to know that. And can we talk about Gary’s t-shirt line, It’s Gary Time? I mean, really, can we talk about this? Someone needs to talk about this!
So yeah. MTV’s Teen Mom, I love you and I’ll keep watching you. But can you throw a little more reality into the show? Pretty please?
8 Responses
Oh I am 36 and I watch Teen Mom!!
LOL I am 45 and watch a bunch of shows that are probably for a younger audience 🙂
I love Teen Mom; and 16 and Pregnant! I watch it with my boys (8 and 5) and am always saying, see…having babies when you’re still a baby is not a good idea! LMAO! A bit early? Maybe, but anyway I can avoid being a grandma in 8 years is good by me!!
Some of the parents of these kids on 16 and Pregnant (and even Teen Mom) are ridiculous though. I can’t believe how many kick their children out of their home when they find out they are pregnant. And I am Pro Choice 100%, but the parents that push abortion is ridiculous! I wish MTV would help each one of these girls look into the option of Adoption for their babies. It can’t hurt ya know? I see Cailtyn and Tyler and I am so proud of the decision they made for Carlee. Such a hard one, but such a life changer…for all involved!
THANK YOU!! I also watch the show (except I only watch the first season girls, the rest are just a repeat story to me).. But I do agree the reality part of it is lacking more and more. Why can’t MTV put the money into a seperate account for the girls who can’t touch it until they are done filming the series on them. They obviously won’t be teen mom’s much too longer. Then I think the reality part of the show woudl be just that. Or put the money they are making all in an account in the child’s name, maybe for, let’s say, college? Of course this would have to be all written in contracts and such, but it would keep it a lot more realistic…
My daughter started watching last year and we quickly also chided that they were glorifying teen motherhood. I was sickened by all the Awww…he’s so cute, she’s so cute and the “he’s such a jerk”, she’s such a user. Blah, Blah, Blah. Prompted conversations about names for babies, etc. We turned the show off sometimes because we didnt want the younger kids to be witnessing any of this. Our house, our rules…but she was 18 and she either watched here in her room or at a friends.
We did get into discussions to use the show AS A TOOL to talk about the negatives. And did discuss the using of kids to get a spot on the show. They portray it AS a learning tool and soapbox for birthcontrol. yeah, right.
Well, guess what? Our 18 year old daughter is pregnant and due in October. She is learning the OMG this is SO hard points of pregnancy and how closed her options are now for life experiences. She will be still trying to going to school, working part time also, and will be up at nights with a little one. (along with us). Likewise as the show depicts, she is not in a great relationship with the father at this time. We are heartbroken FOR her. And I for one think this show does glorify having babies when young and vulnerable. She had good moral teaching and waited til after 18 to get physically involved. She was/is a good Christian girl who got sidewinded and pulled in. The show makes me sick and mark my words…there will def be an increase in the names Bentley, Aubrey, etc,. etc. and where did these girls get these ideas? A show gave them the rainbow and roses idea that cute and cuddly kids are what they needed (yeah, kids ARE all that) but not at 15-19 years old for crying out loud! My opinion. This reality show is not about fun and games and challenges. It is about the ruining of our children’s childhoods and they show you just HOW MUCH attention young teens can get if they follow this path.
I’ve watched a number of episodes of Teen Mom and it seems that there is a lot of focus on the negative arguments and family drama. Of course there is a price to pay for having a child so young but it seems that a few of the women on the show have volatile relationships with their parents and/or father of the baby which is not a good environment for a developing baby.
I also watch teen mom but I don’t think their stories are a fair depiction of a typical teen mom.I got pregnant with my first child when I was 16 I also had my own apartment and a job and was constantly struggling it does not seem as though these teen moms really struggle the way most do.Maybe I just don’t see it though or they just don’t focus on airing those particular parts.
I don’t watch any reality TV because I don’t think any of them are “real” for the many reasons you mentioned. I think all of them are staged for effect.
I’m more of a medical or police/legal drama show person. But I have no reason to judge anyone so enjoy your shows. =)