The positive sign on a Clearblue used to bring fear, insecurity and nausea to unexpectedly expecting mothers. However, thanks to MTV’s “”Teen Mom,”” that same sign now generates thoughts of possible fame and fortune to new young moms.
After the 2008 scandal at a Massachusetts high school where 17 girls made a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together, it would be logical to assume that pregnancy scandals are “”so three years ago.”” But apparently, this country cannot get enough of teen pregnancy. Yes, the young mothers on MTV face the problems of any mom struggling to work, breathe and rock the crib, but they also have the thousands of dollars waiting for them in the bank at the end of a season.
Although statistics by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have shown a decline in teen pregnancy rates, pop culture remains fascinated with babies having babies. While flipping through the pages of Us Weekly, In Touch and People, it’s hard to avoid the faces of the extremely classy “”Teen Mom”” stars. Pictures of the moms at the grocery store, the park and WalMart with the headline, “”Stars: they’re just like us!”” stare me down from across a two-page spread. They are moms; I am so glad to know they go to grocery stores and actually do “”mom”” things. Following these fascinating photos is a story about how three friends of Jenelle Evans, mother of Jace from season two, are now pregnant with hopes of getting their own spin-off show. Is this “”The Hills?”” No, this is real life, and, sadly, reality television is trying to get girls pregnant. Bizarre and obnoxious are the only two words that can be used to describe the fact that paparazzi follow these girls around simply because they got pregnant before they graduated high school. Sadly, it really is the only reason that the girls have fame and fortune. They are not outrageously beautiful, talented whatsoever or accomplished in anything other than passing a pregnancy test.
MTV’s hit show is the baby boom of our decade. Despite the fact that it is rewarding sexually active young girls, it is an interesting show.
Everyone loves engaging in a mindless 60 minutes of other people’s lives that suck, and with more than 2.8 million viewers a week, according to the New York Post, season three is in the making. That means more moms and more babies.
The media attention given to these mothers is absurd. It would be fine if the show ended and people moved on to making claims that Snooki and Pauly D are inspiring people to get tans, but unfortunately viewers and fans are stuck on the baby mama drama.
“”Teen Mom”” has unintentionally influenced the way Americans view teen pregnancy. The spotlighted moms have become public figures because of their baby bumps, giving them the 15 minutes of fame that every American citizen secretly envies. At the end of the day, they are mothers with no sleep, crying children and pothead boyfriends, yet somehow our country is obsessed.
— Caroline Nachazel is a sophomore studying journalism and communication. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
