An interesting article from the Huffington Post addresses the topic of teen pregnancy and media in a very realistic way. The author, Dr. Peggy Drexler, discusses a friend she had growing up who disappeared when she became pregnant and reappeared after the birth of her child. During Dr. Drexler's generation, this was how teen pregnancy was handled. It was swept under the rug and kept as a secret that very few outside of the young woman's immediate family would know about.
Recently, teen sexuality, including pregnancy, have surfaced in media in a whole new way. Movies like Juno and shows like MTV's 16 & Pregnant have presented pregnant teens in very different ways. Juno had a happy ending with the baby mom and dad happily in love, and the baby was adopted by a "nice" family. Meanwhile, 16 & Pregnant has been much more realistic in its representations. An NPR clip describes the show as a form of birth control in a sense, and Dr. Drexler from the Huff Post article agrees. Teenagers see the real life consequences of pregnancy because of the show and realize that contraception is important. Simply preaching abstinence in schools and media is not effective, and Dr. Drexler realizes this. Teen sexuality has surfaced and will not be going away any time soon. Still, some researchers say that shows like 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom glamorize sex.
Question that this article raises for me: Does MTV and other media's representations of teen pregnancy encourage or discourage most teens to have sex and use contraception?
-Ami J.
i don't think it's a matter of glorifying or encouraging teen sex so much as it is a realistic portrayal of teen pregnancy and the issues those teens face. somethings bother me about theses media representations though: the lack of discussion of abortion, STIs, and contraception. i think if there was more discussion of these topics, then those watching could glean some information out of the shows.
ReplyDelete--Cat C.
I believe MTV and other media's representations of teen pregnancy encourages teens to use contraception more. I don't think it really will stop them from having sex because they figure if they use contraception they will be okay. I do agree with Cat that through the MTV and other media they don't talk enough about STIs, HIV/AIDS, abortion, contraception and theres probably alot more. If teens knew more about these topics here I think they would re think about having sex. MTV show 16 and pregnant shows other teens what its like being pregnant at the age. It shows the struggle these teens have to face with for instance school, peers, family, and even the father of baby. I think its good that MTV has this show to show other teens what its like at getting pregnant at that age. Its not easy at all.
ReplyDelete-Jamie B.
TV shows like 16 and pregnant have both encouraged the use of contraception to prevent pregnancy, but they do not talk about using contraception such as condoms to prevent STIs or HIV/AIDS. If this was a topic on the show ever I think that it would give teens watching the show more of almost a scare into what could potentially happen to them. The topic of abortion is another topic not discussed on the show and makes it seem like it is never an option for teen moms. I agree that this show has become somewhat of a birth control for teens because it allows us access into lives of teen moms and exactly everything they must go through.
ReplyDelete-Sam F.