Jessica, your entry about MTV and its reality television shows that allow pregnant teenagers to become rising stars is really relevant to what we discussed in class and I really enjoyed reading it. However, having watched 16 and Pregnant myself, I don't think the goal of the show is to promote teen pregnancy, rather, I think its goal is to portray the realities of teen pregnancy. For instance, the topics brought up in the show include the financial aspects involved and whether or not the teen couple has a strong enough relationship to raise a child together. The dynamics of their relationship are highlighted and the show often talks about what happens when one member of the relationship is not mature enough or financially capable of actively participating in raising the baby. There have been episodes that deal with what happens when a teenaged mom decides to give the child up for adoption or to have her parents step in and help raise the child.
In your entry you mention that reality shows like 16 and Pregnant glorify "premarital sexual acts," teach children and adolescents about "sexual behaviours," and have a "profound impact on how people understand life, the world and themselves, especially in regard to their values and their ways of choosing and behaving" -- though I agree with you that reality shows often portray behaviours that are destructive and/or extremely inconsiderate, just as much as seeing these behaviours can influence a younger viewer to engage in them as well, seeing these behaviours also allows younger views to learn how not to behave, and allows them to see the consequences of these actions without having to learn the consequences of such actions firsthand.
Moreover, in your entry you ask "Why are viewers so fascinated with teen pregnancy?" -- this question reminded me about an interview I read about the British television show about young college students, Skins, and how one of the characters in it gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby. In this particular interview, Freya Mavor who plays the character that gets pregnant, says "I think I like that as a road to go down, because you could have gone down the whole 'get an abortion' thing which would have been a big storyline in itself. But it's very rare these days that you hear about young teens who get pregnant and decide to keep the baby - it's quite a powerful and strong thing to decide to do, especially for a character like Mini who's so look-obsessed and queen bee and all this stuff. For her to want to keep the baby, it's quite a bold decision to make." To answer your question, I think viewers are fascinated with teen pregnancy because for a long while it had been a completely taboo topic and if a teen did get pregnant, her family would try to cover it up and often opt for an abortion as the course of action to take. As Freya Mavor noted, keeping the baby as a teenaged mom is quite a bold decision to make--it involves assuming responsibility for the baby and responsibility of the consequences of premarital sex.
Lastly, in your entry you talk about how the “trivialization of the human body, as presented in social outlets such as advertisements and television series is problematic especially in regards to Christian moral teachings.” Though I agree with you that many of these outlets present behaviours that go against Catholic teachings, I do not agree that these behaviours are presented as acceptable or as normal. For example, 16 and Pregnant often portrays how the pregnant teen’s friends feel about the pregnancy. Often times the friends talk about how unexpected it was, how their parents would be deeply disappointed and angry with them, or how they themselves would not be able to handle a pregnancy at their age. Overall, I think these reality shows that deal with the realities and consequences of teen pregnancy do more of a service than a disservice---they allow young viewers to see the consequences of such actions and help young viewers realize the importance of lifestyle choices and the effect particular choices can have upon their life and the lives of those around them.
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