16 & Pregnant, Teen Mom, and Teen Mom 2

Since 2008 when the first season of "16 & Pregnant" aired on MTV, I have been an avid viewer of both "16 & Pregnant" and watching their stories continue on "Teen Mom" and "Teen Mom 2". The very first season of "16 & Pregnant" starred many young girls expecting the unexpected. As the years have passed by their children have grown and more girls are being featured on seasons 2, 3, and 4 of "16 & Pregnant". The girls from seasons 1 and 2 of "16 & Pregnant" got to continue their stories on "Teen Mom" and "Teen Mom 2".


I could be considered a junkie when it comes to all of these shows. I've seen every episode and I know every story. I'm sure many people follow their stories as well. They have Twitter, they have Facebook, they have fan pages, and they have websites. Like all people on TV they have stories written about them, both fact and fiction. Yet what has driven me to actually construct a well organized entry about these shows is something I realized just today. Before I really get into that I'm just going to talk about what I've observed over the years on the shows.

The most well known girls from the very first season of "16 & Pregnant" are Amber Portwood, Maci Bookout, Farrah Abraham, and Catelynn Lowell. These four girls are also featured on "Teen Mom". Watching them and their children grow from "16 & Pregnant" to the latest episodes of "Teen Mom" I have seen extraordinary transformations and not all of them are good. On "16 & Pregnant" all four girls were average teenagers. At ages 16 and 17, life hasn't even begun. By mistake entirely these girls ended up expecting their first child. Not in an insulting way, but all looked average. Farrah was a cheerleader from a well to-do family, Amber was tough and fun with a crazy family, Catelynn was sweet and triumphant, and Maci was a good student who rode motorbikes. They all feared what was to come. They had concerns about money, their relationships, their parenting, their children (of course), their living situation, and their futures. Yet as their stories continued on "Teen Mom" it was more apparent that in a way they had become dependent on the show.

To my knowledge, prior to completing their individual episodes of "16 & Pregnant" the girls were unaware that they would receive payment. Again to my knowledge, they volunteered to be part of a documentary series to show their journeys with teen pregnancy and motherhood, how it affected their futures, and how difficult it really was to grow up so fast. The purpose of the show was to bring awareness to how unglamorous becoming a mother at such a young age really was. I believe it takes courage to put yourself out there. I give them credit because I wouldn't. Now I understand this "documentary" series. Introducing us to 6 girls who are venturing into motherhood. Not a bad idea, sure. Good intentions. By season 2 of "16 & Pregnant" there were 19 girls. Season 3 featured 10 girls. The fact that there have been SEASONS of this "documentary" series is ridiculous. It becomes a reality show and the cast is growing. I stand by what I said, it takes extreme courage to put yourself out there in such a fragile time, but having season after season is silly. The show has lost its urgent message in my eyes. I find myself just wanting to see what happens next instead of taking in the valuable messages the show does provide.

These original four girls from "16 & Pregnant" Season 1 were average teenagers, far from being able to live on their own, pay bills, get an education, and pay for child care. By the time "Teen Mom" Season 1 aired, all girls were attempting, if they hadn't already achieved, to move out of their parents homes with their children. They were shown getting part time jobs after purchasing their own apartments or rental homes. Not to mention that their appearances changed. Most of these girls are frequently shown either going out to eat, buying and caring for pets, and getting their nails or hair done. Being paid to be documented is reasonable. If I were being followed around by a camera having my life shared with the world, I'd expect some kind of compensation. That's totally understandable. But it is simply excessive. Of course they are doing well by their children and giving them the lives they deserve, but in reality most teen mothers are not going to be able to do such things for their children. A majority of teen mothers remain at home with their families because they need them to help and cannot afford to live on their own. Maci, Farrah, Amber, and Catelynn are very lucky girls because they have been taken care of by MTV in the sense that they can be financially stable to support their children. Realistically, their lifestyles cannot be achieved by your average 16 year old teen mother.

As "Teen Mom" unfolded, the show seemed to steer more towards the relationship aspect of the girls lives. Yes, it is true that all of these changes will effect everyone. Relationships with the babies fathers will be tested, as will the relationship between the young mothers and their parents, and their friends. All are valuable aspects of teen motherhood that should be addressed. It isn't easy and having a child so young can really shake things up. And yes, the girls make it quite clear that they try and cure these relationships for the sake of their children. But now that the show is viewed as a REALITY show instead of a DOCUMENTARY series, which was its original purpose, these relationships simply become the focus of the show for its viewers. Everyone wants to see what will happen next. On Facebook for example, the pages for "16 & Pregnant", "Teen Mom", and "Teen Mom 2" frequently ask questions about an past of upcoming episode - questions such as "Do you think Chelsea and Adam will work things out this time?", "Should Maci and Kyle be thinking about marriage?". These questions do effect the children, but the focus is taken away from them. It is important to highlight how these young mothers grow as people and their developing relationships certainly contribute to this growth, yet the commentary and chosen footage direct the audience's attention to that aspect of their lives more than the development of their children. It is hard to say what this show should and shouldn't be. 


The development of "Teen Mom" from "16 & Pregnant" is interesting. Maci, Amber, Farrah, and Catelynn were not the only girls on the show. Two other girls named Whitney and Ebony were also featured. Though there lives were just as up and down as the others, the girls for "Teen Mom" were chosen based on popularity. The second season of "16 & Pregnant", as I mentioned earlier, featured 19 girls. Jenelle, Chelsea, Kailyn, and Leah were the girls featured on "Teen Mom 2". All had dramatic stories. Jenelle is troubled with a boyfriend who leaves after the birth of their son. Chelsea's boyfriend Adam is verbally abusive and neglects his daughter. Kailyn is the one who seems to be on a good path with boyfriend Joe and is very involved with his family. And Leah had twins after a one night stand and one month of dating with boyfriend Corey. These girls were chosen by popularity and it is interesting to see that season 2 was separated into two periods. Episodes 1-10 were featured in the Spring in February, March, and April. The other 9 girls' episodes were shown in October, November, and December of that same year. The highest ratings were during the first part of season 2. Naturally those girls would be selected to continue for the next show, "Teen Mom 2". As each episode airs it seems as though these girls' lives consist over never ending drama, which in some cases is probably very true. Yet it seems that trouble is made for the sake of the show.


I've read many articles, which I unfortunately cannot site because I've lost them in cyberspace, but friends and family of these girls have stated that at times things are staged or lead in a particular direction. A source close to Jenelle or Jenelle herself told someone that they had to stage her son Jace's birthday party after it had already happened because the cameras weren't rolling that day. Again, this is all hear-say, I could be wrong, but it isn't something that would be hard to believe. Reality TV is ususally almost staged or directed in some way to the point that reality TV isn't portraying "reality". We know that the cameras aren't always rolling. These girls have a day to day life and once in a while the cameras follow them; when they do it isn't surprising that a fight happens, or an event is held, or something that is very important in their stories happens. At some points it is almost safe to assume that certain situations are staged. Kailyn just happens to decide to file for child support on a day that the cameras were rolling, Jenelle's mom happens to find out she has been seeing Keiffer and a fight breaks out the day they are filming, Leah happens to be offered a job on the day they are filming. Yes, these things could have happened by coincidence, but the chances are slim that all of these life changing events would happen on the one day they were filming for MTV.


In all honesty I would love to hear from the girls what is it is really like to be filmed and what changes or influence MTV has on their stories and how they are portrayed to the public. I'd like all of my guessing to be answered, either to support my claims or discard them. The point I'm trying to make through this entire article is that these shows have good intention, but have been turned into an industry completely. They're probably all wonderful people, they're all growing up just like I am each day, and they're trying to do the best they can by their children. I was driven to write this because I felt as though it needed to be given some attention. I shouldn't be watching the show to see if Chelsea is going to get back together with Adam, or if Jenelle and her mom will fight again, or if Leah and Corey will be able to talk about their feelings, or if Kailyn and Jordan will end up together next Christmas. I should be watching the show to see how being a young parent will effect their parenting decisions and how life truly is to be a teen mother. I should watch the show to see how challenging it is to become a mother at 16, instead I am seeing young mothers who are somehow extremeley finacially independent and supporting themselves with no jobs or part time jobs. It is all far fetched.

This entry probably isn't finished yet. I plan to go back to it time after time to tweak things, get my facts straight, and make more connections, but for now I hope my message is clear. It was something I felt I needed to do for my own understanding of why I watch the show and care about what happens to these young mothers.