Most Controversial TV Show: How MTV's 'Teen Mom' went from deterring teenage pregnancies to glamorizing it
In 2009, MTV left everybody shocked when it announced that it would be airing a show called 'Teen Mom'. Many people slammed the show initially fearing that it would be glorifying teenage pregnancies. But the network insisted that the show aimed at achieving the opposite. By showcasing the harsh realities of an unplanned pregnancy at a very young age, MTV hoped that it could do its bit to deter the rising number of teenage pregnancies in the country.
The initial few seasons of 'Teen Mom' did show the young mothers struggling to make ends meet, working hard to strike a balance between raising a child and being a young-adult themselves. Soon, the show became a smashing success and people began tuning in every week to watch the struggles of the young parents and the relationship drama.
With the soaring success of the show, the cast members started getting fat paycheques. Soon the plotline gradually changed. The focus shifted from watching these young parents struggling with parenting to emphasis on how they spent their money and relationship drama. The young parents became celebrities of sorts and began embracing the celebrity lifestyle. They began getting embroiled in a lot of controversies and began glamorizing teenage pregnancies.
Among the famous participants of the show was Jenelle Evans who had a bitter fallout with MTV. Evans left everybody gasping in horror when it was revealed that she used drugs during her pregnancy. The former ‘Teen Mom’ star began experimenting with drugs at a very young age, and also got into trouble with the law several times over it. She has been arrested at least ten times in a span of three years over various drug-related charges. Not to mention the time when the then 28-year-old managed to secure a spot in everybody’s black book when she pulled a gun while driving.
Former 'Teen Mom' Farrah Abraham is also always hogging the headlines for mostly the wrong reasons. She was slammed heavily by fans for taking her 10-year-old daughter Sophia along with her to a butt injection appointment. Farrah was further criticized for getting her daughter to document the whole procedure and then sharing it on her social media.
Longtime fans who had been watching the show since day 1, were upset with how the show's focus has shifted over the years. A fan tweeted, "Shows like Teen Mom make my stomach turn. I understand sometimes teenagers get pregnant, but to glorify it like that only perpetuates the desire for young girls to have babies in my opinion. It's things like that we need to get rid of."
"Not gonna lie, I used to watch all the top reality shows back in the day. But NOW shows like Kate+8, Teen Mom shows, Jersey Shore, Young & Pregnant etc need to end. All these m*********s are rich & we don’t need to glorify adults acting stupid for a show," wrote an annoyed fan.
Another fan shared, "I don’t think shows like teen mom and teen mom 2 help. They glorify it. Like look where they started, and where they are now. But it’s not a true representation of it Bc in real life you’re not getting that much money to just be a mom."
"The Teen Mom shows became too upsetting for me to watch for the same reason. It wasn't just reality tv anymore. It was real life abuse, neglect, and mistreatment of babies and kids," expressed a fan. Many fans pointed out how the show's shift in focus led to the young parents neglecting their kids and focussing more on their relationship drama. A fan wrote, "@TeenMom Pretty sure 10-15 years from now one of Jenelle’s kids are going to grow up and write a book about all the abuse and neglect that went on in that house, and rightfully collect their coin from @MTV for allowing it to continue.. not that it would make up for it. #TeenMom2."