Figure 1: The Influence of the Media on Teen Pregnancy. 2010. video. YouTube.comWeb. 4 Nov 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CibnFEN0Iv4>.
The Situation:
It is clear that
what is shown on television, in movies, on the internet, and broadcasted over
the radio has a significant impact on the people who are exposed to such
media. Today, moral codes and social standards are on the decline. This significantly impacts the more impressionable minds of our
teenagers. One of the biggest topics portrayed in today's media is teen pregnancies.
Two of today’s most popular television shows are closely followed
on MTV. They are:
-
“16 and Pregnant”
-
“Teen Mom”
These shows have a very negative impact on their younger viewers
as they advertise that it is fun and exciting to have a baby in high school.
MTV is not the only contributor, however. Many films have been released that star
pregnant teens as well. The movies Knocked Up and Juno were top sellers and had an obvious effect on society. After Juno
was released, scores of teenage girls began to discuss how much fun it
would be to have a baby. There was even
a group of seventeen year olds that formed a pact to get pregnant together
(Housman).
Diaphana Distribution, . A Scene From 17 Filles. 2012. SlateWeb. 4 Nov 2012. <http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2012/03/a_new_french_movie_about_the_gloucester_pregnancy_pact_.html>.
Tabloids and teen magazines often feature excited, young,
pregnant celebrities looking pretty for an eager audience. The problem with this is that the photos and
tidbits about these celebrities fail to capture the big picture. “All we see is the cute baby and the
celebrity mom” (Housman).
The message: Teen pregnancy is glamorous.
This is not a message that should be broadcasted to the youth of our society.
The Justification:
Some would argue that the purpose of these television shows is:
- To portray how difficult it is to be a teen mom
- To display the negative sides of having a baby while in youthful years
- To make people conscious of the problems that arise
with teen pregnancy
- To feature “cautionary tales” of pregnant teens
(Vlahos)
The Reality:
While the original intent of the mass media may have aligned with
positive goals such as these, they have had an opposite effect. Some
consequences of being pregnant are portrayed, but nearly every story “come[s] to an
end like a nice little package with a bow on top” (Housman). Rather than deterring kids from sex and
warning them of the adversity immoral actions can bring, the media has
completely glamorized the situation. Instead of portraying the main
characters as cautionary tales, they have been made celebrities. The
media and the culture that follows it expose kids to the idea that it is
exciting to be a pregnant teenager.
Works Cited
Diaphana Distribution,.A Scene From 17 Filles.
2012. SlateWeb. 4 Nov 2012.
<http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2012/03/a_new_french_movie_about_the_gloucester_pregnancy_pact_.html>.
Housman, Brian.
"Popular Media Glamorize Teen Pregnancy." Teen Pregnancy and
Parenting. Lisa Frohnapfel-Krueger. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010.
Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Teen Pregnancy Not All Happy
Smiles." Awake to Life. 2008. Gale Opposing Viewpoints
In Context. Web. 5 Nov. 2012.
The Influence of the Media on Teen Pregnancy. 2010. video. YouTube.comWeb. 4 Nov 2012.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CibnFEN0Iv4>.
Vlahos, Kelley Beaucar.
"Born to consume: For MTV, teen pregnancy is big business." The
American Conservative 10.7 (2011): 22+. Gale Opposing
Viewpoints In Context. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
I really like the way yours is formatted! It is very reader-friendly. Your first sentence isn't exactly on topic. From it I think that you will be talking about how much sex there is in the media, not how the media affects teen pregnancy specifically. Everything else looks good though!
ReplyDeleteYour post was very easy to read, I liked the format a lot. I agree with Aubrey, the first sentence isn't exactly on topic, it is sort of misleading. When talking about the MTV shows and listing them, take away the word "and" and the period after "Teen Mom" because it is a list. Very good otherwise.
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ReplyDeleteI thought your post was organized very well, and presented a thoroughly backed argument. The only real problem I had was that the video provided a slightly unnecessary onslaught of information; it set up your topic effectively, but I felt like I almost didn't have to watch it because you never referenced it, and you gave effective evidence without it. Possibly make more direct references to the information within it, but the rest of the post was really good!
ReplyDeleteMadi, thank you so much! Yes, I definitely should have referenced the video. It does seem like it is just thrown in there. I will keep that in mind for the future. Thank you for your positive feed back!
DeleteI thought this was good especially when you addressed the counterarguments in the shows. The video seemed a little long and you never referenced it so while it was good for your topic it seemed to almost be unnecessary to watch. Is there any media sources that address the hardships of being a teen mom? Is it just out shined by the "glamour" of being a teen mom? Overall I thought it was a good argument.
ReplyDeleteJane, thank you for your commentary. There are a few media sources that do address the hardships of being a teen mom, but they are absolutely out shined by the glamorized view of teen pregnancy. I will expand on that in my final paper to minimize confusion.
DeleteI went into this post thinking, "Well, this won't be anything new." I was pleasantly jolted out of that way of thinking. I thought your presentation (regardless of content) was spectacular. The reader is kept interested no matter what it is they are reading. That being said, the information you give is effective, but nothing new. Shocking, but not enlightening. I did very much enjoy your little spin on the subject- "teen pregnancy is glamorous". Whether or not people actually believe that, it is something they feel deep down because of examples they see in celebrities, etc. Good job!
ReplyDeleteClark, I am slightly confused. In your comment you said you were jolted out of thinking that this post wouldn't be anything new, but then you said later that it really is nothing new. Is my approach to the topic effectively different from other angles that are often discussed or is it boring because it is something that is so common? Thank you for your feed back! Let me know what I should do to improve the content of my final paper.
DeleteOh my, I see what you mean! I guess what I was trying to say was that you took a new, refreshing take on the subject, which I enjoyed. But then to support your claim, you used facts that are pretty commonly known already. Does this make any more sense? I'm sorry about the confusion.
DeleteGreat spin on a topic that is usually presented in a new way. One suggestion that I would have for improvement would be to not generalize the "moral decline" of society. Yes, we as members of the Church know that the morals of society are declining, but possibly you could show that through some data or examples that are relevant to your topic of teenage pregnancy. Otherwise, your ideas were presented well, and I liked the different formatting styles that you used (Bullet points, etc.)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your input, Keegan! Your suggestion of exemplifying the moral decline of society through data is a great idea and I will definitely add that into my final paper. There is evidence everywhere, so that should not be difficult to locate. Thanks!
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