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Yang, 1
Mirrored Reality
In the recent years, the television channel, Music Television or simply known as MTV,
created numerous non-scripted shows that cater to its audiences for entertainment and
occasionally, awareness purposes. In 2009, the network created the reality show titled Teen
Mom, to document the life of first time teenage mothers as they navigate their way through
motherhood while emphasizing on their strained family and romantic relationships. The show
starred Amber Portwood, Catelynn Lowell, Farrah Abraham, and Maci Bookout who were
originally part of the original series, 16 and Pregnant, where the show was conceptualized. Since
the show’s first appearance on television, there have been seven successful seasons produced
with the pilot episode ratings ranking up 2.1 million total viewers. In 2012, the show was
concluded closing off with initially just four seasons in total but was later revived in 2015 for
another three seasons following its name change and reboot to Teen Mom OG. To minimize the
seriousness of the show, it is formatted as a video diary mimicking a baby-collage book
accompanied by handwritten graphical sketches that highlights the important scenes and details
from the episode as comparable to a typical baby book. Along with the graphic designs, the
usage of lighthearted and upbeat music is added to provide subtlety to accompany the heavy
storyline of the show. The characters in the show are usually narrating their story and opinion
through a voice over. Often their voice over will continue through a commercial break imposing
advisories regarding sexual health issues or campaigns. Although Teen Mom is claimed to be a
show that glamorizes teenage pregnancy by some viewers especially parents and critics, the
stories, journeys, and struggles of these girls opens a door to a societal concern that many
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ordinary teenagers are going through in America and audiences are not expose to on a day to day
basis.
In a non-scripted show like Teen Mom, the character’s personal problems drive the drama
which wheels out the whole story of the show. Characters with extreme behaviors are favorable
to producers especially because they know that it will sell to viewers and spike up the ratings. In
this show, Amber Portwood, provided the extreme drama viewers are inclined to, as she is one of
the most dominant characters from the show. She is described as a struggling senior in high
school, who suffers from depression along with the difficulty of her parenthood journey. In an
episode from season two of the show, Amber was recorded lashing out on camera depicting
domestic violence to the father of her child and on-and-off fiancé, Gary Shirley. She repeatedly
punched, slapped, and abused Gary as they fight over his commentary regarding her parenting
style which immediately casted her as a “bad mom.” At this point, many viewers watching the
show is provoked by Amber’s violent act and turned to social media to voice out their opinions
as one Twitter user tweeted, “Amber is so abusive! Poor Gary! He needs to call the police!” The
producers clearly knew that showing the scene will aggravate viewers but nonetheless, it will
generate more ratings for the show and media exposure, as it eventually became the subject of
many news outlets after it was aired. However, viewers only seem to be offended by a sensitive
matter depicted in a show like this when it becomes genuinely real, honest, and sensitive. In an
article from The Atlantic: The Collective Conscience of Reality Television, the viewers stand on
the reality of real people and their real problems are in question as, “reality television fans want
to see what’s ‘really’ happening to other people, as long as it isn’t too real” (Elavia 2004) and as
the truth unveils itself, such act that Amber depicted cannot be prevented as it is within the
proximity of adult romantic relationships. It is just so that this time it was caught on camera and
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broadcasted on television. But, it distinctly provides the audience that such abuse occurs and it is
not predominantly only a woman to man case. Objectively, a Public Service Announcement
(PSA) highlighting domestic violence is shown by MTV right after the clip was broadcasted to
inform viewers of the preventive actions they can take if they are a victim or know anyone who
is a victim of domestic violence. Though MTV aired a PSA announcement about domestic
violence they were not successful in showing Gary’s side of the story since the show’s center of
attention is focused on the girls. An insight to what Gary has to say after the incident occurred
would have been informative and eye opening especially to teenage boys who are not typically
aware of domestic violence among men. Through this incident, it is evident to viewers how one-
sided the show is because it only focuses on the girls and their own narrative of the story rather
than showing every side to diminish the bias.
Teen Mom is clearly emphasized and centered on the mothers since it is their own story
to tell after all. However, the lack of male representation in the show undermines its capability to
effectively introduce the audience with a male’s perspective of how to handle early parenthood
through a male’s point-of-view. The title Teen Mom itself obviously gives the impression that the
show will be centralized on the mothers, but being more flexible with the narrative by having the
male’s narration will also highlight the issues being brought up thus giving the audience a better
understanding and judgment of the situations. With the minimal exposure of the males in the
show, with the slight exception of Tyler Baltierra, who is Catelynn Lowell’s boyfriend who both
gave up their child for adoption to pursue a better life for their child, most of the fathers of the
children are barely even on the show. Their absence on the show would immediately cast them
as the “villain” who rarely contributes with raising their children. In an episode from season
three, Maci Bookout, the selfdriven mom, fights her way through a visitation rights agreement
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contract with her exboyfriend, Ryan Edwards. Maci and Ryan struggle to set aside their own
personal indifferences for the sake of their child’s wellbeing which resulted to a legal battle to
settle out their disagreements. During the filming of the scene, Ryan’s reaction was not quite
acknowledged as he was only shown when he walked out of the room but Maci’s anger and
frustration was highlighted thoroughly. The cameras followed her until she went to her car to cry
out her animosity after the court appointment finished. With incidents similar to this, the
relativeness of the viewer’s reliability towards the show is lessened, as it is more women
centered lacking the ability to show both sides of the story even probably coining it as bias. If the
both perspective were equally highlighted on the show, a balanced narrative of the story would
have been portrayed increasing the equal acknowledgement of the unpleasant journey to early
parenthood.
Non-scripted television audiences are often more inclined to watch shows that features
glamorous, extravagant, and over-the-top lifestyles of the participants, as it becomes a window to
their dreams. For example, a dating-competition based reality show called The Bachelor garners
about 7 million views on average that attract audiences due to its extravagance and indulgence in
luxury from the exotic places they travel to for dates each week. In contrast, Teen Mom, which is
more grounded in reality, only racks up about than 2 million views per episode. The likelihood of
tuning in to a show that lacks the usual elegance and flashy components of what makes a non-
scripted show often feasible seem way too real for some especially when the show starts
mirroring the reality of their own lives. In the earlier years before Teen Mom graced televisions,
the issue of teenage pregnancy and parenthood seemed farfetched as just well-known high
profile personalities like Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin were the only prime examples.
However, the popularity of the show brought up a societal concern with the high rate of teenage
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pregnancy in America putting the government in question of how to educate the younger viewers
about sexual education especially in the public-school system. Teenage pregnancy alone is a
taboo issue that is infrequently discussed due to the shame tailing the subject. However, Teen
Mom provides an insight to the controversies surrounding teenage parenthood, as it becomes a
mainstream issue and concern, as more audience are expose to the show. In a study conducted by
the Internet Sexuality Information Services Inc., the participants involve acknowledged Teen
Mom for the impact the television had on educating them on sexual and reproduction health. The
show aims to provide the audience especially targeting teenage girls and boys to present the
consequences of teenage parenthood, as it is real and not completely farfetched at all. With each
episode, heavier and substantial issues are brought to the surface as these teenage mothers and
fathers does not only deal with their first year of parenthood but also the underlying effects of it.
Teen Mom’s existence adds a distinct flare to the overly curated genre of non-scripted
television shows. A show solely grounded on the reality of the imperfect world that lies within
the uncertainty of teenage motherhood. The show is undeniably successful in garnering viewer’s
attention as well as the media’s attraction. With a show like this, understanding that just by
having a simple story line with complexity combined with the unpleasant reality of too-early
parenthood can truly captivate many of the viewers’ attention. Teen Mom serves as an outlet for
teenage girls who may seem to find themselves in the situation that Amber, Catelynn, Farrah, and
Maci were once in. The show simply aims to spread awareness regarding teen pregnancy in
America. Moreover, a national discussion has sparked up between the viewers and the critics of
the show but the audience is smart enough to distinguish the true intended meaning behind the
show – simply to advocate the consequences of unprotected sex and early parenthood.
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