MTV's Milking of the Juno Franchise

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Okay, so MTV has this show on the air now called "16 and Pregnant" and honestly I don't understand what it is that the network was thinking or what they hope to accomplish from it. I think that it's important that teens are made aware of the consequences of sex, and that pregnancy is always a possibility if the right precautions aren't taken. They should also be made aware of how difficult it is to not just be pregnant while you're going through school, but the difficulties of raising a child while going to school. I think the fact that MTV is addressing a very real issue and showing the realities of those going through it could be a positive thing. There's no reason to sweep teen pregnancies under the rug because that won't get the public educated. If awareness is raised then hopefully there will be more initiative taken to educate groups at risk.

On the other hand, there is something that really concerns me about the show. That is, the glamorization of teen pregnancy. Anyone who has seen the film "Juno" will automatically recognize the animations and fonts used in the program as being nearly identical to those used in the film. There's a distinct hipness that this show is apparently trying to achieve in its presentation copying that of a highly successful and popular indie film. It concerns me, because this is not something that I feel should be dealt with like its trendy, cool, or fun to experience. While the show tries to portray these teen's lives realistically, at the same time it seems to be taking a very lighthearted approach to the matter. This is my other concern which is that this seemingly conflicted approach could confuse some viewers. On the one hand its a serious issue, yet on the other hand there's a distinct hipster edge that's coming through.

Essentially, it appears to me that MTV couldn't decide whether they should take a serious approach to the reality show, or make it just as empty and entertaining as the rest of their programming. I feel that in the long run this has more potential to hurt whatever message MTV was trying to present in the first place. Instead of showing the tough reality that teen mothers experience, all I see is a glossed over one.

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