My mom was a teen mom. She had me a year before MTV’s 16 & Pregnant aired in 2009. The show was produced by Lauren Dolgen, who also produced the sequel, Teen Mom. I’d rate this show 4 out of 5 stars, it being my guilty pleasure show. The first season follows 6 girls’ struggles with teen pregnancy, and the first few weeks of motherhood. Initially, I thought this show would be a trashy scripted reality show such as Jersey Shore and others.
There are no spoilers in this show. Teen gets pregnant, teen struggles, teen has baby, and teen struggles more. Next episode, repeat. Since there are 6 episodes, there are 6 female characters: Maci Bookout from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Farrah Abraham from Omaha, Nebraska, Amber Portwood from Anderson, Indiana, Whitney Purvis from Rome, Georgia, and Catelynn Lowell from Port Huron, Michigan. There are many other people featured in this show such as the girls’ boyfriends and family members, along with the occasional friend and of course, the babies.
While some people thought that this show glamorized teen pregnancy, I thought that this show depicted the real life struggles that come with teen pregnancy, such as finishing their education and managing relationships. Their relationships not only with their children’s fathers, but also with their own families and friends. The show also showed serious financial struggles and the loss or change of future plans and dreams these teens may have had pre-pregnancy.
16 and Pregnant lasted 6 seasons, and left me wondering- how?! Even though I really liked the show and will probably continue watching the following seasons or spin-offs, this show seems pretty repetitive to me. There was one specific episode that really stood out to me: Amber’s episode. Her boyfriend and baby’s father, Gary Shirley, seemed like a really good guy who actually wanted to step up and be present and provide for his family. My favorite moment was when he bought a PS3 and games and then returned it, realizing it was time to grow up and that his daughter having necessities was most important.
This show was filmed like most reality TV shows,  where it’s pretty obvious that there is a camera crew following these teenagers around their daily lives. In some of the spin-offs, the camera crew and producers are even shown in some scenes, showing that over the years they really formed a relationship with the cast. The thing that really stood out to me visually was when they used a notebook style computer-generated sketch  after commercial breaks to help signify time passing. As for the soundtrack, they seem to use lesser known bands that I have never heard of before, and the songs don’t really seem to relate to what is going on in the episode.
The target audience for this show is young adults and teens. The initial goal that MTV had was for 16 and Pregnant to be educational. At the start of every commercial break, they have a website listed where people can access information about birth control and preventing teen pregnancy. With younger teens, this could be used as a fantastic way for parents to open a line of communication with their kids to talk about safe sex.
I’d rate the first season of 16 & Pregnant 4 out of 5 stars. Does this show have a high budget for season 1? Probably not. Is it repetitive? Absolutely. Does it feel scripted and over dramatic at times? Sure. Do I admit to watching this show for fun? Nope. I am glad that it is simply a guilty pleasure show for me and not my reality.