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 | These are what we call the 'YMMV items.' Things that some people find in this work. We call them 'your mileage might vary' because not everyone sees these things in the same way. This starts discussions in the trope lists, a thing we don't want. Please use the discussion page if you'd like to discuss any of these items. | |
YMMV: Sixteen And Pregnant
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- Accidental Aesop: This show (and its spinoff, Teen Mom) is quite possibly an unintentional deconstruction of Good Girls Avoid Abortion, as it shows very well the consequences of choosing to keep a baby, especially for a teenager. According to at least one study, 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom have contributed to a rise in support for abortion rights for precisely this reason.
- Arguably an intentional Aesop with Teen Mom; it doesn't pull much in the way of punches about how difficult it is to raise children, even with supportive, well-off parents.
- Hate Dumb: 16 and Pregnant gets more vitriol than any other MTV show for this reason (even Jersey Shore). Because of some unintentional glorification of teen pregnancy, people who've only heard about the show in passing assume 16 and Pregnant worsened the problem. Never mind the fact that the number of girls who intentionally get pregnant for fame's sake is very small, and that teen pregnancy rates have actually dropped
 since the show's debut. Although it's debatable whether 16 and Pregnant caused the dip, the producers did state that the show was created to address the pregnancy pacts popping up nationwide at the time. Overall, it's fair to say 16 and Pregnant didn't worsen the problem, yet most people think the show has, and vilify it and Teen Mom because of it.
- Memetic Mutation: At least among the people who watch it: "It's your baby, Matt. Just, like, get it through your head. We had sex a lot."
- Misaimed Fandom: Apparently girls are trying to get pregnant just to audition for this show. Ignoring the fact that most, if not all, of the girls state at the end of their episode that they wished they had waited because it's so hard to raise a kid.
- The Woobie: Catelynn and her boyfriend Tyler decide they can't raise a child and give her up for adoption. Most of the season is her family screaming at her, mostly because they don't think she feels guilty enough about it.
- Tear Jerker
- Unfortunate Implications: The show has been condemned for glorifying teen pregnancy, presenting the idea that if you do get pregnant that abortion isn't an option, let alone adoption....
- Only two women (one couple and one single) have put their babies up for adoption, and only a few have discussed abortion on-camera. In all fairness, the girl is usually about six months pregnant when the filming starts, and who's to say she didn't consider having an abortion prior to that?
- In the spin off, Teen Mom, Farrah's mom references the fact that Farrah wanted an abortion when she first found out she was pregnant, but her mom convinces her otherwise.
- "Teen Mom" in general is a much better show in this respect: it follows the girls more closely and gets into details about their lives, which usually, well, stink.
- 1 in 6 is actually an over representation because only 1-2% of teen pregnancies end in adoption. If anything this show is pushing the option with their extremely positive portrayal of those parents.
- A one time only special, No Easy Decision, discussed abortion. It followed a girl from 16 and Pregnant who became pregnant a second time and decided to end the pregnancy, and interviewed two other girls, not from 16 and Pregnant, about their experiences getting abortions. It was surprising well done and focused on the individual girls rather than on religious or moral issues. However, it's easy to see why MTV wouldn't regularly feature girls who decided to abort their pregnancies, both due to safety reasons and avoiding controversy, as well as the pragmatic argument that there isn't much of a story compared to accidental pregnancy and/or being a teen mom.
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