Is 'Teen Mom' to Blame for Making Teen Pregnancy Trendy?

by SodaHead TV Posted 2011/01/21 14:00:00

Related Topics: Kim Kardashian, Mtv, Television, magazine

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	Yes	291 votes	47%
	No	228 votes	37%
	Undecided	96 votes	16%

Earlier this week, we told you about a high school in Memphis that reportedly has about 90 teen pregnancies or new moms on its campus. Now, reality star Kim Kardashian is speaking out against what she believes to be a negative influence on potential teen mothers: MTV's "Teen Mom."

Kardashian wrote about the issue on her Celebuzz blog on Wednesday, pointing out the show turns teen moms into superstars by putting them on television and magazine covers, and creates the impression that getting pregnant that young is the cool thing to do.

"It seems that shows like Teen Mom are all of a sudden making teen pregnancy seem cool in the eyes of young girls," Kardashian wrote. "The kids from these shows are all over the news, even on the covers of magazines, and have been become almost like celebrities, but girls, these are not people you should idolize!"

"Teen Mom" star Amber Portwood, who was recently accused of domestic violence after repeatedly attacking her boyfriend on the show, disagrees.

Portwood told E! News, "Last time I checked, Kim Kardashian had a sex tape floating around on the Internet and I'm pretty sure she made a lot of money off of it ... There's actually a study that shows since the original '16 and Pregnant' aired, the number of teen pregnancies have gone down."

Decent point, Amber. Whose side are you on?

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Vic~*PHAET*~ 2011/01/21 16:27:29 (edited)

Yes

+19
Hold the phone -- Kim Kardashian said something sensible?! Wowza!

It's always argued that the media influences girls to "be rail thin" or "anorexic," right? So why shouldn't it be argued, rather well actually, that seeing a bunch of girls who went out and got knocked up, only to become famous, makes the idea seem cool to some girls?

Most of the time, you see girls who are pregnant in high school made the butt of cruel rumours or whispered about in the halls when they pass by -- but these girls received fame instead. And realistically, most people wouldn't mind being famous and "known," especially teenage girls.

Not every person is smart enough to realise that by becoming pregnant at such a young age, they permanently change their own lives. Not every person realises that the baby they have will not be a doll they can just set aside or pawn off on their parents (though, alas, some parents do let this happen).

Some may just believe that by becoming pregnant, MTV will swoop down upon their house, armed with legions of reporters and big bucks, to make them, their baby daddy, and their baby stars.

_{edit: grammar}
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More polls by SodaHead TV

~Zaley~ 2011/01/23 02:54:22

Undecided

i mean, yes it shows that you can get famous from getting pregnant, but no because it also show you the crap life all of these teenagers get when they get pregnant.

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Jonas108~*In Harry Potter I... 2011/01/23 01:52:30

No

I wouldn't use the word "trendy"...however some girls probably get the idea like, "hey, if I get pregnant at 16, I could go on this show and become famous!" I don't think those girls would be the ones to pick up on the fact that it screws up their lives. However, smart girls who watch this show know that they shouldn't open their legs to any guy until they are ready and mature enough to deal with the consequences that can come with it.

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Hales 2011/01/23 01:34:06 (edited)

Undecided

+1
Kim actually makes a point -- kinda. Then again, isn't Teen Mom suppose to show girls that being a mom at a young age is NOT cool? The shows is suppose to show that reality is not like teen pregnancy on TV, where the girl keeps her trim figure while the baby daddy stays with the girl.

The fact that if there are girls who think that they'll be part on the shows by getting knocked up and become famous? Somone get those girls' tubes tied X____X.

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Mia 2011/01/23 01:15:17

No

+1
only because teen pregnancy is by choise.....not because everyone wants to do it..... i mean seriously? i dont think i want to get pregnate during highschool....

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ɟʇʇoɔs 2011/01/23 01:13:30

Yes

Wow, MTV sure is a bad role model, eh?? Now it's the "in-thing" to get pregnant as a teen... Quite honestly, it makes the tacky vinyls and clear taillights from the Fast and Furious movies look appealing all over again...

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MARIA 2011/01/23 01:00:51
MagickM... to MARIA 2011/01/23 01:19:59

+1
She has plenty of people who want to make babies with her =_=

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+velouria+ 2011/01/22 23:49:15

No

+1
Amber is right. kim is an idiot. that show really does not show how fun it is to have a baby, it actually shows how difficult in every aspect of their lives it is. Im 23 and at a perfect point in my life to have a kid if i wanted. I even have a great potential partner. how ever im even put off by the fact that kids are a serious commitment.

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anna 2011/01/22 22:54:56

Undecided

Like Amber said (even though I cant stand her) the number of teen pregnancies has gone down. I think that might have something to do the fact that the shows air all of it the good, the bad, the ugly. But I also think that some teen girls might think about trying to get prego just to get on the show... so it deoends on how you look at it

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99luftballons 2011/01/22 21:17:12

No

There is not one soal cause besides the degrading society we are living in, this is defenetly one of the main contributors to the problem the problem though.

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mg's haven~POTL~PWCM~JLA 2011/01/22 20:43:11

No

This kind of stupidity and arrogance doesnt need a TV show to happen. If a girl wants to put herself through that she's not going to get the idea from TV, peer pressure maybe.

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PerpetualThot 2011/01/22 20:36:29

No

Not to blame, but it isn't helping.

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muziclver91393 2011/01/22 19:41:22

Yes

+2
This show really doesn't try to prevent teen pregnancy; it almost promotes it. Teen pregnancy is no longer shameful to teenagers, and even parents seem to accept it. It needs to be announced that teen pregnancy WILL have a major effect on the country once they are all older. A child being raised by another child is not a healthy environment.

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Taylor 2011/01/22 19:41:15

No

READ THIS CAREFULLY!!!! Amber....went 2 prison....every single one of those relationships on that show....were having issues...Teen mom 2....not a SINGLE COUPLE IS TOGETHER. 1 cot court papers served to her. Now some one tell me how that is 'glamorizing' teen pregnancy. Those kids at that school make their OWN decisions. If they're stupid enough to follow the example of this show, God bless them all.

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Jack 2011/01/22 19:37:57
Jade 2011/01/22 18:09:29

Yes

+1
I agree with Kardashian... I haven't even watched the shows but I have seen the magazines and it seems very unhealthy to show these 'babies' looking happy when they have babies of their own. In this days economy there really is no need to have to support a child and sacrifice a future when you are just a teenager! I feel lucky that these shows weren't around when I was a teen or my life could have been much worse. And for all those people who have babies and say they are a blessing, that feeling should only come when the mother is mature enough and stable enough to support that child, which teenagers are not.

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Morgan 2011/01/22 18:07:49

Undecided

+1
i think teen mom is a good and a bad thing. it does show the hardships of teen pregnancy but it also glorifies the teem moms as these superstars. in a way it sort of evens itself out. xD

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♫ ~ Broken Inside ~ ♫ 2011/01/22 17:36:57

Yes

its stupid.

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David (oYo) 2011/01/22 17:24:59

Yes

+1
They get benefits and a flat in the UK, that's why so many do it. On the other hand just about the only white girls in the UK having babies are teen mums. Middle class girls hardly have any. We'll be overrun with muslims if these white teen girls don't have babies.

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Zozo to David (... 2011/01/23 15:15:20
David (... to Zozo 2011/01/23 16:00:02

+1
Yeah you were sensible.

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Zozo to David (... 2011/01/23 23:32:45 (edited)
The_Cat 2011/01/22 17:24:17

Undecided

+1
What's so trendy about being pergnant at 16?
1. You don't have a job, so where the hell do you expect to get money to take care of your child? Think your parents want to take care of your baby? Well, there crying inside!
2. I doubt any guy would want to start a family at 16 when they've got better things to do. Sweetheart, he's gonna dump you and your gonna have to take care of your kid by yourself. Yikes!
3. Say bye-bye to your social life because guess what? Your a mom.
Why don't these teenage girls realize this?! And where are these girl's parents?

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Jade to The_Cat 2011/01/22 18:11:52

+1
As far as the guy's dumping the mom, if the girls are smart enough they will sue for child support, not that that would be worth anything...

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nerimonster 2011/01/22 16:06:52 (edited)

No

+2
I've heard quite a few people say that shows like Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant glorify teen pregnancy, but I don't think that's true. The shows don't necessarily make teen pregnancy out to be something easy and fun. They show the difficult things that the teens go through.

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triceerenee 2011/01/22 15:15:47 (edited)

No

+1
Not at all in fact most teenagers see the show and decide that they aren't gonna go down that path because of what they see those other young women on the show have to go through. Kim cannot be talking since a sex tape made her famous, without that tape she would be a regular woman and no one would no who she is.

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I Am Gotham's Reckoning 2011/01/22 14:52:25

Yes

+1
That show is disgusting.

I know it's suppose to be reality, but a lot of it seems scripted too. It doesn't seem real to me. Like the conversations the couples, families and friends have seems forced. I should have known MTV can't get anything right.
I enjoyed 16 & Pregnant, Teen Mom was sorta pushing it a bit.
Teens will never learn to use some damn contraception, its their fault.

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Ferηαηdσ [Clinton2016] 2011/01/22 14:27:25

No

+2
As much as I like Kim, I don't agree. I don't like Teen Mom at all but I honestly don't think it has any influence on girls going out and getting pregnant. The way pregnancy is depicted on the show is far from glamorous. Not to mention teen pregnancy has been going on long before the show was put on the air. Again, the show doesn't appeal to me at all but most of the teen girls I know don't get pregnant because it's trendy. It's usually by accident.

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Liza Jane 2011/01/22 12:43:08 (edited)
chamchamgal 2011/01/22 06:48:33
Xx ☠Shadow's Darkness xX 2011/01/22 05:53:31

No

+2
t's just a show...

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fairiefang -annoying fashio... 2011/01/22 05:30:45

No

+1
Teen Pregnancy has been trendy for years (at least it was in my high school).

I think 16 and Pregnant/Teen Mom are good in theory. You do want kids to see how unglamorous being a teen parent is, but most kids get too obsessed with the idea of fame.
I think the show may have increased the trendiness of teen pregnancy, but it is not soley to blame.

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Cherie Bomb 2011/01/22 05:10:19

No

+2
It's just a show...

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Caitlyn 2011/01/22 02:50:46

Yes

+1
Or at least it's a fairly big influence.

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Dark Cupid 2011/01/22 02:48:11

No

+1
Noo ,,,,,,,hello people its a damn tv show,!!!! so now for example lets blame violent movies for this new world then!! ughhhhhhhhhhhh

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Dallas 2011/01/22 01:41:17

Yes

Wow, I agree with what Kim Kardashian said, but hasn't she "become almost like celebrities" just because she has one of these reality shows?

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magic_is_might BN-0 2011/01/22 01:04:30

Yes

+2
I'm not saying it's the lead cause since in the end, it's the actions of the teens which should be held responsible for.

But you can't deny that this show glorifies teen pregnancy.

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kobidobidog 2011/01/22 00:28:22 (edited)

Undecided

When will humans start being like Jesus allowing Jesus to be in them, and stop trying to make humans guilty for having sex for crying out loud.

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BBoy legacy 2011/01/22 00:05:35
Chamii 2011/01/21 23:41:47

Undecided

+1
someone i know said that poeple get pregnant to get on 16 and pregnant. If they don't get on they get on 17 and stupid

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