Gossip, vanity, sex... reality TV?

MTV, music television, is an American network based in New York City. The original purpose of the channel was to launch music videos that promoted new artists, music events and was a central location for both artists and fans to access highlights. In recent years, MTV has shifted it’s core focus to reality television series centered around teen pregnancies, portraying the lifestyle of partying “guidos”, and documentary series that captures the encounters of adolescents with the police. Many of MTV’s television series have been vehicles for pregnant teenagers to reach their goal of becoming rising stars. Teen Mom 1 and 2, and 16 and Pregnant have made their cast famous, and it is speculated that many teens have been getting pregnant just to be on the show. As the chapter “Television Our Constant Companion” stated “Younger viewers don’t want acting; they want to follow real people. They want models shaped like them caught up in stories with unpredictable endings (pg 214).” What happens when these “models” display behaviors contrary to Catholic moral teachings?

As I read the article and reflected on the effect of reality TV (in particular shows like 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom, Baby High) on impressionable youth I remembered the argument of Timothy Radcliffe in his work “What is the point of being Christian?” Timothy Radcliffe discusses the human body and its centralized position within Christian doctrine. The lack of respect for the human body is manifested through the trivialization of sex. The corruption of morals between individuals has heightened, and the most visible indication of this corruption is the glorification of premarital sexual acts. In modern society, the corruption of morals has heightened as a result of social communication and mass media. Mass media and public entertainment are predominant ways individuals, often children and adolescents, learn about and witness sexual behaviors. In today’s society, television series have a profound impact on how people understand life, the world and themselves, especially in regard to their values and their ways of choosing and behaving. As this weeks reading stated reality TV “offers viewers an unvarnished portrait of our capacity to lie, cheat and steal. The dark side of human sin gets revealed every hour (pg 215).”

Produced by Morgan J. Freeman and Dia Sokol Savage, 16 and Pregnant follows the stories of pregnant teens. It captures the hardships of teen pregnancy, including the drama with baby daddies, balancing raising a child and obtaining a high school diploma, providing for your family and being forced to grow up. MTV launched the spin-off series Teen Mom in December 2009 and Teen Mom 2 in 2011.

Week after week millions of viewers tune in to watch teen moms cope with their new lifestyles and try their best to parent on national television. The series attracted 2.1 million viewers. Why are viewers so fascinated with teen pregnancy? Although teen mom aims at educating viewers on the struggles teen moms face as well as preventative measures, I can’t help but wonder what the intent of these stars is. The Teen Mom stars earn $60,000 to $65,000 per season (no wonder why teens get pregnant just to be on the show and famous)

Teen Mom 2 Leah Messer and Cory Simms

This also occurs with the current stars… they continue to have children with different men probably to secure their spot on television. One example- Leah Messer was showcased on the second season of 16 and Pregnant. She became pregnant with fraternal twin girls after dating boyfriend Cory Simms for a month. She eventually married Cory, divorced him because he found out she cheated on him a week before the wedding, and is pregnant for the second time with her new fiancé Jeremy Calvert. The trivialization of the human body, as presented in social outlets such as advertisements and television series is problematic especially in regards to Christian moral teachings. These outlets depict these acts as okay behaviors (such as premarital sex), which goes against Catholic teachings. In reality there is a gap between Christian moral teachings about sexuality and how modern Christians live. Has media and reality TV played a role in constituting this gap?