REVIEW: MTV's 16 and Pregnant

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REVIEW: MTV's 16 and Pregnant

POSTED: Thursday, June 18, 2009, 8:15 PM

Filed Under: TV Watch

MTV's 16 and Pregnant - MTV Shows

Last week MTV aired 16 and Pregnant, their new reality show documenting the lives of pregnant teens as they deal with the all too grown-up decision of having a child before they're even old enough to vote. When I first heard about the show, I immediately thought it was way to bolster viewership ' even if that means delving into the lives of teens during an extremely challenging period and upping the drama. But surprisingly it was more than just a grab for ratings; it actually delivers a positive message.

The hour-long premiere is shot documentary-style. Each episode follows a different girl but the first episode documents the life of Maci who gets pregnant by her first boyfriend, Ryan. For Maci adoption and abortion was never an option, she figured she made the decision to have unprotected sex so now she must deal with the consequences. Maci and Ryan work to pay for their own apartment ' they started living together after she gets pregnant. ' all while Maci pushes her way through high school graduating a year early even enrolling in college. Still, it's clear from watching the show that the two are still just teens, after all Maci tells her mom about her pregnancy via text message and names her son Bentley. For once people get an honest glimpse into what it's really like to be a teen parent, as Maci struggles to balance all these aspects of her life all while dealing with her deteriorating than enthusiastic about the situation after Bentley's birth. For viewers, particularly teen viewers, the premiere episode sends the message that sex does have real consequences. Even with MTV's True Life, its not often that teens get to see people who are just like them excelling in a less than ideal situation as Maci has. In a rotation of sex infused reality shows and music videos it's nice to see this message being sent.

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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