MTV and Teen Pregnancy: Critical Essays on 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom

In MTV and Teen Pregnancy: Critical Essays on 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom, contributors from a variety of backgrounds and expertise offer potent essays about the MTV programs 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom, and Teen Mom 2. Divided into four parts, each section tackles the controversial representation of teen pregnancy from a different discipline. Part One explores gendered social norms and the shows’ representations of teenage motherhood. Part Two prompts readers to consider the intersections of race, class, gender, and the social and cultural power structures often glossed over in these programs. Part Three turns its attention to teenage fathers, and Part Four draws from TVs representations of reality to discuss the impact these shows may have on the viewing audience. As the debates about these shows continue, this collection provides a valuable critical discourse to be used both inside and outside the classroom.

Letizia Guglielmo is associate professor of English at Kennesaw State University. She also teaches in the Gender and Women’s Studies Program and serves as the Assistant Director of Composition for the English Department. Her research and writing focus on feminist rhetoric and pedagogy, multiliteracies, digital media in the writing classroom, and the intersections of feminist action and digital communication.