Watching this show as an adult... hits different...
Hi there, early 30s here. I grew up watching Teen Mom et al. and have been around since the beginning. I was about 13 when I started watching.
I'm rewatching now and having conflicting feelings. I've been a "fan" for a while, but watching this show at 31 has me seeing it in a different light.
I can't help but shiver at the exploitation of both the teen moms and their children. We all know early 2000s TV was fucked up, but it feels shittier when innocent kids are involved. The teen moms themselves might not have been "innocent" (e.g., Jenelle has always been a piece of shit), but they were children too.
Seeing Jace dissociate as Barbara and Jenelle screech at each other, watching Leah nod off while holding a baby, and Amber ignoring her daughter, Leah, by plopping her in a sheetless crib. You all know I could go on and on. Filmed and broadcast for millions to see.
It makes me sick that production just watched all of this and let it roll. In fact, they were probably eating it up. And I was a young teen eating it up, too.
This show has provided us with reality TV gold. I even taught my boyfriend several funny quotes, his favorite being "mistah disrespectful." Mine being, "being a felon ain't illegal." Nathan is one of my all-time favorite reality TV cast members, not because of his character (he is an abusive, deadbeat prick) but because he was just chock-full of weird and hilarious sayings. His letter to NASA is actually iconic.
But I can't help but feel icky during my rewatch, knowing that these kids' most vulnerable moments and traumas are documented forever. Anyone else revisit this show as an adult and find themselves feeling reallyyy different about it?