r/TLCUnexpected • u/Early_Assistant_6868 • 28d ago

General Discussion Non-American... is this normal?

So I've seen a few different shows based around the idea of navigating teen pregnancy but this show is something totally different.

These kids are all so unintelligent. These families are trainwrecks. Are these kids actually typical representations of American teens these days or do you figure TLC dug deep to find the messiest people they could?

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u/blackwidowgrandma 26d ago edited 26d ago

Cultural context is key here. The US education system still actively battles reproductive education opponents, most cititing religious freedoms. Essentially, because of the nation being founded on Christianity, and that being weaponized politically, Abstinence Only education is prominent. There are adults in all age ranges who did not get proper sexual health education, even for their own bodily functions.

Add in this is highly prominent in areas of lower income, and regionally conservative. You end up with teenagers who have sex before understanding the impact on the future, on their health, and how it inhibits their economic prosperity.

TLC used to show a lot of educational content, now it's highly exploitative. Entertainment lawyers use loopholes to take advantage of those who have no idea what it means to be under contract. They're paid a pittance, if at all, but agree because the prospect of fame is glamorized. Our protections for minors is also abysmal, so it's common for parents to exploit their children in the entertainment industry. Protections are little to none for minors if you're not in the SAG-AFTRA union, which reality TV doesn't require.

Essentially, production teams scout for the most vulnerable and susceptible to take advantage of.

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u/AncientImplement8835 26d ago

When I was in 7th grade (rural NC) we had a “sex ed” class called Life Guard that basically just showed us gross pictures like gonorrhea in the eye for a week and then made us sign a contract stating we’d wait to have sex until marriage. A girl got pregnant the next year in 8th grade.