When the Teen Mom/16 and Pregnant franchise made its debut back in 2009, critics feared that the overnight MTV phenomenon would lead to a spike in premarital teen pregnancies.
In the end, producers had the last laugh, as teen pregnancies have actually been on the decline for most of years that the show has been on the air.
(This may have something to do with the fact that the ladies’ stories are generally more cautionary than aspirational these days.)
But these days, Teen Mom and its stars are soon to face another hurdle.
The shows have been on so long that some of the infants from the first seasons will soon be dating.
And many viewers are no doubt curious about how these kids’ views on relationships will be shaped by growing up with a lavish lifestyle that’s largely a result of their mom’s decision to start a family before they were even out of high school.
After all, it’s hard to caution your children against the dangers of unprotected sex when unprotected sex is at least partially responsible for that BMW in your driveway.
Anyway, the last thing we want to do is psychoanalyze pre-teens we’ve never even met simply because their mothers are reality stars.
But it seems a lot of Teen Mom viewers want to do exactly that.
And these days, the preferred subject of their intense scrutiny is Leah Messer’s 10-year-old daugher, Aleeah Simms.
Aleeah and her twin sister, Ali, are the products of Leah’s short-lived first marriage to Corey Simms.
The girls have experienced very different upbringings, thanks in large part to Ali’s struggles with muscular dystrophy.
Fans are understandably concerned with Ali’s wellbeing, and thousands have reached out to Leah through social media to see if there’s any way they can help.
Obviously, that’s a wonderful thing.
What’s not so great is the concern over the moral purity of Aleeah.
Earlier this week, Leah posted some pics of her sister Victoria standing alongside Aleeah.
Fans were quick to notice that the 10-year-old bears a striking resemblance to her mother.
“I thought that was Leah! Twins have grown so much!” one fan remarked.
“Awwww first look I thought it was Leah,” another echoed.
“That looks like Leah,” a third chimed in.
Unfortunately, this is the internet in 2020, which means someone is bound to comment with the most negative, cnyical interpretation of everything you post.
And when it comes to Aleeah, “fans” are always concerned (or pretending to be concerned) that her “look” is too mature for her age.
“I love you as a mom and role model…BUT IF YOU WOULD LOOK CLOSELY TO THE PICC OF ALI GIRL…YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE THIS PIC DOWN…(FOR THE CREEPS OUT THERE),” one fan tweeted to Leah this week.
Several others offered similar criticisms, usually not in such polite terms.
Sadly, this is not the first time that Aleeah has been at the center of such a controversy.
Teen Mom’s ultimate creep David Eason had criticized Leah for allowing her daughter to wear makeup and dress too “provocatively.”
These are nauseating comments made by a nauseating man.
Sadly, David is not alone in his idiotic opinion.
Fortunately, it seems Leah has chosen to pay the haters no mind.
It’s an approach more of us should adopt.