What the spoilt American teenager says goes (My Super Sweet 16)

Member Name: welling1

Product:	My Super Sweet 16
Date:	14/04/09 (76 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Insight to where wealth can take you and of how the other half live

Disadvantages: Cringe-worthy moments looking at how young adults can act when not getting their own way

Where to start with this programme?!

Right here we go ... this is a typical American TV show full of spoilt American kids, and when I say spoilt we are not talking about getting a computer game when they ask for it, we are talking about kids getting cars and $5,000 bags as a casual gift.

The programme follows the life of a child ready to embark upon their 16th year. There is no real structure to the show as all you really see is the kid with a credit card buying extravagant gifts for themselves. You get to see where the kid is holding their party and how they are going to make it the biggest party of the year. In the shows I have seen there seems to have been a trend where the teenager turns up at their friend's door with someone dressed in a themed costume or a half naked person delivering the invitations - whatever happened to first class post?! The teenagers are driven to their friend's house, not by their parents, but in buses - massive buses with blacked out windows and a pimped out interior. Venues range from famous hotels to cruise ships. One example of really showing off was a girl who had a helicopter take her from an airfield to drop her off on the cruise ship with all of her "friends" cheering her on. They all love her this much at school obviously - it has nothing to do with the fact that she is giving out ipods and $100 gift vouchers, etc.!

What I find really disturbing is the fact that these parents give in to anything. One girl went in a shop for a summer dress and ended up spending $4,500 on what she called 'necessities' - shame she hasn't heard of Primark! In virtually every episode the gift is a car - we are not talking a Renault Clio or Fiat Punto, we are talking Porsche or BMW and not your standard every day one but pimped out cars. A girl on a recent show asked her dad to have her name put on the headrests and some wording inserted on the rear of the car and she wanted the wording lined with Swarovski crystals! The dad asked the sales guy how much this was and he said around $100,000!! At this point the father did mention that the money was getting a slight bit out of hand but, when the big day came, there was her brand new car all pimped out how she wanted it.

The parties themselves are crazy affairs for a 16th birthday including midgets, rock bands, famous rappers, ice sculptures and lap dancers. Whatever happened to SuperBowl?! At the parties in some cases there are over 500 people. What I find sad about this fact is that some of the people present are just there due to status and wealth and just to say 'I was there' and not because of a friendship. It's quite shocking as well to see the attitude of these kids when they do not get their own way. They cry and scream and stamp their feet like 5 year olds and it is cringe-worthy when they get their own way and they hug their parents and tell them how much they love them. The Beatles song 'Money Can't Buy Me Love' comes to mind!

At the end of the party you get the usual off all of the kids - 'the best day of my life' and 'I am so lucky' - it would be interesting to see what they say if their 18th birthday isn't any better. These kids and their parents are really in a world of their own. I'm not quite sure why I like watching this programme but there's just something about it that makes me tune in when it's on. I may be moaning but I wouldn't mind being in their shoes!

Summary: Worth a watch - see what you think. You can catch it on MTV or TMF.