If the American teenager has a secret life, it’s a secret to me…and I am an American teenager. For those of you that have seen the show, you likely know what I’m talking about: The Secret Life of the American Teenager, whose second season will end later this month on ABC Family.

For those of you who haven’t seen it, let me try to give you a bit of an overview: The show started by following the pregnancy of fifteen-year-old Amy Juergens. Amy’s baby’s father Ricky is dating Adrian, who slept with Ben, who is Amy’s ex-boyfriend. Ben’s father is dating Betty, who used to be a prostitute who was friends-without-benefits with Tom, Grace’s brother. Highly religious Grace believes that having sex with her longtime boyfriend, Jack (who also slept with Adrian, but is now dating Amy’s best friend), killed her father, as her father died in a plane crash on the same night Grace slept with her boyfriend.

And that’s just a taste. The drama gets even more intricate.

The real question, however, is this: Do adults really think this is how American teens live? While the show is the most hilarious hour of my week, I can’t help but wonder if this is how adults see us. And if this is how teens are represented, how can we ever expect to be taken seriously when it comes to making decisions about sex and our futures?

—Taylor McCabe, 17, Staff Writer

I was talking with some of my friends about MTV’s Teen Mom a few weeks ago, and one of them said, “They’re all whores.” My friend wasn’t calling the guys who the girls had sex with whores, just the girls—not that anyone deserves to be called a whore. I was really surprised and upset that my friend said this.

Why is it that if you’re a teen mother you’re a whore? I don’t hear people calling 20-something-year-old mothers whores, even though they have unplanned pregnancies too. People—teens and adults—make mistakes and birth control fails. But that doesn’t mean you’re a whore, and it doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. I don’t look at any of the girls on Teen Mom as whores or sluts. So, they have kids? So, they’re young? So, what?

Being a parent is the most difficult job in the world, especially when you’re young and not ready to take care of a baby. Why say hurtful things about young mothers who are in a really difficult situation?

People may use words like “whore” because they are insecure and want to feel better about themselves by putting someone else—a girl or woman—down. It would make a big difference if people spent half the time they spend talking bad about other people doing something good, like making sure teens get the information they need to help prevent unplanned pregnancies.

—Kait Hamilton, 17, Staff Writer

This past weekend, teens celebrated Halloween—the “sweetest” time of year with candy, mischief, scary spirits—and sexy costumes?!

For some teen girls, Halloween is a fun, harmless opportunity to take exciting risks. From “naughty schoolgirls” to “sexy cops,” girls dressed up in provocative outfits to flaunt their wild sides and show off their bodies. Teens who normally aren’t all caught up in being sexy chose to wear revealing costumes that were tinier, tighter and shorter than ever.

A recent article from the campus newspaper at Northwestern University taught readers how to “skankify yourself this Halloween” with tips and rules. As Cady from Mean Girls has said, “Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” Hmmm…so the point of Halloween is to look like skanks and wear as little as possible? Don’t get me wrong, being able to comfortably express our sexy sides and explore personal boundaries can be incredibly empowering. But when does it go too far?

Check out this photo of Audrina Patridge in a genie costume at her recent Halloween party. “Audrina Patridge: Making Every Man’s Wish Come True” reads the headline from a celebrity gossip blog. The headline seems to suggest that the purpose of dressing up is to please others—especially men—rather than ourselves. Why isn’t there a picture of a male celebrity “making everyone’s wish come true” with his costume? What’s up with the double standard?

It’s fine to try out what it’s like to be sexy. But in today’s highly sexualized culture, where women are all too often valued only for their sex appeal, we’ve got to remember there’s a lot more to girls and women than just being sexy.

—Cynthia Lam, 16, Staff Writer

Spoiler alert! What is the head cheerleader and president of the Celibacy Club to do when she finds herself pregnant by her boyfriend’s best friend? Well, if you’re Quinn on FOX’s new show Glee, you tell your boyfriend Finn that the baby is his. When he looks at you confused and points out that you’ve never had intercourse, you tell him that it happened the night that you two made out in a hot tub, fully clothed in swimsuits, and he ejaculated. “A hot tub is the perfect temperature for sperm. It helps them swim faster.”

Oh. Em. Glee. You cannot get pregnant simply by swimming in a pool or sitting in a hot tub. Glee offers up what seems to be a generally over-the-top story line spiked with misinformation about pregnancy. It’s easy enough to get caught up in the song-and-dance numbers and to chuckle when soon-to-be-out Kurt tells his father that unitards are “jock chic.” But is there some truth somewhere underneath the ridiculousness?

While being dishonest about a pregnancy is never a fair thing to do, many viewers can probably acknowledge that it can be a challenge to make decisions when you’re scared, overwhelmed and even alone. Will Quinn tell Finn the whole truth about her pregnancy? How might their relationship and individual lives change? In between songs, dance numbers and jazz hands, you can be sure that Glee will keep asking questions about what it means to explore your sexuality as a teen and make choices along the way. In the mean time, you may not want to make Glee your go-to source for sexuality education. Try checking out the articles, FAQs, Forums, and blog posts on Sex, Etc., instead!

If you watch TV, then you’ve probably seen two women kissing, from Madonna and Britney to the O.C.’s Marissa and Alex. On “That’s So Gay,” a segment on the weekly show infoMania, Bryan Safi questions (with more than a little sarcasm) what all this girl-on-girl action is really about. Women in real relationships with other women? Or two heterosexual women providing some girl-on-girl action for ratings gold and the pleasure of a few heterosexual guys?

Check out this clip and decide for yourself.