Super Sweet Sixteen on MTV

This program has drawn quite a lot of attention in the media. It is an unapolegetic portrayal of massive expenditures in the name of celebrating one's 16th birthday. I watched a couple of back to back episodes and here are some observations:

• It seemed like it was mostly only the girls who wanted to enjoy this kind of an extravagance. (I watched 4 episodes and all featured girls, a fair sample I think)
• The bigger the party the better. Many openly stated that they wanted to use this occassion to show off how rich they are.
• Being Daddy's little girl opening the flood gates assured anything they wanted.
• The mothers seemed more sensible than the fathers, although that did not really help. In fact, it added to the required dramatic element of some kind of a show down between the mom and daughter.
• The "entrance" to the party is the most crucial aspect. Varied from adorning oneself with a snake to riding into the venue in a helicopter.
• The surprise gift is almost always an expensive car.
  
• The guests of the party seemed to be having more fun than the birthday girl.

When you think about it, this is precisely what every teen wants - attention, make your peers jealous and feel very special. All this differs only with respect to the monetary scale used.