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Do you remember your 16th birthday celebrations? I certainly do. I was stuck at home studying for my national examinations, but I reckon other people would have more exciting 16th birthdays. Well I couldn’t have been more right, especially in the USA, where a teenager’s coming-of-age is such a significant milestone. In fact, it is so significant that it is possible to create an entire television series purely on 16th birthday celebrations. Allow me to introduce to you MTV’s My Super Sweet 16.

The first season aired in 2005 and it was so popular that it produced a total of 5 seasons to-date and spawned numerous spin-offs like My Super Sweet 21 aired on MTV’s Spring Break.

All the 16th birthday celebrations documented here are not just any plain Joe’s or Jane’s. Featured celebrations are lavish and outlandish; some are so wildly extravagant that it would leave audiences gaping. Evidently, the main stars of the show are sufficiently affluent (their parents’ fortunes, mind you) and have a penchant for flamboyance. Each week, MTV chooses a Sweet Sixteen-er to feature on this series. Cameras, lights and the works would follow every step that these Sixteen-ers take to plan and execute their birthday celebrations. Beginning from the excitement during the planning and brainstorming phase, to the frustration of the preparatory phase, and obviously, the actual day itself, accompanied with the usual nervousness and jitters.

This series offers the audience a peek into the lifestyle of the uber-rich. In almost all of the shows, parents give free rein to the Sweet Sixteen-er, on the mere fact that it would be their 16th birthday in a matter of days. Other than the seemingly limitless expenditure budget, parents make all the effort to placate the teenager, no matter how ludicrous and unrealistic the requests might be. And in accordance with the fairytale hype of the show, these ‘unrealistic’ requests are usually fulfilled, much to the delight of the birthday boy/girl and to the glee of the invited guests.

In one episode, a girl named Alyson from Arkansas wanted a military-style theme for her party and specially catered a fleet of Hummers specifically for her grand entrance into the party venue. Custom-made dog tags were handed out as invitations, and a faux volcano was installed at the party site for the ominous atmosphere. On the actual day, when the Hummers were delayed, Alyson threw a huge fit and went into a rage, as her guests already started partying without her. The whole episode was peppered with many other tantrums when Alyson didn’t get what she wanted.

This entire series gives us a somewhat depressing insight on extravagant parties that we, the ordinary, would never be able to afford. This is purely brainless visual candy, watch-and-forget “bimbo” entertainment, and has no re-watch value whatsoever, but it does guarantee you a visual treat. Also, be ready to meet teenagers spoilt beyond imagination, too indulgent in the superficial lifestyles that their parents brought them up in. I believe most audiences would gawk and look in awe at the spectacle, as did I on several occasions, but beware - watch more than 2 episodes and it’s likely that you will build up a certain disdain for the teenagers and their families for being so needlessly wasteful, and disgust at the way they whine and throw tempers when things don’t go their way.

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