The media has recently latched on to the idea of the “teen mom,” elevating her to star status—both in dramas and on reality TV. These shows feature teen pregnancy, but they do so in an unrealistic way that fetishizes and glamorizes it. The stories of the girls I spoke with at The Care Center are much different from the ones shown in half-hour snippets on TV and splashed across tabloid magazines.
What happens when sensationalism becomes real life? At what point does the statistic that 1 in 4 young women are victims of abuse become too real to air on television?
Jessica Simpson’s new show The Price of Beauty suffers from an identity crisis. Is it meant to be a lesson in appreciating inner beauty or a silly look at bizarre grooming rituals worldwide?
In America, abortion is always a choice “someone else” makes. But this is a myth and we need to face reality. Those who choose “the other option” aren’t selfish, desperate or “someone else.” They are our friends, our neighbors and, often, us.
It’s a far cry from the days when pregnant teens were packed up and sent away. Just a few decades ago, early pregnancy was seen as a stain on a family that was often elaborately hidden. But when reality television meets teen pregnancy, have we gone too far?
Through our television sets, it seems, we get nearly every possible opinion and viewpoint on nearly every possible topic. Just not abortion.
