So all throughout elementary school and one year of middle school, I had a group of friends made up of 6 girls, including me. And guess what? Four of them are pregnant. Well actually, scratch that. Three of them was pregnant sometime last year and already gave birth. But just this morning I discovered that another one of them is just a few months pregnant. I haven't really seen or talked to any of them since we went our separate ways after 6th grade, but I really did care for them then, and I honestly believed they would be successful in life. All of us were always in gifted classes in elementary school and honor classes in middle school and all the teachers bragged about how smart we were. Now the thought of them with babies at the age of 16 or 17 is mind-bottling, stupefying, unbelievable, and just plain WEIRD. All I can think is "how stupid can they be?!" While I'm here busting my butt in school in order to go to college, there they are getting impregnated by some immature teenage boy. Perhaps what bothers me the most is the fact that their friends think it's the best thing that could ever happen, as if the belly bump is the hottest accessory or something. I was on facebook and my friend posted she was 3 months pregnant and so many people pressed the 'like' button. Wow. Really? An impregnated teenage girl is something to like? Maybe I'm being too harsh. Maybe it's not entirely their fault. After all, the media seems to love glamorizing sex and pregnancy. For example, ABC Family, a channel meant for 'FAMILIES' to watch, have a show called "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." This show literally is solely based on sex, sex, and more sex. And basically everyone in the show is pregnant and they're all in HIGH SCHOOL. MTV also loves to glamorize sex. Just take a look at their shows: 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom, and Skins. What is this world coming to???Tuesday, May 24, 2011
WTF?! Pregnant?!?!
So all throughout elementary school and one year of middle school, I had a group of friends made up of 6 girls, including me. And guess what? Four of them are pregnant. Well actually, scratch that. Three of them was pregnant sometime last year and already gave birth. But just this morning I discovered that another one of them is just a few months pregnant. I haven't really seen or talked to any of them since we went our separate ways after 6th grade, but I really did care for them then, and I honestly believed they would be successful in life. All of us were always in gifted classes in elementary school and honor classes in middle school and all the teachers bragged about how smart we were. Now the thought of them with babies at the age of 16 or 17 is mind-bottling, stupefying, unbelievable, and just plain WEIRD. All I can think is "how stupid can they be?!" While I'm here busting my butt in school in order to go to college, there they are getting impregnated by some immature teenage boy. Perhaps what bothers me the most is the fact that their friends think it's the best thing that could ever happen, as if the belly bump is the hottest accessory or something. I was on facebook and my friend posted she was 3 months pregnant and so many people pressed the 'like' button. Wow. Really? An impregnated teenage girl is something to like? Maybe I'm being too harsh. Maybe it's not entirely their fault. After all, the media seems to love glamorizing sex and pregnancy. For example, ABC Family, a channel meant for 'FAMILIES' to watch, have a show called "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." This show literally is solely based on sex, sex, and more sex. And basically everyone in the show is pregnant and they're all in HIGH SCHOOL. MTV also loves to glamorize sex. Just take a look at their shows: 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom, and Skins. What is this world coming to???
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
After reading this, the first thought that came in mind was wth were they thinking ? :O
ReplyDeleteMedia can be a boon or a bane and I completely agree with the point that it glamorize teen pregnancy as it is the best thing on the planet.
As you said people `liked' it, I think it is the society which encourages such things. The immature pregnant teens have already lost the meaning of LIFE!
I'm glad a fellow teen feels the same way I do. (:
ReplyDeleteJust came across your blog, and I have to say that I agree how shocking it is today on how society views teen pregnancy - as if it's an honor or something. I'm not one to bash teen mothers at all, I understand things happen, but with the amount of kids getting pregnant these days it makes me question how many of them did it intentionally.
ReplyDeleteAnd that thought alone weirds me out!
Well I agree with you partly. I don´t know what the system in America is like but maybe if there was more sex ed and less religious pressure not to have abortions or abstain from sex there wouldn´t be so many teen mums. Also I think that teen mums that get pregnant intentionally are slightly insecure and want someone (the baby) to love them unconditionally.
ReplyDeleteI like your blog by the way, follow back? :))
Hello there, Jesayka. You mentioned your blog on my discussion, so I figured I would come check it out. Thanks for mentioning it!
ReplyDeleteOkay, let me just say, you have a point.
Nowadays, MTV, ABC Family, and other television networks are paying much closer attention to teen pregnancy. It does seem like they are glamorizing it in certain ways, making it "cool" and "hip" to become a teen mother. However, there is another way that MTV and ABC family convey a much different message. This message that they strive to reach to their audiences is done by showing the not-so-pretty side of being a parent. For instance, Teen Mom shows young mothers missing out on friends, partying, and college, too. They do not ignore the negative impact that can be brought upon teen mothers. Yes, these shows show cute babies that smile and giggle, but they also highlight that not all times are filled with sunshine. In addition, MTV makes a point in saying that most of the couples who had a child together are no longer together. This statistic is not only represented on the show as a whole, but it is also a fair representation of the real world. The divorce rate for couples who have children before getting married is much higher than couples who have children after getting married.
You made a point in saying, "I honestly believed they would be successful in life" when you mentioned your friends from back in middle school. I have to disagree with this statement because life doesn't end after you have your first child. Even though these girls are young and are still in high school, it does not mean that they will be unsuccessful adults. Sometimes things happen for a reason. Who's to say that these girls did decide to use a form of protection, but it failed to work? Jumping to conclusions is not fair because there are intelligent girls in this world who will go places, even after having a child as a teen mother.
As for teenagers and the subject of sex, I feel that there NEEDS to be more time spent educating teenagers about sex in the schools. In schools, "Family Life", a class organized to cover the topics of sex, STDs, pregnancy, etc...only lasts for about two weeks in the schools surrounding my home town. This is not enough time. This "Family Life" program needs to be a longer course because it is such a complex subject.
The nurses, who taught "Family Life" when I was in high school, did not acknowledge the fact that not every teenager will abstain from sexual intercourse. For these nurses to believe that they can help teenagers abstain entirely from sexual intercourse is a complete joke and extremely unrealistic. Teenagers are going crazy hormonally. Because of this, instead of preaching to young men and women that it's best to be abstinent, it's important to face the fact that many teenagers are having sex everyday and nothing will stop them. Not even nurses telling them that they could become teen parents. Instead of this method, which is ineffective for many teenagers, it is best to educate students on the proper usages of the various forms of birth control in order for teenagers to be well-prepared if they decide to participate in sexual activity.
I know, what is the world coming to? I hear you on that one. These people have it all wrong. The world does set a bad example at times, but the biggest concern when it comes to this subject is making sure that teenagers are informed! It is so serious and life-changing to bring a child into this world. Teenagers need to have their own knowledge on this subject. How else will they realize how much they're risking?
I want to say, before you do assume something about a person, make sure you get the whole story. You know the saying, you never know until you walk a mile in another person's shoes...
Thanks for a very interesting read.
CLeigh
omg!this is so shocking!just cant digest all this.thats mainly cuz the great culture difference bet india and u.s
ReplyDeletei seriously appreciate for your post!well done!
i wanna say that parents should really play and important part in their kids' life...
@Cleigh thanks for taking such an interest in my post. You're right, those shows do show the negative side of teen pregnancies. However, think about all the teen girls that are purposely getting pregnant just so they can be in the show "16 and Pregnant." I just can't look past that.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I apologize. I didn't mean to come off as someone who thinks life ends with pregnancy. When I said that I thought they would succeed in life, I wasn't just thinking about their pregnancies. When I wrote that, I was thinking about their whole attitude towards school as well. You see, they care more about boys and lip gloss more than their school work, and it aggravates me because they don't appreciate the fact that they are able to go to school at all. Back in history, so many people fought and even died in order for the future children to have an education, and here they are not caring at all. They're failing all their classes and constantly ditch.
AMEN!!!!!!! so true.......
ReplyDelete