Teen Pregnancy In Today's Pop Culture

While the United States having the highest teen pregnancy rate in the industrialized world, new phenomenon’s controlling debates in today’s society consistently reflects upon teen pregnancy and the average age of teen mothers declining drastically. Controversies in today’s media, political debates, and views on birth control depict both ends of an abstruse teen pregnancy spectrum, as people choose to glamorize such motherhood or castigate it. In society, many people believe success can come easy to young mothers, but it is extremely rare that most teen moms have a tight support system that can lead to a better life for both her and her child. Although teen pregnancy anyone would have to go through, putting strains on family, relationships,
education, and finances, it is idolized in American society through the media and pop culture. Instead of glorifying teen pregnancy, the community and government should educate the public about the negative effects it has on not only the young mothers family, but community as a whole.
Today’s pop culture plays an immense role in idolizing the issue of Teen Pregnancy.
Television shows and clothes stores, have been noticing the uprising in young mothers glamorizing it, and using it to their advantage. Television shows like Secret Life of the American Teenager and movies like Juno, whose audience is targeted to teenage females, changed many peoples perspectives on the hardships of juggling school, work, and raising a child. Although fiction, the simplistic lives of the mothers portrayed on such shows becomes somehow realistic to the viewer, giving them an unrealistic interpretation and false hope of being a young mother, without having to worry about money or education. Child psychologist, Laurie Zelinger believes that this false hope can “increase the likelihood that for some people, they will say, 'I can do it, too.' "
(Thompson)
Reality television shows, notably 16 and Pregnant and spin off Teen Mom, which were created to epitomize the hardships of teen motherhood, are now one of the factors fueling the outbursts of teen pregnancy.
As the shows grow in popularity, it is almost impossible read a magazine not featuring one of the infamous teen moms from the television show. Pictures of them buying new cars and rumors of them conversing with famous celebrities appeal to viewers, therefore many young girls try to find ways to get on it to get these benefits, taking it as far as actually conceiving a child to become famous. One notorious example of this is Megan Nelson, after living with Teen Mom 2 Chelsea Houska and first handedly witnessed how the TV show was giving Chelsea fame, she decided she wanted fame as well. She soon became pregnant and was given the opportunity to get her own television show. The selfish actions of Nelson, and many other teen girls in the United States forget the effects that are extremely damaging to their children. A member of a Young Moms support group in Georgia, Michelle Hankins believes a major reason why these reality shows is creditable to the increase in adolescent pregnancy is "There is no fear and shame in teen pregnancy anymore. Seeing all these teen moms in the media, it makes them less fearful. It's desensitized them, there's just an immunity to the shock value of it." (Chang and
Patria)
As pop culture seems tries to put teen pregnancy on a pedestal, the government and outlook programs are trying to provide young girls with the information on become parents so young. Since adolescent pregnancy is more common in poorer, less educated areas of the United States, more government programs teaching about safe sex should be available to people in this area. Young viewers of such shows tend to discredit how much assistance family, friends, and even the government are provided for the mothers. According to a poll from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a shocking 49% of teens admit to knowing little or nothing about condoms or other forms of birth control, while only 46% of adolescents actually have received information about contraceptives in their lifetime. (Albert) Over the years the George Bush Administration spent roughly $1.5 billion on programs advocating abstinence, yet after a decreasing steadily for 14 years, in 2005-2006 the teen birth rate increased 3% proving that teens were being sexually active, and were not taking the right precautions to protect themselves. (Stein) Dissenters to the Bush Administration believed that the administrations conservative outlook impeded on adolescent rights to being educated on safe sex and STD’s. However, the Obama Administration commenced teen programs that support the prevention of teen pregnancy through awareness and sexual education. After rigorously testing these programs and finding them to be beneficial and working in the communities, the Department of Health and Human Services honored the programs with$75 million to continue better educating the public.
Since about 80 percent of unmarried teen mothers end up on welfare, the
Season 1 Teen Mom mother herself, Maci Bookout speaks out against the media and publicity she and her son have gotten stating “It's like everyone in the world knows me or knows something about me and is watching me and judging me." (Thompson)

TV shows are not only exploiting teen pregnancy, but clothing stores too. One of the United States most popular and fastest-growing stores, Forever21, is expanding business by launching a maternity line, Love21. Forever 21 plans to launch the line only in states where the teen pregnancy is higher, like California, Alaska, and Texas. Many stores, including Abercrombie, Juicy Couture, and Old Navy are also expanding their products to include maternity lines.

Community support teen mothers
Financial aid
Clothing lines
Tv shows
Obama
Issues with abortion (Stein, "Obama Administration Launches a Sex-Ed Program)