Brit teens clueless about birth

No wonder teen pregnancy rates are so high in Britain.

A new poll reveals that 20% of18 to 25-year-olds think pregnancy lasts one year.

10% believe eating red meat influences the sex of a baby.

Here's my favourite part: 20% thought the umbilical cord was a musical note.

Forever 21 launches itself into maternity market, cutout vests, leggings and all.

So it seems that Forever 21 (that shop where everything is sized for a 12 year old) is launching a maternity line.

Questions that spring immediately to my mind:

1) What woman would want to wear maternity clothes from a shop that considers this or this to be 'outerwear'?

Oh, that's right...a 21 year old.

2) Why on earth is Forever 21 stepping so clearly outside of their market?

Oh, that's right...they're not.

Let me explain. The maternity duds are only available in Arizona, Alaska, California, Utah, and Texas.

Why these states? Well, the girls over at Gloss point out that three of these states (Arizona, California and Texas) have some of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the US. Utah and Alaska are otherwise a mystery to me.

So there you have it. Forever 21 can see dollar signs in tragedy. Natch.

Teen Vogue debuts teen pregnancy

You might not believe it but the model on the left, Jourdan Dunn, is pregnant. And 19. When Teen Vogue editors booked her for the gig they didn't know she was pregnant until she revealed the news for a feature on she and her fellow model friend Chanel Iman (on the right). While the pregnancy is not explicit, it is heartening to know that Editor-in-Chief, Amy Astley said the editors of the mag had no intention of pulling her from the Nov edition.

"Teen pregnancy is a difficult, real-life issue that Teen Vogue readers (with an average age of 18) are mature enough to be exposed to," Astley said in a statement. "Teen Vogue felt it was important to support, not punish, Jourdan Dunn, who contributed to a beautiful photo shoot and who will surely have an ongoing and successful career in fashion."

But, I wonder, if Jourdan was visibly pregnant would they still have put her on the cover of a 'teen' magazine given all of the moral panics about teen mums? Jourdan is almost eight months pregnant now and due in December so obviously the shoot was done very early in her pregnancy. As I noted in an earlier post, Jourdan and her belly were featured in a sort of Gladiator-esque pregnancy corset by Gaultier during Paris Fashion Week.

Of her pregnancy, Dunn has said: "All I could think about was what my mom was going to say, my agency, my boyfriend. When I told my mom, she started crying and blaming herself. She got pregnant with me at the same age, and she said, 'I don't want you to have to go through what I did.'"

Sure it is great that Vogue editors didn't want to 'punish' Dunn for her pregnancy but one wonders whether the realities of young parenthood are made clear to the readers of Teen Vogue in the issue. Dunn is a beautiful woman but pregnancy for celebrities or in the world of fashion is invariably enrobed in glamour and it might have been more useful or perhaps progressive on behalf of the magazine to allow Dunn to express some of her worries about parenthood in order to educate other young women as opposed to pretending that everything is great.

Leicester teen birth video: shocking

"We know this film is hard-hitting but so are the numbers of under-18s getting pregnant in Leicester,' Tim Rideout, chief executive of NHS Leicester City, told Metro UK. "Nearly half the city's wards are classed as teen pregnancy 'hotspots'." Rideout says that posters and leaflets have been ineffective and it was hoped that the video would get the message across.


What do you think?

Teen pregnancy: makes you fat

Is anyone else disturbed by this headline?

Teen pregnancy boosts girls' risk of getting fat

Um, last time I checked, teen girls who get pregnant have a few other things to worry about becoming obese. You know, things like trying to not drop out of school.

Caesareans rising to alarming rates in US

Bad news: The caesarean rate has risen for the 11th year in a row in the US. With the caesar rate hovering at nearly 32% of births, Pam Udy, president of the International Caesarean Awareness Network advocacy group, has said, "Every pregnant woman in the US should be alarmed by this rate".

Bad news: The teen birth rate has risen for the second straight year thanks to crucial cuts in sex education funding in American schools. Basically, this is a case of too much sex and not enough contraception.

The most recent statistics have revealed that the US birth rate skyrocketed in 2007 to 4.3 million babies and nearly 40% of those births were out-of-wedlock and to mostly Hispanic and African-American women.

Good news: Premature and low-birth weight babies are decreasing after a long upward trend.

Source: Caesareans soar in the new US baby boom

Bristol Palin: motherhood is hard

Bristol Palin, 18, is back in the news following her candid comments about life with her baby Tripp. Have to give the girl credit, with a mother who bangs on about the importance of abstinence, when asked if she used contraception, Bristol declined to give details. Abstinence, she said, is the best option but "not realistic at all."

Apparently, her boyfriend Levi loves parenthood as well. According to People, "He has been staying at [the Palins' home] a lot with Bristol and helping her out," a pal of Levi's said. "He really likes being a father." Of course he likes being a father. Not having to wake up in the middle of the night, worry about losing the baby weight and dealing with the stigma of being a young mum is a pretty good deal.

Bristol, on the other hand, wants to be an advocate against teen pregnancy. "I'd love to [be] an advocate to prevent teen pregnancy because it's not, like, a situation that you would want to strive for, I guess." Ya think?

Sources: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/2009/02/bristol_palin_on_abstinence_mo.html?hpid=topnews
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20259679,00.html
Photo by: FOX News / AP

Another bouncing baby Palin

Alongside his uncles Track and Trigg, newborn Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston was born to Bristol (Sarah Palin's 18 year old daughter) and Levi, her boyfriend of three years yesterday. As a high school drop out, Palin caused quite a stir during the election campaign for not only being a pregnant teen but for also being unmarried. The drama hasn't stopped for the young couple, however. Levi's mother was recently arrested on felony drug charges.

I don't know what bothers me more, naming a baby Tripp or the fact that he's a Republican.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/9q3szc

Maternity fashion advice for Jamie-Lynn

Apparently the doyenne of fashionable American maternity wear, Liz Lange had this to say to People about Jamie Lynn and dressing up her bump:

"She's a young girl, so I would want to keep [her look] innocent."

Um. Right. She's clearly had sex and she's pregnant. What part of 'innocent' should she be trying to pull off?

"I think little cute dresses and jeans with tight-fitting tee shirts. ... She's 16, and I'd like to see her look her age. Britney was into cowboy boots with little dresses. That was her style. I'd like to see Jamie Lynn go a little plainer. [No] belly baring for her!"

I find these comments so bizarre, especially coming from a woman that made the pregnant belly the centrepiece of a maternity outfit. Lange's comments are almost shockingly incongruous with the veritably oppressive cultural enticements for pregnant women to dress like walking sex. I mean pregnancy is the most 'sexed' state of being a woman can embody in her lifetime. A pregnant belly is visible evidence that you have had sex. Just because Jamie Lynn is sixteen why is there still a sentiment that someone should be trying to protect her from the big, bad world of sex when she's already been a happy customer long enough to get knocked up? 'Looking her age' suggests that Jamie Lynn should be trying to re-capture the virginal status that is so often attributed to 'respectable' young women. The comment about 'no belly baring' similarly suggests that the exposure of her sixteen year old body would be too sexual, even though she is telling everyone she has had sex just by virtue of being pregnant!

Source: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20167356,00.html

Moral panic surrounding JL Spears

Well, from last glance, there are no less than 1,542 news items devoted to the Jamie Lynn Spears pregnancy 'shock' today. After a good 24 hours of critical thinking time, I am pretty appalled by the world's reaction (and even my own) to this young woman's pregnancy. This morning as I ate my toast, every breakfast show devoted at least two segments to 'How To Talk To Your Kids About Sex' as if the appearance of a pregnant 16 year old would induce thousands of 'innocent' teenagers to drop their drawers, find a partner, and start having illegitimate children as if teen pregnancy is a new phenomenon. Last year alone, there were 800,000 babies born to teen mothers in America.

Jamie Lynn is just more famous and a very rich version of the average pregnant teen. I take umbrage that the media has positioned this woman as a 'bad role model' as if she signed up for being a 'good role model' simply by virtue of playing a popular character on a wholesome kids show. The fact that Spears has been sort of forced to say this baby was made irresponsibly and that she didn't make the right decision is very sad for the baby who undoubtedly will grow up one day and find out that he/she was a 'mistake'.

Then I came across a number of news articles that were really shocking. As she is technically underage and her pregnancy legally considered a result of 'statutory rape' the internet rumour mill is buzzing with suggestions that her 18yr old boyfriend could be charged despite the fact that the sex they have clearly been engaging in is most likely consensual. Whether or not these charges are actionable remains to be seen, however, the very suggestion that Spears is a 'victim' of a predatory 'older' man is absolutely ridiculous. There is a thriving moral panic surrounding chastity and virginity when it comes to young women and I find it really hypocritical that allegations of rape are thrown around when it comes to a young woman but when young men engage in sex with older women (as in all of those cases with young boys and their female teachers) everyone cheers him on for the 'stud' that he supposedly is. Similarly, as much as mother Lynn Spears has had a rocky relationship with Britney and the press, the suggestion that Jamie Lynn's pregnancy is the direct result of her 'bad' parenting is unfair. Why doesn't Dad get slammed for failing to preach the virtues of chastity?

Whilst undeniably everyone agrees that becoming a parent at sixteen is less than ideal, we all have to keep in mind that these young celebrities are living in a pretty fast paced world filled with sex, drugs, a whole heap of money and a lot of rock n' roll. Jamie Lynn may be 16, but she's not stupid and surely knows how to take care of herself. If she feels old enough to be in a committed relationship with her boyfriend (who she met at Church!) who are we to say that she will be the epitome of 'bad mother'.

The best thing to come out of this strange situation? At least all of Jamie-Lynn's bad press is giving Britney a much-deserved break.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/2007/12/19/viacom-jamie-spears-face-markets-cx_er_1219markets01.html
http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/12/19/spears.statutory.rape/?iref=mpstoryview

A new generation of Spears calamity

Just when I thought the world of pregnancy was getting a bit dull, as I walked in the door from my 12km run this morning, my ears perked up with the news that Jamie Lynn Spears, our Brit's 16 year old sister, is knocked up. The father is her 19 year old boyfriend. Spears told People:

"It was a shock for both of us, so unexpected," Jamie Lynn told OK!, according to the Associated Press. "I was in complete and total shock and so was he."

Ya think?

Holy cow. Hasn't anyone in this godforsaken country heard of birth control? I mean 16! SIXTEEN!! Apparently, Brit Jr. is 12 weeks pregnant and she told her parents right before Thanksgiving. One wonders what will happen to her hit show Zoey 101. As I've said in response to Juno, teen pregnancy has never been a paradigm for emulation. Not that Jamie Lynn should be ashamed, but why would you go and blab to Ok! magazine considering all of the crap Britney has gone through with regard to motherhood? On the other hand, if Jamie Lynn is really happy about being pregnant, it's pretty crap that every news agency is slamming her for being irresponsible.

In other news...wait for it...Lily Allen is pregnant.The 22-year-old "Smile" singer has been dating the Chemical Brothers' Ed Simons, 37, since September. "As the pregnancy is at a very, very early stage, the couple ask that you respect their privacy," her rep said in a statement. "The couple will be making no further comment but they are obviously both thrilled by the news."

Sources: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20167059,00.html

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20167096,00.html

Juno: teen pregnancy is the new black?

I'm like a fish to water when it comes to pregnancy. Thus, when I read about Juno a few months back, I knew I had to see it..and I did yesterday. Juno is a surprisingly delightful comedy about an unplanned teenage pregnancy and particularly poignant given the recent statistics suggesting a 3% rise in American teenage pregnancy.

Juno is a 16 year old girl who unwittingly finds herself pregnant after her one and only shot with the boy of her high school dreams. A quick-wit with a razor sharp tongue, Juno is not a girl who is a 'victim' of her pregnancy as so many 'young' mothers are represented in popular culture. Rather, the story takes a few interesting twists and turns as Juno unhesitatingly begins her search to find a home for her unborn child.

There are a lot of reasons why it is easy to love Juno. Juno is a fearless heroine who sees pregnancy as literally a 'bump' in the road and not the end of her life. She finds humour in the nuances of pregnancy but she is also 'human' in a way that Katherine Heigl in Knocked Up never seemed to be able to convey. When it comes down to it, Juno is still only sixteen; she is painfully aware of her classmates staring at her belly, of the whispers down the hallway, and of the looks of disappointment she encounters in her town.

Nevertheless, there are a lot of reasons why Juno and Knocked Up, both in dealing with the issue of unplanned pregnancy, cannot seem to get it right for me. In both films, the female protagonists spend only a fleeting moment considering the 'A' word. Seth Rogan in Knocked Up can't even say the word when Allison considers abortion. Juno actually visits a clinic, Women Now (as she says, because she's a woman and she needs a 'hasty abortion'..now), but can't go through with it after seeing a highschool classmate half-heartedly chanting 'Every baby deserves to be born'. After all, Juno wouldn't be much of a movie if the main character decided on termination. The spectacle of teen pregnancy is literally pregnant with openings for jokes and that Juno is so strangely at ease with both being pregnant and giving her baby up, it makes for some seriously compelling viewing.

However, as much as I would like to give the film the benefit of the doubt for presenting a new and fresh perspective on teen pregnancy (always positioned as the worst experience any young girl might encounter), the lived experience of teen pregnancy is quite often a much more difficult road to traverse than what we see in the film. After all, these are teenagers were are talking about. Of the 3% rise in teen pregnancy last year, 95% of those pregnancies were to young women between 15-19 years old. This is a serious problem. Only last night, MTV's True Life followed a pregnant 18 yr old fighting for custody of the unborn baby with her deadbeat boyfriend. Unable to finish high school with literally 1 cent in her bank account, the one-hour docu-drama was as compelling as it was horrifying and sad. Whilst this young woman had a supportive mother, the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy were terrifying in that this particular young women didn't think she could get pregnant because her boyfriend told her she couldn't...and she believed him. This is surely a scenario that is not uncommon. The last ten minutes of the show featured her in the delivery room, literally screaming and in tears. It was real and raw and scary. The hairs on my arm were standing up as I watched this scene; Juno did not make me feel like that.

Don't get me wrong; I love a light-hearted comedy. However, women's bodies are becoming the fodder for jokes at a time when women's bodies (especially in pregnancy and birth) are at the most risk than ever before. These movies, as funny as they are, actually represent a roll-back of reproductive rights in the United States. For so long, the most popular American comedic films revolved around what I call 'gross-out' humour or young male stupidity along the lines of Jackass. Now, women's bodies are the punchline. Juno is a brilliant piece of fantasy; teen pregnancy is not easily resolved. Most young women do not have the luxury of rolling easily back into their lives with supportive parents and a boyfriend that inexplicably appears as the hapless hero despite being an equal contributor to the central focus of the film.

Katherine Heigl recently declared that she thought the premise of Knocked Up was 'sexist'. She was harangued online for seeming ungrateful for a role that clearly has made her star rise exponentially. However, she has a point. No matter how you phrase it, the female characters in movies like Knocked Up and Juno, are ultimately positioned as inferior for having failed at motherhood, pregnancy or the expectations of female beauty and selflessness that popular culture demands of them. In both films, birth is depicted as either absolutely repulsive (KU) or invisible (Juno). This sends a clear message that as 'funny' as a pregnant body is, actually getting a baby out into the world is too horrific, too ugly and too 'unfeminine' for the average joe to actually watch. We would rather pay $10 to see characters shot and maimed, women raped and abused or horrific scenes of war than the birth of child. We are perfectly happy to show women's naked bodies when they are plastered on billboards, in magazines and on TV, but when it comes to motherhood, the picture gets a bit blurry.

Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071215.wschneller1215/BNStory/Entertainment/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20071215.wschneller1215

Teenage pregnancy rises for the first time in 15 years

Sometimes I'm embarassed to be American.

New stats shows that teenage pregnancy has risen for the first time in 15 years thanks to George W.'s brilliant idea to cut funding for sex education programs in American schools only to replace them with 'abstinence only' programs. Under pressure from various evangelical organisations, George W. has successfully spent $176 million per year on abstinence education, allowing 435,000 babies to be born last year to mothers between the ages of 15-19.

Not only does the birth of a child compromise the ability of a young woman's ability to finish school, the cuts made to sex education funding in American high schools put millions of young Americans at risk of contracting STD's, including HIV and completely undermine the work of hundreds of women's organisations that worked tirelessly throughout the 90s to get the teenage pregnancy rate down to some of its lowest levels in American history. According to the Guttmacher Institute, one in three American teenagers receives no education about birth control. This is a statistic that should take your breath away.

I've raised a number of discussions in this blog about delayed childbearing and how in a number of ways, women having babies at 35 or 40 positively influences motherhood. Establishing a career, getting an education and becoming financially independent are just a few of the many factors that make women better mothers. We cannot rely on parents to teach young Americans about sex. All of the studies show that the most successful sex education happens in schools. The cuts to funding invariably affect poor and minority young women in America who are without the resources that middle-class, white Americans have a better chance of getting hold of. The president of Planned Parenthood says it best:

"The United States is facing a teen-pregnancy health-care crisis, and the national policy of abstinence-only programs just isn't working," said Cecile Richard, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "It is time for everyone who cares about teenagers to start focusing on the common-sense solutions that will help solve this problem."

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2223667,00.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/05/AR2007120501208.html?hpid=sec-nation