Um, no
I have been watching this one go down….here from where I watch trends and gather the buzz, I have been watching this little storm brew it’s way to shore. We have had years of decrease in the teen pregnancy rate. Impressive years where the fruits of educational and public education efforts have paid off. We taught about birth control, we showed our daughters and sons their power and their responsibility. Maybe so much so that we have stopped talking about it enough - to each other, to our children, to the media. So quietly we have been going along — focusing on other trends such as fashion and gear and babymoons (and shame on us as so many of them have much less significance than our progress in this critical area) - some high, but mostly low-brow dialog and coverage, you know - When Did it Get Hip to Be Round (guilty as charged). And now I see this:
Teen Pregnancy Hip or Blip which cites an Canadian magazine article which asserts that the unwed celebrities having babies (Nicole Ritchie, Jessica Alba) plus the teen pregnancy Oscar contender that is Juno (factor in here too Waitress and Knocked Up) plus Jamie Lynn Spears have made teen pregnancy the latest in the long list of cool.
I don’t’ see it, I don’t buy it. Teen pregnancy rates have been consistently down since 2001. And yes, for 2006 there is a slight rise in the number. However, there is a rise in the number of pregnancies of women in their 20s, 30s and 40s as well. These numbers have shifted based on a wide range of pyschographic and demographic profiles. And due, is a large degree to major lifestyle changes in the US. And while we watch in awe and with female familiarity as celebrities make their way into motherhood (why not, this is likley one of the few common experiences we will have with Angelina Jolie or Heidi Klum) we are not molding ourselves in their image. Our interest, our fascination is simply a passing fancy — not a guideline for living.
Let’s be clear — ultimately our lives and our choices are ours — neither mandated nor suggested by film, celebrity nor another loose association. And to take will and choice away from women or even girls (as influenced by real women in their lives) and lump them into a trend is a real misinterpretation of associated facts — nothing more.
I don’t plan on moving away from being central in the dialog about the fun of pregnancy - I won’t remove myself from the discussion of fashion, design, lifestyle and the pure joy of it. I will however, make an effort to use my voice to keep the conversation more balanced and sound.