Ashlee Reece
Today (3/7) in class we discussed choice. We also discussed how choice was represented in 16&Pregnant.
In most of the episodes I viewed choice was under represented in the show. Most of the times the choice was left up to the parents and the teen kind of went with the flow and rolled with the punches because they weren't seen to have any power. So the question that I pose to you is "why is it that the teen females are portrayed to be so powerless?" I understand that being pregnant is not an easy "dilemma" and one would want to seek advice and guidance, but it's almost as if the mother's completely waive their rights as a mother/parent. On this show the girls also depend a lot on others. Not that they are in any position to be on their own, but it just surprises me that all of the shows are pretty much the same when it comes to portraying choice and independence. The only episodes where i feel choice was exercised was with Farah, Markai, and Catelynn. Farah choice came into play when she was deciding to date and find a father figure for Leah against her mother's wishes. This is a common choice that single women are faced with after their have children because they want to fulfill that american dream. Markai was faced with a choice to have an abortion which could be a choice for other women but is not portrayed and lastly Kaitlyn made a choice to give her child up for adoption against the wishes of her parents. Choices effect our everyday lifestyle's which is why they are so essential, but if teens didn't have any influence playing on their choices about being a parent how would those decisions change?http://nicedeb.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/abortion-rights.jpg
Chasidy Allen Says:
ReplyDeleteI believe that not too many people understand CHOICE, because our society has brainwashed us into believing that we don't have a choice when it comes to raising children. There are so many people in this world who are against abortion. But the problem is they don't stop to think about rather or not the "parents" are fit to raise their child. It also brings up the issue with adoption. Some mothers are not fit to give up their child esp. when you have spent 9-10months with this child growing inside of you. They've grown so close to this child and they would feel horrible giving their child away. Some mothers think that their child is going to grow up thinking that they didn't love them If we as a society were more supportive and not pushing young mothers and fathers toward marriage we would function alot better as a whole. Choice is a hard topic to talk about because it all relates back to the individual's beliefs.
Ashlee,
ReplyDeleteI agree that they portray the teen moms in a way that makes them seem powerless. There isn't a lot of coverage of them thinking over things or weighing their options. They usually just show the final decision, which oftentimes is made by their parents or the boyfriend. I think media does this on purpose though.
The media doesn't want to glamorize teen pregnancy. I think they want to show it as something that teens would not want. So they portray the moms as not being able to do anything on their own and unable to make decisions. In some cases maybe this is an accurate portrayal but it's hard to believe that every teen mom is powerless.
Also, if teens were shown as thinking rationally about decisions and researching and evaluating what changes would mean for their life, that makes them seem like an adult. And then a teenager's decision to have a baby would be looked at differently. So overall, I think the media is fully aware of how they portray teen moms and they do it that way on purpose.
-Madeline Schroeder
I also agree that the show makes the teens look like they do not have a choice. I think teen mothers are portrayed as being powerless because they are so young. Our society looks down apon them because they got pregnant at such a young age and without being married. The episode that really shows a teenage mother being powerless is Lori's episode. Her parents basically forced her to give her baby up for adoption. I think that parents should have some influence on what the teenage mom does, but I do not think they should have the power to make the decision for them. That is a very important decision for a mother and the mother needs to ultimately make that decision on what is best for the child and herself.
ReplyDeleteElaina
The most frustrating thing about choice is that teen parents think that they have none. I know that parental influence is very important to teens, but when it comes down to it, it is the teen's choice and no one's else. In our last episdoe we watched with Laurie, her mom made the decision for her. She refused to talk to Laurie about it if the topic wasn't adoption. Laurie never got the chance to research other options on her own without the guilt of her parents. Her parents never told her the joy that a child can bring or that they supported her. The only thing the parents referenced were their religion, they didn't even include the teen dad's family in the decision. It takes two people to make a baby and it should be those two people who have the final say on the future of that baby.
ReplyDelete^Maggie Anderson
ReplyDelete