"There is difference and there is power. And who holds the power decides the meaning of the difference." --June Jordan

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Brace yourself for the impending slut-shaming media reactions:

 
 
 
I don't mean to be a pessimist.  Maybe we can hope for some great non-misogynist commentary on this.  But I'm not holding my breath for it. 

4 comments:

Unknown said...

My father was telling me about it today. I don't follow the main stream news and was clueless. I just posted an article on my blog yesterday about teen pregnancy. The argument that the aothor was making was that teens engage in risky sexual behavior when they don't have any sense of hope in the future. Having worked with teen moms I see this. Many have babies so that there is someone in their life to love them. I struggle with the teen pregnancy debate because the blame is so overtly placed on the FEMALE AGAIN. Plus, sometimes I find that the debate is framed with a white-middle class lens. I know some teen moms that have changed their lives for the better when they have had a baby. All in all, this debate is just one more example of why women's rights to make decisions about her own body.

Tracey said...

Margaret: Very good points. Especially the "white middle class" thing. It bothers me so much how teen pregnancy is seen solely as the responsibility of girls, and how it's all tied up with "morality". We don't tend to punish or brand teenage kids for having sex in the first place (in fact, we often expect it), but as soon as that sex results in a pregnancy, it's somehow a huge scandal.

Unknown said...

I would argue that our current administration would like to brand youth who have sex. The current is shifting though.

montblanc rollerball pen said...

Many have babies so that there is someone in their life to love them. I struggle with the teen pregnancy debate because the blame is so overtly placed on the FEMALE AGAIN. Plus, sometimes I find that the debate is framed with a white-middle class lens. I know some teen moms that have changed their lives for the better when they have had a baby. All in all, this debate is just one more example of why women's rights to make decisions about her own body.