Monday, September 6, 2010

Privilege, Pregnancy, and the Palins

Anyone that has ever watched the MTV show Teen Mom has probably had the misfortune of watching the commercial for the Candie's Foundation featuring Bristol Palin. And anyone who hasn't had the misfortune can watch the commercial on youtube at this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpHlztPeHf8


The gist of the commercial: Bristol Palin holding her baby in her nice home, looking pretty and together. She looks into the camera and asks "What if I didn't come from a famous family? What if I didn't have all their support? What if I couldn't finish my education? What if I didn't have all these opportunities? Believe me, it wouldn't be pretty." As she asks each question, she gets more and more unkempt until finally, at the end of the commercial, she is wearing a baggy white t-shirt and jeans with a messy pony tail standing in a shabby looking home with her baby walking around on the floor. This scene creates a great impact for her final word of advice: "Pause before you play."

The message that I get from this commercial is that teen pregnancy is only okay if you come from a famous family that can support you with their wealth. Otherwise, you're going to be a terrible parent.

Now I'm not saying that teen pregnancy would not often be easier if you were wealthier and simply didn't have to worry about money, but I am saying that it's not always the case. I know several teen moms that are not wealthy, but are wonderful parents (contrary to the subtle message from this commercial that rich people hold their babies and poor people let them crawl around on the floor). Some of them had their family's support, and some of them didn't. Wealth and fame do not create parenting skills. A rich teen mom is just as likely to be a terrible mom as a poor one.

This just shows how clueless the Palin family is. This commercial reeks of privilege. Bristol Palin is so privileged that she probably never even considered how this commercial could be offensive. She has probably never even thought about the fact that wealth doesn't correspond with success, with happiness, or with being a good family. To Bristol Palin, love and support apparently involve shelling out a bunch of money so she can still go to school. But love and support come in different forms, and some people have to work to be able to provide their education.

Had I gotten pregnant at seventeen, things would have been tough. I was working as a hostess and living with my mom who was working two jobs. It would have been difficult for me to finish school. But I believe that things would have been okay. My parents, though unable to throw a bunch of money in my direction, would still have been there and supported me as best they could. I would have found a way to keep working and putting myself through college. And I am fully confident that had I gotten pregnant at seventeen I would have been every bit as good of a mom as Bristol Palin is. Maybe even better because I wouldn't be using my baby to tell other people that they would suck at parenting.

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