Glamorizing Teen Pregnancy?

Are they celebrities or the best birth control ever?

The ever elicit and opinionated Kim Kardashian has something to say about the controversy swirling around MTV's "Teen Mom" and "16 & Pregnant" franchise: teen pregnancy shouldn't be the "trendy thing to do". Kardashian quickly took to her personal blog to proclaim her concern for the supposedly ever-growing teen pregnancy rate in the U.S. after her appearance on the Today Show.

Though the idea of teen pregnancy has been splashed all over media outlets, statistics say that teen pregnancy rates have actually dropped - and that MTV can be thanked for that. In Janice Armstrong's article "Teen Pregnancy Rate Drops" for Philly.com, she compares the effects "16 & Pregnant" as well as "Teen Mom" to those of a "cold shower". Further in her piece, and interviewee suggests that the fear of glamorizing teen pregnancy through the media, may be a generational issue. While the older generation sees shows like "Teen Mom" and "16 & Pregnant" as a way to idolize teen mothers and reckless intercourse, the younger generation sees this as a wake up call and "probably the best teen-pregnancy PSAs that have ever been produced."

If Kim Kardashian feels that watching your peers go through agonizing pregnancies/labors and countless fights with families and/or significant others is glamorizing the notion of teen pregnancy rather than discouraging it, she must have a very obtuse definition of "glamorizing".

-Andrea W.