Listen and you can hear it: the roar of airwaves buzzing, keyboards clicking, presses clattering, talk radio gasping and tv commentators shouting. Why?
Because some 14 and 15 year old girls in Massachusetts appear to have gotten pregnant on purpose and be happy about it.
Judging by the media furor, the fact that these girls chose to get pregnant means the world is going to end soon. Oh, and it means teen girls are certifiably insane. Oh, and it means that feminism is to blame. And celebrities and movies and the depressed economy of Glouscester, MA, etc., etc., etc.
One of the most thoughtful blogs I've seen on this is Courtney Macavinta's post at RespectRx that focuses on how self-respect and respect from others (and their lack) play such a critical role in the decisions that teens make.
Teen girls are confronted by lack of respect daily in the media. The media act like ocean waves eroding the already shaky self-respect of teen girls. In part, teens are susceptible to disrespecting themselves purely because of their developmentally normal confusion about who they are and where they belong. That's understandable.
What's NOT acceptable is the way media undermines girls' self-respect in countless ways.
What are the ways you see girls being disrespected in the media? Let me and other readers know by commenting. Let's start a list and then we will keep on working to make that list shorter.
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