Now, I may not agree with her mother’s stance on the issues, but I truly feel sorry for Bristol Palin.
Why did her mom put her out there like that and accept the vice presidential nomination, knowing full well her daughter’s pregnancy would be criticized and picked apart by news outlets, pundits, bloggers and gossip sites?
Now she has to deal with a number of issues: having a baby with the world’s eyes on you, seeing your relationship with the baby’s father plastered all over the news and the Tyra Show, being trotted out as an example of “why teens should wait,” etc. How much does it suck to be her right now?
I don’t think teen moms (or young, unwed moms) should feel like they need to hide in shame, but don’t they have any privacy? Take her interview on Good Morning America for example.
The interviewer comes out and asks, “You got pregnant – why? Was it a conscious choice? You chose not to use condoms?” Wow – can she have her business back please? Could you be any more condesending?
Watch the interview and tell me what you think: Did it make you uncomfortable? Or does Bristol deserve this attention since her mother is a public figure?
Tell me: Why is it so hard for everyone to believe that Bristol has the right to discuss abstinence? Just because she’s had a baby, that somehow makes her unqualified? Just because she says her son is a blessing, that someone conflicts with her statement that “abstinence is the only 100% foolproof way to prevent pregnancy”?
Hell, I’ve got two kids and I would tell anyone who’s not ready to become a mom to keep it in their pants – because the reality of motherhood is no joke. A 20-year-old virgin can’t speak to that fact.
Your thoughts?
I can’t watch the film at work, so I’ll have to hit up this website again when I get home this evening, but I COULD NOT AGREE WITH YOU MORE. Regardless of my politics, I don’t think any child of a public figure has signed up for having their intimate lives dissected by the media. Moreover, a young woman like Bristol Palin who has experienced pregnancy and is in the throes of new motherhood is far more qualified to speak about the benefits of abstinence than a woman her age who has refrained from sexual activity. This might not be the best analogy, but I look at it this way. If I want a kid to fear herpes, I find someone who HAS herpes and ask them to discuss herpes with the kid. If I want a kid to fear smoking, I find someone with smoking-induced lung cancer. If I want a kid to fear drugs, I find someone who went to prison for possession. And if I want a kid to consider refraining from sex, I find someone who had an unexpected pregnancy.
Great topic!
@ Sarah – EXACTLY! It’s more powerful when you can speak from experience. Bristol might not be the average teen mom (living in the governor’s mansion and all) but it’s still rough. She’s still a single mom, regardless of the luxuries afforded to her. I say leave her alone. She didn’t sign up for this…
I saw this interview and I thought the same thing. She handled those questins much better than I would have. He asked for the business but she was not giving it up.
I am going to guess he asked her these questions because now she is all of a sudden a spokesperson and yet she really is not drawing from her own experience. There is no “reallness” being shown from her. Maybe had she drawn from her experience which we really don’t know about….clearly, then those question could have been avoided.
However, it was as if Chris Cuomo wanted a play by play. He could have tastefully asked her if this was a planned pregnancy. Obviuosly, if she wasn’t spilling on her own, then she did not want to tell. Which brings me to this theory: Why are she all of a sudden a spokes person and she doesn’t want to tell us about her experience? What are other teens suppose to draw form nothing? NOTHING!