Women's Studies 2161A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: Teen Mom, Moral Panic, Psychological Abuse
30 Apr 2018
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100% Preventable- Teen Motherhood, Morality and the Myth of Choice:
• MTV’s 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom presented unfolding disasters- stripped
autonomy, w lim opp and all future promise taken away by own poor choices
• Both pop imagination young motherhood and social supports provided young moms
begin from same fund oversimplification- specific challenges faced young W choose
parent individ difs, evidence bad choices/ bad values/ both= difs more complicated
• Decision parent results compromised life- social and edu choices curtailed and future
presented grim and lonely
• Experience violence and verbal abuse parents and partners- shown prob, yet specific
political context violence against women oddly min- divorced struct roots and viewed
inev consequence poor choice indulge promiscuous behav and welcome life young
motherhood
• Poverty inescapable outcome young moms- not lims supports offered could cont
responsibility pov and violence many W experience= deserve it
• Force audiences confront ambivalence about sexuality, youth and motherhood- shows
considered evidence moral panic around young motherhood
Discourses of motherhood: “Babies having babies”:
• Hallmark card version mom stabilizes maternity as ass w stability, strength and
selflessness often withdrawn from young moms who viewed instead distinctly unstable,
weak and selfish
• Motherhood something all women expected to do, but only in “right” social, economic
and sexual circs- messages teen moms strongly reinforced by MTV
• 16 and pregnant begins conveying paradox: young women can be teens/ moms, unable
reconcile 2 discursively opposed positions- slaying one ident-teen- w imposition another-
mom
• Dissonance b/w expected routines carefree adolescence and emergent realities
parenthood thus shown inev recipe for disappointment and sadness
• Young moms not held high standards b/c overtly mothering against societal standard of
good mother- may expose deeply held beliefs about sanctity childhood
• Soc reveres childhood, moms meant be selfless and immediately put kids needs above
own- young moms, expectation nec curtails own childhood
• Other life difs viewed impressive efforts by courageous youths but young moms met w
derision and scorn b/c have sacrificed own childhoods, and done so by engaging in sexual
activity
• Sex led become moms makes incapable meeting requirements “good” moms
• Legal and societal concept child dev modern society become divorced from sexuality and
meant part dif acknowledge emotional and physical capacity teens for sexual activity
• Still good teen moms but tend be under conds considerable adversity, conds limit their
pot and that of their children
Violence and abuse:
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