YOUTH PREGNANCY ADVERTISING SENDS A MESSAGE BUT IS IT A GOOD ONE?
You see ads everywhere, and seeing pregancy ads are quite common. I stared at one today pasted one of our city transit buses on my commute to work. The bus was painted Hot Pink WITH a body of a young black teen expectant mother. Although there wasn't a face to body of a youth I could tell it was a young lady's body. The adverstisement read: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! " Get your Happy Birthday Baby Book!" I didn't want to seem too prejudgemental, but I thought does this seem to project a positive message? I tried to look at it from other perpectives, that it may be discouraging teen abortions, baby abandonments or; even supportiing practices of good pre-natal health. I don't have any answers. It also could be seen as encouraging teen s*x as well, and that it's okay if you get pregnant. Personally, I don't agree with pre-martial s*x at any age, but I'm not from another planet, I'm in touch with reality I know it happens all the time. Do you think messages such as these are harmful or helpful? Often in society we are producing ads which enhances the same problem we are trying to prevent. Seeing that advertising today made me wonder if there was a positive message there? Is it a "reproductive" one? Ads like these can send out conflicts of messages. I think I would have better received the ad if there was a married couple or just seeing a wedding ring on the mother's finger. My caution light goes on, but then I am cautious about many things. Are we giving teen girls the go-ahead to have a baby, then, you can have you get your "Happy Birthday" Baby Book? I didn't read the fine print, it could of been there only it was just too small to see.
