Frances Ruiz
Staff Writer

It all started three years ago with the release of an independent film named Juno.

You may have heard of it.

With its humor and biting wit, this seemingly harmful movie sugar-coated and glamorized the life of a pregnant teen as well as the struggles, triumphs and disappointments she faced during her pregnancy.

It was this film that not only kicked off the recent explosion of teen pregnancy, as it now appears in every media outlet, but inspired false hopes, beliefs and ideals in teen girls throughout the nation.

As soon as the film finished and the credits began to roll I knew that teen girls would watch what I had in fact just finished watching and think it was okay, or even cool, to be a pregnant teenager.

While I knew that not every girl would buy into the glorified teen mommy act as portrayed by movies and television shows alike, you would be surprised at how many already have.

Just the other day I was reading an entire article describing four different teenage girls who watched shows like The Secret Life of An American Teenager and were either inspired to become pregnant, or felt that getting pregnant would not be all that bad.

It seems they were wrong. 

At the end of each girl’s personal account they felt as though movies and shows depicting teen pregnancy led them to believe it would be an entirely different experience- one where they could go to school, maintain close relationships with their friends, stay on top of class work and successfully raise their child.

While I know that most teenage girls are able to watch television shows and movies related to teen pregnancy while keeping a level head, differentiating between the realities of life and the glamour of Hollywood proves to be too much for some.