Please view the video above. It is a PSA that was run in Midvale, UT. While viewing the video please take into consideration the feel of the video and the underlying themes that the creators are attempting to convey through the PSA.
1. How does this display of teen pregnancy differ from the teen mother portrayed on the magazine cover? Do you think the creators of this PSA were appealing to a specific demographic, why or why not? How are the setting, music and characters used to grab the attention of their target demographic? How is the male’s role in this PSA portrayed differently than the female’s role? How do their different portrayals affect how we view sexual responsibility? What is this PSA attempting to say about the reality of teen pregnancy?
2. How does this magazine cover relate to our theme Private vs. Public?
This commercial shows the effects on life of teen pregnancy as it is. Towards the end of the commercial it shows the couple on the street with their baby, while their friends are having fun in a limousine. The magazine makes teen pregnancy look “glamorous” in a way, and does not show the actual effects on life. The magazine shows how the couple is so happy together and living the life, when in reality they’re not happy. The creators of this PSA were trying to appeal to teens and show them the consequences of teen pregnancy. The setting of the commercial was very realistic, and looks like something that can really happen. It looks like a setting where all teens can relate to. The male was the one that tries to initiate sexual activity with the girl, but was rejected by the girl. Then the girl gives in, because she saw him flirting with some other girl. I think this shows that it takes two to make a mistake, that the girl should had been stronger and not give in. If the girl didn’t give in, she would not be on the street with the baby. The reality that PSA was trying to show that teen pregnancy is not “glamorous” and does not make you famous.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chen. This shows the realistic view of being a parent. The magazine cover is just a false outlook on the situation. The PSA did a great job in showing that the situation is hard and not easy as MTV and the magazine makes it seem.
DeleteAs for our topic, I think that the video is a message out to the public. Yes, it is based on someone's private life, but at the same time it delivers a message to prevent this from happening to others.
This PSA differs from the teen mother portrayed on the magazine cover in that the magazine shows a happy and care free teen mother, while the PSA shows teen pregnancy as a bad thing. The creators of the PSA were trying to get the attention of Hispanic culture based on most everyone in the film was of Latino race. Also, the language was in Spanish. Although there were many signs of grabbing attention of one certain demographic, there were subtitles in English and the last scene was yelled out in English. The male role is portrayed to be the one who forces the issue of sex in the first place, with the female not making a firm decision and giving in. I think having them get all the way to the bedroom door before saying "stop!", was significant in that they're trying to show that its never too late to say no. In the end they showed the consequences of teen pregnancy having the couple taking care of a baby instead of being out with friends (in the limo).
ReplyDeleteThis PSA relates to Private vs. Public in that getting pregnant as a teen is all private life until pregnancy can be seen and a baby is born. That becomes public knowledge that can have a negative impact on you. The public is going to judge you and know that you had a baby as a teen, and your private life will be changed completely. Private troubles will impact you and your family as well.
I would like to add something to my previous comment about private vs. public on the issue of teen pregnancy. I think the view on teen pregnancy has changed a lot compare to the past. It used to be frown upon and is a disgrace to the family, but now teen pregnancies are common. It is still frown upon, but our society has become more accepting than the past. There was no way that anyone would watch Teen Mom in the past, but now everyone knows about that show. Teen pregnancies were not something to publicized, and make teen moms look like celebrities. Pregnancies are something that is private and only concerns the family, but that has changed in this generation. For example, when celebrities have babies we always want to know what they look like. In a way, we are invading their personal lives.
ReplyDeleteChen, I agree with you about the view on teen pregnancy has changed. As you said, it may be still frown upon, but society gets more accepting than the past. I want to add up a point of view. Maybe public has to accept teen pregnancy because abortion is more likely unacceptable. It obeys humanity, and hurts teens both mentally and physically. So compare to abortion, giving birth sounds like a wiser choice.
DeleteChen i loved your analysis of this PSA. Though i agree with all of you points I'm wondering why you think Americans have become so accepting of teen pregnancy, and why we feel the need to be so involved of this private aspect of life. Personally I feel that the media controls a "good teen Pregnancy" and a "bad teen pregnancy" When Bristol Palin was first found out to be pregnant the media had a field day talking about how it would kill Sarah Palin's career because they deemed it such an irresponsible act of behavior, yet several months later the baby was represented as a symbol of how close the family was. If anyone has any insight i would love to hear who the American public deems ok to have a child when they are a teen and why do they think this. Is it because of media outlets or is it some other factor?
ReplyDeleteGreg, I think that the way Americans deem teen pregnancies is very simple and is shown in the comparison of the video and the magazine cover that were posted. In the video, the teens are average hispanic kids who don't show any indication of being overly wealthy. This is contrasted by the magazine cover with the famous, wealthy Jamie Lynn Spears on it. It is apparent that America doesn't mind (maybe even likes to see) a famous teen having a baby. But on the other hand, for any average teens, it is still frowned upon. I do agree with Chen that society has become more comfortable and accustom to teens having babies, although it is still looked down on. When a famous person, or someone who comes from a lot of money has a baby as a teen it is often times glorified and congratulated. Whereas normal teens are usually shunned by society for their "bad decisions".
ReplyDeleteI agree with Greg's comment on how important the media is in deciding if a teen pregnancy is good or bad. The Bristol Palin pregnancy was a perfect example of how powerful the media is. I also agree with Nick's statement on how society views famaous teen pregnancies and average teen pregnancies. I don't really know why it matters how much money you have because raising a child requires a lot more out of parents than just money. In my opinion, society should start viewing famous teen pregnancies in the same way we view a normal teen pregnancy.
ReplyDeleteThis PSA shows the negative effect of teen pregnancy, and the magazine cover shows the positive side. The creator of this PSA was trying to portray the boy to be irresponsible to sexuality, meanwhile the girl takes sex more seriously. I think that what he wants to convey that males are more likely to go for pleasure instead of thinking wisely about responsibility. At the end of the story in PSA, those two kids are holding their baby, meanwhile other kids still hanging out and having parties, this shows that teen pregnancy will raven teen's happy lives. Moreover, the creator uses the limo and music to show that more kids are in danger of teen pregnancy issue. The PSA relates to our course theme, Public vs Private. Why more and more kids get pregnant nowadays? The biggest reason I could think of is public media. Those fancy MVs, showing celebrities' private lives, parties, alcohol, casual sex, smoking, etc. All these contents will mislead teenage to a wrong way. They may simple copy those MVs because they may just wanna be as cool as celebrities. But the result of mistakes turns out to be a irreversible influence on teen's private lives, future lives.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone has a good understanding of the general idea of both the PSA and the pictures. They show the how teen pregnancy is glorified and also how it has a negative side. How TV and the media plays into the glorification. Now try to look more into the private and public idea some more and into the details that surround the PSA. How does race play into the PSA and the image? How about the community in which it takes place? For example the PSA takes place in the city (clues from the video) but what if the teen pregnancy was in a small town or a very religious setting or background? Think not about the physical pregnancy but how everyone around them reacts, think outside the box.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth I think that the community in which the pregnancy occures does play a major role in reactions it gets. In a city there are more people and less relationships between neighbors, and so the reaction from the community and peers would probably draw less attention. At the most people might think "wow that sucks" and "glad that's not me". The reactions within a smaller town would be direct and harsh, because in a small town everyone knows everyone and it is more of a tight knit community. In the case of a small town, I think that teen pregnancy is frowned upon much more than a big city.
ReplyDeleteNick, you answered my question well and you’re close to being right in how they react to teen pregnancy. Being from a small town it definitely plays into the reaction of teen pregnancy. My small town has a very strong Swiss Mennonite base and if you add knowing everyone and their business, things including teen pregnancy get interesting quick. To begin with we all know as soon as the teen girl finds out and we also know who the father is. We don't really shun them but they get treated differently but the community turns around and helps them out. For a small town there are factors that are taken out like the diversity, almost all the people are white in my small town. So when race plays into it, it is true for some places but not others.
DeleteThis PSA shows what we would expect a teenage pregnancy to result in. Normally, a teen mother would be struggling to pay bills and raise her child, not be sitting on a magazine cover with a smile on her face. I think that the creators were appealing to adolescents, especially ones coming from a lower class background. As Luke said, most of the actors were Hispanic and they seem to be in a small apartment, rather than a large house. In this video, the male is portrayed as the instigator. He doesn’t want to take no for an answer, so when he is rejected by one girl, he moves on to another to make her jealous. The female is portrayed as weak because as soon as she is "abandoned" by the male, she wants to keep him with her. This PSA is urging teens to keep their private lives from turning into a public PSA.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAs a member of group one I agree with Cam about people's privacy being breached with the specific ethnicity being targeted. But, with the fine lines of political correctness in todays world, there is almost no way to convey this message without crossing a line or two. People's privacy was breached long ago when teen pregnancy entered the media world, why is it that we have to be cautious of people's privacy, all the sudden, now that we're trying to get the topic out of the media? (Not saying I support targeting specific groups, just a general question)
ReplyDeleteAlthough I agree that political correctness in today's world has gone too far, I am still curious as to why it is only hispanic people being portrayed in this commercial while it was broadcasted in Utah. The makers of this commercial seem to be targeting one specific race of people instead of the entire teen pregnancy situation. I agree that the world today is too politically correct but this commercial targets a specific group of people and takes it too far.
DeleteThis PSA shows the reality of teen pregnancy unlike the magazine cover which, like Chen said, seems to "glamorize" it. The creators of this PSA were definitely appealing to a certain demographic, and that is teens today. The setting was very realistic - a party, with a guy and a girl, which on many occasions, is how teen pregnancies happen. The creators also used the music as an attention-grabber. The music was playing during the party, which symbolizes fun, but stopped while the couple was on the street with their new baby. This detail makes the viewers believe that there is nothing fun about teen pregnancy - that it is a very serious issue that many people take lightly.
ReplyDeleteThis video shows the true hardships of teen pregnancy while the magazine cover only dwells upon the good and enlightening sides of having a baby. At the end of the video it shows both of them waiting at the bus stop with the mom holding the baby and the dad in a suit, as if he was going to work. In todays world of teen pregnancy it is always assumed that the males go to work and the moms take care of the baby. This commercial or PSA is targeting the Latino community living here in the U.S. because the commercial is in Spanish and the music, I thought, had a latin american type sound to it.
ReplyDeleteAs a member of group 1, I find Connor's comment interesting, that they portray the father going to work, and the mother staying home? Is this falling into stereotypes? Also does this video seem to portray the mother as having more responsibility to the child? Why or why not? And going back to our theme, how does this relate to private vs. public?
ReplyDeleteThe video is trying to convince us of their statement to think twice, by the music, outfits and settings. Just like everybody else just mentioned. In my opinion it shows just one side of a very complex thing, it generalizes too much if you ask me. There is a hispanic young couple, on a party that makes the wrong decision. They might show a common situation, but this is definitely not always the case. Secondly, not being able to party should not be your first concern when raising a child. I think the commercial could be stronger if they would show that it takes a whole lot of dedication and effort to raise a child. The magazine goes even further. They pretend that teen pregnancy is not a big issue. The people on the cover are obviously happy and healthy. I think that this kind of articles can make young people less careful about what they do or don't do. To add this into the private and public topic, the magazine shows the private setting in public, but there's clearly no reality in that. It gives the readers (public) a wrong picture of what there daily live really looks like.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI believe everyone has had some really good insights into these two sources regarding teen pregnancy. There were many different aspects in this video that I find interesting. One of the major aspects is the way the male character in this video manipulates the young girl into having sex with him by pretending to be interested in someone else. Judging by the look on the girl’s face, the boy was playing on her own insecurities in order to provoke in her a feeling of sexual desire… (Or at least, the desire to keep him happy/interested.) Another thing I believe was trying to be inferred was the role alcohol plays in teen pregnancy. As we all know from the Toby Keith song, a red solo cup means booze…. This plays into the role of public vs. private by taking the private decision to have a sexual relationship with someone, and then having your decision put on display in front of all of your classmates. Everyone in that room knew what those two were going to go do. Then while everyone is heading to some sort of social event (probably the prom,) the two are laughed at and mocked while the male is heading off to work. (trying to take care of his family….) You could make an argument for the social stereotype that was portrayed in this video; however, I do not believe it was intentional. I think that scene was simply used to reinforce the message of the video.
ReplyDeleteThe obvious difference is pregnancy is glamorized compared to this one. And yes, I do think the ad was wanting to get the attention of certain demographics. One of which is people who speak Spanish, and the second is teens in general. I thought it was weird that the ad was in Spanish, but the end where they yell is in English. The setting was in a party, which is a scene a lot of teens are at these days. The music is hip hop, which quite a few teens listen to as well. And the characters are teens, which is good, because you want the spectators to make a connection with the characters. The male was dressed in clothes that relate to work. He had a tie and dress clothes on. The mom was dressed in clothes you would stay at home in, which shows that if you get someone pregnant, you will have to have some responsibilities. The PSA is also trying to show that pregnancy is a bad thing and you'll miss out on a lot of things. That's demonstrated by by the kids laughing and having a good time as they drive by in their limo.
ReplyDelete