|
18 years
old and pregnant with twins.
Stunned,
I couldn't speak. I couldn't move as I heard the words spill forth
gaily from her mouth. What to say?
Twins?
Not only is she pregnant, but with twins. She is comforted by
the hand of the father who, and I commend him for doing this,
is still committed to her and will marry her. What saddens me
is the things she won't let on, things that, whether she knows
it now or not, will be an issue eventually. What about her future?
No college. No job. So what happened to the equal opportunity
laws she was greatly looking forward to taking advantage of? Gone.
What is
happening to the young women today? We have a world of opportunity
at our fingertips, but we're trapped. So many of us believe the
lies that television feeds us. 'You must find a mate. You must
be this height/ weight/ race in order to be noticed. Beautiful
girls put out.' Says who? Girls! Open your eyes! Do you really
think that all those powerful women not long ago, who fought endlessly
for our freedom, and our rights, did it so you could sacrifice
it all and be pregnant by the time you are 13, 14, 15, and even
18? Yes, even 18 is young these days to be having children (At
least in North America).
So you
want your freedom. Let me tell you something. Sex may appear to
have freedom written all over it, but it doesn't. Does pregnancy
mean freedom? No. It means the opposite.
So what
about abortion? Well, I know I'll be stepping on toes when I say
this, but we've spent far too much time fighting for the rights
of women that we forgot to fight for the rights of children. So,
now you know, I'm a pro-life advocate. I'm not going to yell at
you if you get an abortion, but it kills me inside.
I'm disturbed
by the role models many young women have their eyes on these days.
While I admit I love television, and movies, I also know that
the images of women, and the promiscuity presented there, have
become outrageous. Sexual freedom has gone overboard. We should
be fighting for personal freedom, equal wages, unity of the sexes,
and we are. But what good is our fighting if no one, or hardly
anyone, is listening?
We, as
women young and old (and men too) need to understand that the
media, unfortunately, lies to us every day (with an over-abundance
of no-consequence decisions), but we don't have to believe those
lies. There is good in the media, but it's still full of crap.
Be careful.
Girls!
Young Women! You're better than this! Take care of yourselves!
Don't read fashion magazines. It's true, they will only make you
feel ugly. Be who you are, not who you think you should be, and
don't sell yourself short.
If you
are really in love with a guy, wait. Wait until you are married
or at least until you are old enough to undertake the consequences
of an accidental pregnancy. Get a job you love and shoot for the
stars! We have so much opportunity these days, and it's only going
to get better. Never EVER settle for second best.
Smart,
educated, and strong --now THAT is sexy!
[Note:
Try watching Dana Scully (X-Files) or Nikita instead of, or at
least as well as, soap operas and shows like 'Friends' (which
by the way I am a fan of, so I understand the draw). If possible,
avoid shows that present women as sex objects (Baywatch for example).
The two shows listed above feature powerful women in strong leading
roles. Women who use their brainpower are the ones who make an
impact on our world.]
Copyright
©2000 Kimberley May Maurice.
comment?
discuss this article on our discussion
board
|
