Bristol Palin and the Amazing Bitch Slap of Elitism
By now I’m sure you’ve all seen, or at least heard about Bristol Palin’s most recent PSA for the completely unrealistic, abstinence-pushing Candies Foundation. Most who are bringing this PSA up for discussion agree that warning teenagers of the very real consequences of [unprotected] sex is great. It’s also important to remember that any time someone, regardless of who they are, acknowledges their privilege and owns that privilege, it’s essentially a good thing; although it is a little fuzzy as to whether Bristol Palin has acknowledged her own privilege or the person who wrote her lines acknowledged it for her. But even when given the skeletal structure of something that could be positive, there are many ways to completely mess it up and even come off as offensive–which is exactly what this PSA did.
Transcript:
“What if I didn’t come from a famous family? What if I didn’t have all their support? What if I didn’t have all these opportunities? Believe me, it wouldn’t be pretty. Pause before you play.”
To be honest, I wish I paused before I played this video. Essentially, what this ad is saying is Bristol Palin is a high-profile teenage daughter of a celebrity (yes, I know that Sarah Palin is technically a politician, but come on now) and because of that, it was okay that she got pregnant because she has a family who supports her and she will not only be financially stable, but extremely, grossly well-off throughout her entire life. But all of you teen girls out there who are seeing this ad–you don’t come from high-profile families and you don’t wake up in the morning and have people pick out your clothes and do your hair and makeup for magazine covers, public service announcements, interviews and the like and because of that, well, you shouldn’t have sex until you’re married, where then you will, according to the conservative, abstinence-only education-pushing majority out there, have 2.5 children, a dog and a husband to financially support you and your ever-growing family.
Even the entertainment website E! online caught onto the ridiculous amount of privilege dripping from this PSA, saying:
“[Bristol Palin] may want to try for a more compelling message than, “I’m privileged, so it’s OK that I got pregnant, but you’re not, so don’t.” (We paraphrase…but just barely.)
This message firstly does a terrible disservice to those who have supported the Candies Foundation under the misconception that the foundation supported spreading comprehensive information to teens on contraceptives. Hell, Candies has featured sexually suggestive ads like crazy throughout the years, even going as far as to feature condoms themselves! The proof that the Candies Foundation can now be considered a conservative, abstinence-only-pushing foundation is evident in the fact that the ad pushes the tag line “pause before you play” instead of “protect before you play,” which would have made this PSA just a little more tolerable.
This PSA showcases elitism at its very finest. It comes out and hits us with the message that only those of a higher class are entitled to certain things–even motherhood. To suggest that those who are privileged are held to different standards is classist. While Bristol Palin is still, technically a teenager and while this ad is meant to be directed towards teens, I did get a bit offended by it, for more than just the obvious reasons and I suspect it may have hit a lot of you out there just the same.
Bristol Palin is 19 years old. She comes from a very wealthy family and from the Chanel jacket and pearls she’s wearing in the beginning of the video, as well as the decor of the room she is in, perhaps it is because of the wealth she was brought up in and is used to that misconstrues this entire PSA, making it terribly hard for the average, middle to lower class population to relate to.
Obviously, the PSA relies on that moment of truth, when the camera pans back and we’re shown Bristol Palin, sans fancy clothes and in your average, white t-shirt, jeans and her hair pulled back. This is, I guess, supposed to make teens think “Oh no! I don’t want to end up like that!” But in reality, the same people the Candies Foundation is attempting to appeal to look just like that, making this ad merely reinforce the same consumerist ideas we are already being fed constantly from every direction. Not having money to buy awesome and fancy things should not be the least of the worries of teen mothers today and the Candies Foundation does nothing to help address more important issues teen mothers have to deal with when trying to survive on a limited income. What about the fact that most teen mothers still don’t know who they are yet? These teen girls are still growing into the women they will become emotionally and when it comes to emotional intelligence, watching one episode of MTV’s 16 and Pregnant can tell you that is a core issue that needs to be addressed by foundations, corporations and people claiming to want to help teens avoid unwanted pregnancy.
Lastly, and this is just me, I’m 23 years old, have been on my own since I was 17, have no children and that sparse room with its windows and hard floors alone look nicer than any room in my entire apartment. And that couch? Well sure, I have a nicer couch than that, but only because mine is a 15-year hand-me-down from my father and before I got that, I had a futon–and it was broken. Just sayin’.
I am pulled in two different directions by Bristol Palin when it comes to her abstinence-only position. In essence, I would hope that Bristol realizes the amount of pressure teen girls feel when it comes to having of sex. Not all teens have parents who can or will speak openly to them about sex or how to protect themselves, not just from an unwanted pregnancy, but also from sexually transmitted infections and the media plays a huge role in influencing not just youth, but all people. So when Bristol Palin comes out on the cover of In Touch magazine holding her son Tripp, alongside her mother and brother Trig with the huge caption “We’re glad we chose life!” with a huge centerfold showing a glamorized Bristol playing with her son and then to come out with a PSA where she is being paid to look as miserable as humanly possible to essentially “sell” teens to the abstinence way of life, well, I get a little confused and if I’m confused, imagine what most teen girls out there are thinking.
I absolutely love the idea of telling teens not to have sex until they are ready to accept the responsibility of their own sexuality, but I am also realistic and instead of pushing an abstinence-only agenda, I would like to see more teens getting valuable information on how to protect themselves completely if they already are or are even thinking about having sex. I would hope that Bristol Palin would take the same approach, having been there herself.
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This really is pathetically out of touch. The fact of the matter is that many teenage mothers come from unstable family homes, with little income and unsteady foundations. If they are already living in the dumps, what does Bristol intend to threaten them with should they get pregnant? Things can always get worse, but Bristol seems to think that means not having fancy clothes, rather than the reality of poverty.
Since when do teens even pay attention to PSAs anyway? They don't!! Make a funny YouTube clip and you may actually get their attention.
Thank you for this post. I have been upset by this PSA since it started airing. I am a teen mother who does not come from a privileged family. I have raised my son almost solely on my own for two years. We have our own apartment much bigger and nicer than the one in the ad. We both have nicer clothes and furniture than depicted. This is because of nobody but myself. I worked hard by going to cosmetology school, college, and working a job. I buy everything we need. And I have succeeded in my life. I hope that her son never has to see this ad when he grows up. I would feel so upset and ashamed. Thanks for your insight. I will be back to your sight!