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Have you seen these ads? They were created by a Milwaukee, Wisconsin ad group with residents of Milwaukee as the targets, but they have been popping up all over the blog world. I have seen three different pictures of teenage boys with pregnant bellies photoshopped on.
Source: One Milwaukee
The subtext behind the advertisements, of course, is to present viewers with an arresting image so that they will stop and think about teen pregnancy, rather than dismissing it as an all-too-common sight or "not my problem." This campaign was specifically created with Milwaukee in mind as it has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country. There are also radio and television ads with various target audiences.
One Milwaukee, the organization behind the campaign, lists the negative outcomes for teen girls and their families, such as poverty, curtailed educations, and the fact that most of the fathers of these children (71%) are adult men--over age 20. They also specifically list the impact it has on the wallets of taxpayers: "The average cost for each teen birth and attended expenses has been estimated at a staggering $79,320." They conclude, "The result is the tapping of tax dollars for public assistance."
So what's your thoughts as you look at an ad like this? Honestly, my first thought was, "What is wrong with this puffy boy? Does he have the worms?" The large text across his body says nothing about pregnancy, and I had to google around to see the smaller text:
"Milwaukee has one of the highest teen birth rates in America, and it's a burden the rest of us end up carrying, through higher taxes for healthcare, education and other services teen mothers can't afford. So get beyond disturbed. Get involved at onemilwaukee.org."
Okay, so these boys are definitely supposed to be preggers. My next thought is then, well, they say they care about the impact on teen mothers on their website. However, it seems that since this ad says nothing to or about teen girls that this part of the campaign is directed at taxpayers only. Fine. Some people do need to be hit in their wallets to take notice of things, I suppose.
But what does this say about girls and teen pregnancy in a broader sense? If boys got pregnant people would actually care? It also assumes that teen pregnancy is inherently disturbing to all viewers. Also, I may be alone on this one, but there is something vaguely sexualized about these images. They recall the controversial Abercrombie and Fitch ad campaign of a few years ago. Think of the parallel--I have never seen an ad or picture with a pregnant teenage girl with her shirt off. Would these ads deliver the same message if the teenage boys were wearing maternity tops? Probably, and One Milwaukee could have saved money on dodgy photoshopping efforts.
I feel like something is missing in all of this. These ads show the (albeit warped) results of teenage pregnancy. Other arms of the campaign also focus heavily on outcomes of teen pregnancy. I also had to really poke around on One Milwaukee to find anything about prevention of teen pregnancy, specifically contraception. Overall, the campaign seems very well-meaning and necessary, but these ads are off the mark.
Ultimately, setting young women up as drains on the tax base seems like a hostile approach. Would this motivate you to jump in and get involved as a taxpayer? Or does this hark to the cries of "Welfare Queendom"? What do you think when you see these images?
Interesting discussion about these ads on Feministing.
Shameless Mag's take.
Sin City Siren compares to vodka ads.
