Opinion |

Pressure to procreate too pervasive in pop culture

By Adrianne Hess

Posted on Monday, October 1st, 2007, 12:00 am

Last week saw the DVD release of “Knocked Up,” a seemingly hilarious fairy tale involving an ill-conceived night of passion and the gynecological aftermath, where they all live happily ever after. The film rated highly, and stood up well to critics who called it uproarious and a crowd pleaser, confirming a claim that a character in the film makes, that pregnancy is “in.”

For anyone who has ever gone through a supermarket checkout line, it’s obvious we live in the shadow of the Hollywood lights, forming opinions on the latest shenanigans of Nicole Ritchie, in tabloid cover play-by-play narrative, as someone scans our mac and cheese. For the past couple of seasons, whether through mini-skirts with Ugg boots or tapered jeans with ballet flats, the bump has continuously been the universal “must have” accessory.

In Hollywood, the bump can reform a sinner, save a reputation and excuse bizarre behavior and a few extra pounds, but to us mere mortals, the bump is not a career move, but a living person tacked with a lot of responsibilities and sacrifices.

We live in a scary world, fraught with war, economic uncertainty, overpopulation and extremely high divorce rates. Nearly a third of all kids live in single parent family situations and nearly a fifth live in poverty, according to census data collected by htt://www.kidscount.org. These staggering numbers and the suffering of each individual disadvantaged child further prove that parenthood shouldn’t be rushed into without careful consideration.

Putting aside the doom and gloom, in any situation, serious thought must be given to the matter before undertaking the task of parenthood. This is not to say that people shouldn’t start families. The urge to rear children is a naturally ingrained instinct that should be celebrated. Even outside of the most ideal situation, sometimes kids just happen and there is no reason to mourn that gift.

A woman should consider her age, goals, economic situation, health, background, romantic stability, the feelings of her partner, completion of education, cultural influences, extended family and many other factors. This period of deliberation is a luxury afforded to us by the plethora of ways that pregnancy can be avoided.

Along the same lines, why isn’t birth control trendy? Why doesn’t US Weekly report on how fetching Kiera Knightly looked strolling Santa Monica Pier with a smoothie, a date and a bejeweled designer birth control patch?

The celebrity life of talent, money and beauty is an enticing one and many people do look to celebrities to draw parallels to their own lives. Most of the time, the results of this phenomenon are innocuous, but in the case of a baby boom, individualized decision-making is where it’s at. There are plenty of wonderful reasons to start a family, but when it comes to following trends, perhaps it is better to just stick with abysmal footwear. Children may be a gift, they may be a burden, but they are certainly not a fashion statement.

Adrianne Hess is a senior new media major and, thankfully, not knocked up.