Teen Vogue features pregnant covergirl, moral panic ensues

Seems that some people are upset that one of the models on Teen Vogue‘s November cover is pregnant.
19 year-old Jourdan Dunn isn’t visibly pregnant, but talks about her pregnancy in the magazine.

The cover has raised eyebrows among some parents, teens and advocates against teen pregnancy.
“There’s no message to send to them that that’s not OK. Maybe if she’s on the cover to tell them ‘Be careful,’ that’s one thing,” said Catherine Essig, a 19-year-old sophomore at Dallas’ Southern Methodist University, who was concerned about 15- and 16-year-old readers.
Many advocates said parents should use the cover as a way to talk to their kids about sex and the importance of planning pregnancies for the right moment in their lives.
“Teen parenting isn’t glamorous, even if you are a teen model,” said Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association.

First of all, I’m not sure why this magazine cover is scandalous and this one isn’t. Teen pregnancy is talked about and featured everywhere – from glamorized pics of Bristol Palin to MTV”s 16 and Pregnant. And the fact is, the teen pregnancy is a reality – the teen pregnancy rate in the U.S. went up for the second year in a row for the first time in a decade (thanks, abstinence-only education!). Is it really better to hide the issue?
I understand concerns about making teen pregnancy seem “cool,” but I don’t think that shaming young women who are pregnant or ignoring their existence is an answer. As Teen Vogue Editor-in-Chief Amy Astley said, “Teen pregnancy is a difficult, real-life issue that Teen Vogue readers (with an average age of 18) are mature enough to be exposed to…[we] felt it was important to support, not punish, Jourdan.” Agreed.