I’m not going to harp on the obvious irony of Bristol Palin leading a campaign against teen pregnancy. Nor am I going to wonder how Tripp Palin will feel when he grows up and watches the videos of mom talking about how she wished she hadn’t gotten pregnant right then.
What I’d like to focus on instead is the fact that her abstinence campaign is sponsored by Candie’s, a clothing line for girls. Britney Spears is their model and, not surprisingly, her job is to sell ultra-sexiness.
This is not a new point but this seems as good a time as any to remind us: you can’t teach girls to avoid sex at the same time we’re teaching them that one of the most important things in life is to be sexy…as early as possible. Candie’s, of course, isn’t alone. Girls are bombarded from every billboard and teen magazine with the same message.
But it’s hard to think of an example illustrating quite the lack of self-awareness as Candie’s. Come on eleven-year old girls — Britney wants to sell you this black, lacy thong! But first a message from Bristol Palin about abstinence!