Jamie Lynn Spears' pregnancy has hurt more than her reputation
Date published: 5/8/2008
BY SARAH KEITH
When it comes to a list of my favorite things, Jamie Lynn Spears is definitely not on it. She's probably down there with sunburns, the chicken pox and people who insist Latin is dead.
First of all, she is 17 now--and pregnant. Many people come to her defense, saying that if it were anyone else, it would be fine because they wouldn't be famous. But it's not the same thing. Children all over the country have watched her show, myself included. And many of those viewers have come to look up to her as a role model, which, up until the announcement of her pregnancy, she had been. How are parents supposed to explain to their children that Jamie Lynn had a baby and had to stop working on the show? How does it affect the children who had once idolized her?
Being in the spotlight, especially on a children's show, people are held to a higher standard. They're supposed to be positive examples of how to live. Teenagers who work on Nickelodeon are not supposed to get pregnant--especially not with a nation of children watching their every move.
Not only has Spears' rash decision affected herself, but it has led to the end of what I thought was a great show. What about the other actors? Because of her pregnancy, at least half a dozen other talented cast members are out of a job, due to no fault of their own. It's taking good, positive programming off Nickelodeon, and replacing it with reruns of cartoons with flatulence as the punch lines. It has been no good for anyone involved.
Furthermore, it certainly hasn't helped the scandalous behavior and supposed mental illness of Spears' older sister, Britney. When Jamie Lynn sold her sob story for 1 million dollars, she, purposefully or not, took all of the much-coveted attention from Britney and refocused it on herself.
With her reckless decision, Jamie Lynn Spears has led to more trash and scandal in the media--and the exposure of what kind of girl she really is. And, thanks to her, 10-year-olds will want to be pregnant just like Zoey.
Sarah Keith is a freshman at Riverbend High School.
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