Last winter, moviegoers laughed as Rainn Wilson told Ellen Page “Your eggo is preggo, no doubt about it” in Diablo Cody’s Oscar-winning film “Juno.” The orange and white stripes of the movie’s promotional poster were everywhere, advertising the coming-of-age story of a pregnant teenager. Along with Michael Cera wearing disturbingly short running shorts, the poster featured Ellen Page’s character, Juno MacGuff, with a very pregnant belly. Most people didn’t give the poster a second thought. The movie itself focused very little on the issue of Juno’s pregnancy, imposing no judgment on her character for getting pregnant and for considering an abortion. If this were the only case of teenage pregnancy in the spotlight, I wouldn’t spend so much time analyzing a movie whose dialogue includes the phrase “home skillet.” However, teenage motherhood seems to be a reoccurring theme.

Around the time of Juno’s release, it was announced that Jamie Lynn Spears, star of Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101 and sister of pop star-turned-dysfunctional mother Britney, was pregnant at the age of 16. It wasn’t shocking after watching Britney shave away her credibility along with her hair, but it was still major news in our celebrity-obsessed culture. I do use the term “celebrity” loosely with Jamie Lynn Spears. Luckily for Nickelodeon, the final season of Zoey 101 had been taped pre-pregnancy, and the network issued a vague statement saying their primary concern was “Jamie Lynn’s well-being.” A month after the conclusion of her TV series, Jamie Lynn gave birth to daughter Maddie Briann. Granting an exclusive interview to OK! Magazine, Jamie Lynn described her limited and disgustingly perfect experience with motherhood. Jamie Lynn told the magazine, “I had a perfect pregnancy and a perfect delivery,” mentioning that “there’s no screaming or crying” at night. Other topics addressed were Casey Aldridge’s superb daddy skills and the ease with which Jamie Lynn was losing the baby weight. Did the interview glamorize teenage motherhood? Maybe not intentionally, but it painted a sunny picture of what most young mothers will tell you is a very challenging experience.

According to a report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in December 2007, the teen birth rate in the United States increased for the first time since 1991. The 3 percent increase followed a period in which teenage births fell by 34 percent between 1991 and 2005. While it’s too early to determine whether this is a new trend, it is interesting that this report came out in the same month as Juno’s release and Jamie Lynn Spears’s pregnancy news. Could it be that the increase in teenage births is directly related to society’s changing attitude toward young motherhood? Young mothers absolutely should not be shunned — a young woman should be supported in whatever decision she makes. We have come too far as a society to look down upon women for giving birth, no matter what circumstances surround the situation. However, I am disturbed by what seems to be a glamorization of young motherhood. Society has gone beyond supporting young mothers, and has embraced a trend that still can be prevented. It’s unnerving to watch high schoolers and even middle schoolers coo over a friend’s round belly. This attitude was taken to a new level at Gloucester High School in Massachusetts, where 17 girls — none over the age of 16 — were expecting children in June. As the young women took pregnancy tests in the school nurse’s office, they seemed disappointed by negative results, and cheered over positive results. Following an investigation, it was revealed that the girls had made a pact to get pregnant and raise their children together. This incident brought into question the school’s attitude toward pregnant students, causing people to wonder if the school had embraced young motherhood too strongly.

Most recently, teenage pregnancy has made the news in vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s announcement that her seventeen-year-old daughter Bristol is expecting. An interesting development in a colorful presidential election, this announcement has sparked plenty of discussion. The fact that a Republican candidate has accepted this twist in his campaign says a lot about the shift in society’s viewpoint, as the Republican Party is known for its conservative stance on family values. In December, Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly provided this quote: “On the pinhead front, sixteen-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant.” He went on to say that “the blame falls primarily on the parents of the girl.” Now that the pregnant teen in the spotlight is John McCain’s running mate’s daughter, O’Reilly has changed his stance. “Millions of Americans are dealing with teenage pregnancy. And as long as society doesn’t have to support the mother, father or baby, it is a personal matter.” What’s different in Bristol Palin’s case? Are the parents still responsible when the parent is a Republican vice presidential candidate? These are questions we should consider.

We have come a long way since the days of sending young mothers to group homes for the duration of their pregnancies. The subject is no longer taboo, and that’s a positive reflection of our society. However, it is important that we find a balance between supporting teenage parents and glamorizing something that’s not as easy as Jamie Lynn Spears would lead us to believe. Motherhood is a lifelong commitment, and, as Rainn Wilson tells us in “Juno,” “This ain’t no Etch-a-Sketch. This is one doodle that can’t be undid, home skillet.”