Wednesday 6 May 2009

Bristol Palin, sex and hypocrisy

In September 2008, Sarah Palin said she was proud of her 17 year old pregnant daughter Bristol.



In February 2009, Bristol told Greta Van Susteren that abstinence is not realistic at all.



In May 2009, Bristol Palin was announced as a Teen Ambassador for the Candie's Foundation. They run ads like these, promoting sexual abstinence until marriage.





Their website sells sexy t-shirts, saying you can be sexy without having sex.



The Candie's Foundation is the charitable arm of a clothes, shoes and fragrances company, aimed at teenagers and young people. This is how they sell their stuff.





I don't know how much exposure Bristol Palin had to any of these ads or if they had any influence in her decisions regarding her sexual behaviour. The fact is, she's now an ambassador for a foundation that preaches sexual abstinence, which is associated with a commercial venture that uses highly sexualized context in ads to sell their products to young people.

The Candie's Foundation would have much more credibility if they promoted sex education, safe sex and contraceptive methods alongside the message that young people should consider whether they're ready to be sexually active.

By having a narrow view of the subject and sending out contradictory messages, Candie's is shortchanging a lot of young people. Bristol Palin's story erodes the abstinence message even further.

But why bother to be consistent? Why do they have to worry about integrity and credibility? They're making a lot of money because sex sells, one way or the other, and their charity provides them with tax breaks...

Bristol Palin is a poster girl for hypocrisy.
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11 comments:

FW said...

Thanks for putting this all together so beautifully. I think Sarah Palin is tremendously entertaining in a scandalous way, but then when you remember that she is the SITTING GOVERNOR of the state of Alaska who came very close to BEING VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, I want to scream.

To think, Sarah actually has followers who think this trainwreck could be a president is surreal...it's like a really bad soap opera that doesn't end. What's sad is now Bristol is being dragged down with her.

Bristoll needs to keep her ass ant home, raise her kids, and get an education. I think the Palin gravy train is about to crash and burn.

basheert said...

Nicely done Reg.

The thing is, I'm quite sure that Bristol has no clue what to do about anything. Her mom appears to be totally driving her life.

At 17 my daughter certainly had a mind of her own. Her allowing her mother to control her relationship with Levi is proof that she is an immature nit.

If she was really little Miss Maturity she would take some steps to secure her sons future (well both sons, ok?). Like it or not she is a mother and she has a little boy to consider.

She needs to grow a pair and work out some arrangement with Levi so that the baby can have a 2 parent family, divided or not. She is acting immature and I can't help but wonder if she is spinning a bit after having her baby.

She needs her mother to stop using her as an unpaid nanny and get a life. I pity Bristol - with her mother and in this situation, her life is totally hosed unless she grows up fast.

midnightcajun said...

Candie uses sex to sell to teens, then, in a very cynical move, funds a tax-deductible "abstinence" promotion program that they use to defuse criticism of their use of sex to sell to teens... Sounds just like Sarah's kind of people, no?

FEDUP!!! said...

Well, I think I finally see what is going on here: GINO is a total hypocrite, Bristol is turning out to be a total hypocrite, and the Candies Foundation is also totally hypocritical in their ads vs their supposed message about teen abstinence.
Bristol is a NATURAL for them! The Palins don't see anything wrong with it, I am sure!

If I were Levi, I would insist on sole parental custody of the kid (IF the kid really is his)!Reason: The way Tripp is being shown on TV, he seems to be drugged out of his little mind (does not react when Bristols hair is tickling his face, does not twitch when her fingers tap his cheek/mouth, etc), and she obviously is an unfit mother - dragging her infant around to TV shows, implying the baby is a mistake (way to go Bristol! Your kid will LOVE you for it later in his teen years...), and appearing in slutty organizations (and getting paid for it).

The Dame said...

Bristol is turning out to be a good learner. Whether she is being force feed this new "role" or not she is taking her cues well. Sarah is a good teacher.

Kyra said...

It's pretty clear that Bristol and her friends have been sexualized via the media as have most of our teens. Just seeing the few My Space pages that Audrey has posted over on Palin's Deceptions prove that.

Advertising has always used sex - whether blatantly or not - and as long as we continue to buy the products, the practice will continue. The fact that little girls clothing is miniaturized versions of sexualized adult wear and people say "how cute is that" just perpetuates it.

Sarah Palin is obviously the dominant figure in that family. She's all about Sarah (come on, who do you think named that baby?) and obviously tells her kids what to do and say, and if she could, she'd tell them what to think (she probably thinks she does - I've known many hyper-religious mothers who believe that they can control their childrens' thoughts and beliefs). Her body is the only thing that Bristol owns so getting pregnant was perhaps an unconscious way to get back at Mom, and Dad. The dynamics in that family are odd as evidenced by the candid photos and videos that are out there, and sometimes, sex is a teens response to what's going on within the family.

Didn't I hear/read somewhere that Alaska has the highest rate of teen pregnancy, rape and incest in the country? and Sarah Palin refused to pay for rape kits while Mayor of Wasilla? Major issues about sex and sexuality going on there. Would have loved to be a fly on the wall while she taught her kids the facts of life.

Emily said...

I get the impression that Bristol didn't want to become a spokeswoman for abstinence, but her mother pressured her into it in light of her more realistic comments about how abstinence is unrealistic.

Also, the Candies foundations just makes me sick... I fail to see how they'll do any good for the cause of abstinence, and besides they're objectifying young women, presenting them as nothing but sexy bodies.

Anonymous said...

oh ffff, f.
Regina. why was that picture of the Palin family use on the clip of sept. 2008? That pic was taken on 2007. someone please point palin's deception to this clip!! I don't post there, find it complicated.

Forever.

KaJo said...

Anonymous/Forever, the people who put that Sept. 2008 video together were probably provided that Sept. 2007 family portrait of the Palins, by the Palins themselves.

PD has already covered this topic in great detail.

FEDUP!!! said...

CHECK OUT THE PIC they use here to announce that Bristol is (was) pregnant!

http://www.usmagazine.com/photos/shocking-teen-pregnancies?slideshow_id=451&o=0

Sister Wolf said...

God, I love you for this.