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Teenage Pregnancy April 30, 2007

Posted by Melissa in abortion, controversy, in the news, Keisha Castle-Hughes, motherhood, race, teenage pregnancy, Whale Rider.
3 comments

I just saw a story on People Magazine’s website about Keisha Castle-Hughes and the recent birth of her child. The actress just turned 17 in March and has been dating her boyfriend (20 years old) for the past three years. While reading the story, I was shocked to realize that this is the first time I have ever heard of any teenage pregnancy in the celebrity world and more shocked to feel that this is a story the website should not be covering. Teenage pregnancy is a huge “problem” in the United States, and to see the magazine cover the story in such a nonchalant manner really bothers me. People Magazine claims to cover the stories of relevant people, both in Hollywood and Old Town, USA, and while addressing the stories of “people that matter” the magazine does nothing to address relevant social issues. Though the birth of a child is a happy occasion (and big money in the news) I can’t help but feel that it is wrong to celebrate a child bringing another child into the world. I guess what is so bothersome is that when teenage pregnancy is usually addressed its done so in terms of how the “problem” effects Black and Latino communities, and now we see a wealthy actress- who should fall into the same category as the other teenage mothers- being celebrated for having the same “problem.” By publishing the story I feel the magazine is saying its okay if a teenager has children so long as they can pay for them. I’m interested to know how other people feel about the trivialization of such a relevant social issue?

male/female power in Whale Rider April 17, 2007

Posted by sindhub in Female Power, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Power, Whale Rider.
2 comments

I thought it was interesting that despite the fact that the main character, Paikea (played by Keisha Castle-Hughes), was so much younger than the other leading female characters in the films we’ve seen so far, she still had so much in common with them: she’s a girl who has to be the very best in order to prove herself (similar to Girlfight), there’s also a boy (the one that farts during the performance at the beginning), and there’s the lack of a strong/respectable father figure (similar to Girlfight, Carrie, Tomb Raider 2).

The most noticeable similarity, though, was that (more…)