SA21 Fieldworks: Oh My God She's Pregnant?!

Rayne Aguilar

Lidel Bajao

Hannah Guinto

Anton Reyes

Christelle Torres

SA 21 Section Q

Ms. Emily Roque

SA 21 Final Report

Who is the identity you want to imitate? Why did you choose this identity?

The identity we wanted to imitate was a pregnant student at Ateneo de Manila University. We chose this identity because we had never seen a pregnant student at school, and we wanted to see how they were treated at a considerably liberal institution–would they get the kind and careful treatment adult pregnant women get, or would they be ostracized for getting pregnant at a young age? We chose this also because it is relevant, as we are four girls in the group and the identity could be any of us if we were not careful. It also brings perspective into an event that is growing in frequency, and gives insight on the difficulties of balancing pregnancy with other duties such as school, being a daughter, a friend, etc. Teenage pregnancy forces the teenager to grow up much faster, and is something that changes a life, so we wanted to explore a day in the shoes of someone our age who had to worry about things she shouldn’t have to worry about until much later in her life. Some of the answers below are based on interviews with two people who chose not to be named due to confidentiality preferences, as well as based on shows and interviews like 16 and pregnant.

What is your identity’s main function in society?

The pregnant teenager is a girl who deviates from authority, in this case her parents, as well as from societal mores, whether it was or wasn’t her choice. The societal more she deviates from is that of the conventional expectation of society for a girl to get married first before having a child, or at least finishing school first, or having a child at an “acceptable” age, wherein the woman can fully support and take care of the child. Society views a pregnant teenager as someone incapable of having a child because she is still emotionally and financially dependent and unstable. As society continues to look down on teenage pregnancy, the identity of a pregnant teenager serves as a reminder and reinforcement of a society’s upheld beliefs and values. As people, the media, and institutions like the church continue to shame these girls, society is constantly reminded that teenage pregnancy is wrong and immoral.

How does he/she look like?

The pregnant teenager looks exactly like a regular teenager, albeit with a baby bump. Further into the trimester, her gait is reduced to what may be politely called a waddle. Pregnant teenagers often wear loose clothes for comfort, like large sweaters or clothes that contain spandex in them, such as tank tops. They are more partial to comfortable footwear such as sneakers.

How does he/she speak and behave? How do they talk to people?

Despite being raised by devout and religious parents, which is most likely in our society here in the Philippines, the teenager is a completely different person when in the company of her peers. Like most teenagers, her language involves that of vulgar speak and several lingos that only people around her social circle will be able to understand. The pregnant teenager will try to keep up with the up and coming fads so as to seem that she isn't left out. Being pregnant, the teenager will also have severe trust issues and will be more reluctant in striking up a conversation than she would if she weren't pregnant. Her sense of humor would be a lot different as well, now that she is pregnant. She will be more sensitive to jokes that involve any sexual humor as well as those that involve family members. The pregnant teenager might not be as conscious or responsible of her newfound responsibility than as of that of a middle-aged woman. And by being a teenager, she is more suspect to the peer pressures of society and how it will eventually shape her. Besides this, pregnant teenagers are generally to talk and behave like any other person her age. We also have to consider what they physically go through, therefore, if she is currently experiencing emotional anxiety due to personal issues or physical change in her body, she is most likely to be stressed and may be moody and temperamental towards people.

What are their beliefs in life? What are their values?

Given the situation that the teen moms are in, a belief that they have to keep in mind is that they are capable of rebuilding their life even after they give birth to their child, if they see teenage pregnancy as a part of their lives that have caused their life plans to have come to a halt, like having to stop school. They must also try and look the other way whenever they see people judging them because if they dwell on what other people have to say about them, they will lose heart. Determination is also essential in this case because having this value helps the teen mom pick up from where she left of and this value also entails that they are determined to take control of their lives no matter what other people have to say. Some teen moms also believe that their number one priority is to take care of their baby, because it is their responsibility. Some pregnant teenagers believe that there is nothing wrong with having a child at their age, despite what society has conditioned to most people. Some pregnant teenagers still believe that what they had done was immoral, which is associated with their socialization from their culture.

How does his or her day look like?

Based on our portrayal, a teen mom's day is one filled with judgement and piercing stares. The people around you can't help but stare at you with a look of disgust and/or pity but at the same time, some people are also more considerate. For example, people make way for you and they make sure you have somewhere to sit, etc. However, it's also a sad reality that some people are insensitive to the needs of pregnant women or in our case, teen moms. They don't even bother to say excuse me and one passer by even bumped me without saying sorry. A teen mom's day is basically a walk of shame everywhere she goes. Also, a pregnant teenager goes through routine care for her body and the baby, and other physical changes during pregnancy. The teen mom experiences cravings, going to the bathroom a lot to relieve herself, back pain, morning sickness, sore or leaking breasts, nausea, as well as self-esteem issues, among many other things.

Sociological and Personal Reflections

It was really embarrassing at first because in our society, teen moms are seen as sinners and a disgrace to the community especially because we live in a dominantly Catholic country where acts such as premarital sex are condemned. I couldn't help but be ashamed at first but after experiencing the judgment that these teen moms go through, I began to realize how bad they must feel to be going through something so difficult and be judged for it.

However, it felt comforting that some people were considerate. For example, I went in the clinic and talked to the nurse. I asked her if she could give me some medicine for having abdominal cramps, and she genuinely looked concerned. She told me to wait a while so that I could have a proper examination with a doctor to make sure that the medicine they give would be just right. I told her that I had to be somewhere in a while and asked if she could just give me the usual medicine for this kind of situation, to which she insisted on me having the examination to be safe and assured me that it wouldn’t take long. I really appreciated the sincerity and concern I saw on her face, one of the few reactions during deviance day that I genuinely liked. The other people in the infirmary, however, were not as concerned or understanding when they saw my belly. My other group mates were outside of the infirmary waiting for me, and they saw a few boys go out of the infirmary laughing and clapping after seeing me.

We felt immense pity for teen moms and it made me realize that we shouldn't be quick to judge them. Being a teen mom is a position that we would struggle to be put in because we were able to experience how tough it is to be in their shoes, and this was only for an hour; we would not be able to imagine what months would feel like. It also made us realize how people can have a lack of empathy for pregnant teenagers. These girls go through a lot, and we admire how strong they are to face everyday, with so many inconsiderate people who do not think twice to shame people whose choices they disapprove of.

Documentation of Deviance Day