So here we go, another celebrity who wants a baby, a family, a happily ever after. Shocking right? I know, I know, everyday we hear about another celeb making up, breaking up, adopting and conceiving.

But there’s one tween star who seems to have her sights set on living this dream life, wanting more than just success in the show business. She’s been through a lot, she’s promised to throw all judgment out the door, to keep an open mind when looking for her future husband. And she seems to have set a time-table for this too. Ten years, that’s what she’s giving herself.

So who is this mystery girl? Can you guess?  Click here to find out!

[Lead image via Hasloo Group Production Studio/Shutterstock]

I’ll admit I have watched the show, Teen Mom, more than once. While I was initially drawn in by my curiosity, after watching only a few episodes I found myself feeling really bothered by the show’s drama. I felt like I was watching a documentary that could be compared to Maury.

While some might disagree, I think the show glorifies teenaged mothers and I’m bothered by the fact that MTV is capitalizing on the misfortune of people, especially young women, that have made such a monumental mistake. MTV has been heavily criticized for exactly this reason. On January 17, MTV released a soundtrack of songs by up and coming artists that have been played on Teen Mom. From now until June 17, the proceeds from the soundtrack will go towards the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. While I think it’s great that MTV will be donating to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, I truly believe this is a publicity stunt by and I see this as MTV’s attempt to redeem itself for exploiting the horrible situations the Teen Moms are in.

The idea behind Teen Mom is to show the severity of the situation that arises when a teenaged girl gets pregnant, as well as how to prevent teen pregnancy. According to Sarah Brown, CEO of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, “research makes it clear that Teen Mom helps young people better understand the challenges of teen pregnancy and parenthood and how to avoid it.” I think the intention of the show is genuine and much-needed in today’s society. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy has estimated that over 700,000 teenaged girls get pregnant each year and one in ten children are born to teenaged mothers. While there has been a decline in teen pregnancy, the United States still has the highest rate in the world.

I agree with Sarah Brown in that Teen Mom depicts what we don’t normally see: how the plans a teenager has for her future are completely destroyed when she gets pregnant. However, I have a few disbeliefs in the show’s effectiveness and the intentions of MTV. It’s hard for me to see how the show prevents teen pregnancy when the girls in Teen Mom are frequently shown in tabloids such as US Magazine. I don’t understand how the show teaches us to prevent pregnancy because it doesn’t give us any information, it just scares us into being more careful. However, some of the girls on the show used contraception and were careful but still got pregnant. How does that show us how to prevent pregnancy?

As a college aged girl, I am constantly changing what I want for my future. Today I had my first Constitutional Law class and I have already decided to add Law School to my long, ever-changing list of possible endeavors. I don’t think I am the only girl in the world to be so incredibly excited for my future. For me, the idea that one night, one mistake could take that away from me is reason enough to be careful. I don’t need an MTV drama to show me how teen pregnancy destroys a girl’s future.

Ashley is a freshman at George Washington University and she’s majoring in Overanalyzing Situations and International Affairs. Follow her on twitter @ashleybrooks25.

MTV’s reality explosions, “Sixteen and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom,” sparked controversy and debate around the nation. Leading to speculation, judgment and even, at times, envy, these shows offered America a small glimpse into the lives of young, teenage mothers. But take away the lights, the camera, and the millions of viewers and wonder what it would actually be like to go through senior year of high school with a baby bump. Would you feel anxious and excited or alone and scared? Would your family and friends support you or leave you and your growing belly behind? Gaby Rodriguez, a student at Toppenish High, took it upon herself to find out the answers to these riveting questions.

With a looming senior project ahead of her, Gaby Rodriguez, a 17-year-old “A” Student, decided to fake her own pregnancy as a social experiment. Spending 6 ½ months of her senior year with a wire mesh and cotton quilt belly, Gaby tried to understand the stereotypes and rumors that go along with teenage pregnancy. She took careful notes of what was said not only to her face, but also behind her back. Only a handful of people knew the truth about her charade, including her best friend, boyfriend, mother and principle. The rest of her fellow students, siblings and teachers were left out in the dark with their criticism. Her boyfriend’s parents thought it was going to be a boy.

According to the Yakima Herald, the experiment came to a close during an emotional school assembly entitled, “Stereotypes, rumors, and statistics.” Here, quotes were read of what people actually said about her character throughout the experiment.

“In essence, she gave up her senior year,” one student read, “She sacrificed her senior year to find out what it would be like to be a potential teen mom.”

When Gaby took her of homemade, prosthetic belly, she was met with both confusion and nervous laughter. However, after the short question and answer portion of the assembly, there was a standing ovation.

“She fooled me. I never would’ve guessed it,” Vicente Villanueva tells the Yakima Herald, “I’m really surprised.”

“I didn’t know what to say. I just started crying,” adds Gaby’s niece, Angel Jalomo.

Gaby was relieved when it was all over and was even more thrilled that she didn’t have to wear her fake belly to prom. Instead, she wore a form-fitting mermaid gown and a sense of freedom from nasty rumors and hurtful speculations.

I realize that most of us don’t live at home anymore; that most of us are no longer in high school or living with parents. But I stumbled upon this study recently and can’t stop thinking about it. In a nutshell (because I know the last thing you came here to do was peruse some scientific study), Dutch parents support their teenagers’ sexuality – even letting them have sleepovers – and it results in lower STI and lower teen pregnancy rates. Some of the lowest in the world!

Perhaps the Dutch are onto something – something we need to think about as a generation who will, most likely, have children of our own someday.

Having survived high school, it’s interesting to look back and see how different my friends’ parents were from each other and from mine. Some friends had absolutely no communication with their parents about sex or sexuality, some were taught it was wrong and immoral, others that it was natural and acceptable – so long as you’re smart about it.

I’m grateful that my parents were of the “have sex but be smart” belief system. As mentioned in a previous post, my mom allowed my high school boyfriend to stay over at our house, and was well aware that we were having sex. That said, she was also on top of making sure we were being responsible – by reminding us of the importance of condoms and ensuring I was on birth control.

While I realize that this system isn’t something that would work for all teenagers, I do think that I’m a better and more sexually healthy person because I was able to experiment with sex in my own home, with my long-term boyfriend, and not be made to feel shameful about it.

When I read this article, it made sense to me. I’m sure it’s not a shock that I’m a pretty firm believer that abstinence-only education is bullsh*t; knowledge is power, and sexual knowledge is no exception. Having it ingrained in teens that sex is a normal, natural thing will lead them to make sexual choices that they’re proud of, instead of having sex without a condom (because condoms don’t work anyways, right?) and then feeling terrible about it.

I’m all about healthy sex positivity, wherever it comes from. Do you think that North American families should maybe take a page out of Holland’s handbook and give this sexual-liberation-for-teens thing a try?

Our convo is below, but if you want the really juicy deetz, you’ll just have to tune in tonight and find out for yourself!

CC: So, season 2! So exciting! What are you looking forward to most this season?

Maci: Honestly, to just kind of see and backtrack. After watching the first two seasons and reliving it I’ve learned a lot about myself and I’ve seen how I can do better… things that I’ve done wrong and things that I’ve done right. I’m interested in seeing what the other girls are up to because we don’t get to talk as much as normal friends! I want to see what’s going on in their lives too.

Do you guys keep in touch outside of the show or just at things like the reunion episodes?

No, I do talk to the girls on, like, a regular basis. A couple of times a month we check in with each other and see how things are going.

Which Teen Mom are you closest with?

Caitlin, probably.

How is your life different now that you’ve been a mom for over a year?

Oh my god, so different. Bentley’s big now so we can go play. Go to different parks and stuff. When he was little he really didn’t do anything but sleep but it’s been crazy. There’s something new every day.

What do you want others – other teen moms, teens in general, college students – to get out of the show?  Specifically, the upcoming season?

I want people that aren’t pregnant to really see the struggles that we go through. I want the show to be pretty much like birth control, kind of. I want them to see what happens when you do get pregnant at a young age. I want grown-ups to see that talking to your kids about sex is a good thing and it can prevent their children from going through what we’re going through. So, I just want it to be educational and I feel like it’s doing a very good job so far.

What is the biggest sacrifice you had to make because you got pregnant when you were so young?

My youth. Being a teenager and having a college life. Being able to hang out with my friends every day. Having responsibility but not having the normal responsibilities of a teenager. Really just my youth. Being a kid, I guess.

Was it worth it?

Yeah, it’s definitely been worth it. I would never trade… as bad as it sounds, I love my friends (laughing), [but] I would never trade a night with Bentley for a night with them.

Have you had a favorite moment or thing that Bentley’s done so far?

Um, probably just talking. He has his own little personality. He talks now and he’s just a little person that’s with me all the time. That’s fun.

How do you balance out being a teenager with being a parent?

I really just have to keep my priorities in line. I’m still friends with all the people I was friends with before I got pregnant but I have to know that Bentley comes first and then school and then work and then doing stuff with my friends. It’s easy, well it’s not easy, but it’s easier to do it if you know what priorities are more important than other ones. That’s what I have to keep in mind… what’s important.

Previews for this season have shown that you have started dating again, how has that been going?

It’s good! I’m happier now and he’s good with Bentley.

Oh… so there’s one guy!

Yes, there’s one guy. I really didn’t date much after Ryan. He’s the first guy that I’ve been dating since. It’s a lot easier now to have the support of him rather than kind of the stressful relationship that I had with Ryan.

Did he know right away that you had Bentley? How did you address that?

Yeah, he knew. We’ve been friends for a really, really long time. So he knew what was all going on and he knew about the baby and stuff like that so that made it easy too that he already knew.

Do you have any advice for teen moms that are trying to date?

Just really make sure to pick someone that’s worth being around you and your baby, and someone that knows the responsibility you have. Really just somebody who is going to support you and help you rather than bring things into your life that you don’t need to deal with. And you don’t NEED to date. I don’t think if I hadn’t found Kyle I would be dating. It’s not something that should really be important right now. If you find somebody, that’s great but I really don’t think it’s something single moms really need to be looking for, especially because it takes away your time from being a mom.

What is the best dating advice that you’ve received?

That I need to find somebody who is my best friend before someone that I am just physically attracted to. Things work out a lot better when you are friends before a boyfriend that you just think is cute.

I know you said before that you watch the show. Has it been weird for you to look back and see yourself?

It is weird to see things that you forget that happened or, at the time, you didn’t think they were that important. When I watch the show I see things that I would have forgotten. And it brings me back into that time.

Do you have any advice for the other moms after watching their scenes with their baby?

Not really. We’ve kind of been really good at what their problems are. Because in the show we all have different struggles and we’re all dealing with different things. I think everybody is doing well with dealing with what their struggles are.

A lot of people think that out of all the teen moms you have the best head on your shoulders. Do you have anyone to thank for that? Does that have to do with how you were raised or that you were okay with putting aside your friends and just really focusing on Bentley?

I think it was honestly just because of the way that I was raised. I guess if I had to thank anybody it would have to be my parents just because my whole life they taught me that if I get in a situation or if I get in trouble that it’s my responsibility and I have to deal with it. And if I need them, they will be there as much as I need them but it is my responsibility and I have to do what is right. And since I was raised that way, as soon as I found out I was pregnant I knew instantly that it was my responsibility that I was gonna have to do the right thing and do the best I could. Even though I knew my parents would be there to help me, they weren’t going to be there to take the responsibility for me. And I’m glad they raised me that way.

What would you tell girls who are in situation like you were?

To really think about how their life has been and what they want to do for their child. For me, I never had to think about adoption. But there are some people, like Caitlin and Tyler, who don’t have this ability to have a baby. And they made an amazing choice for adoption and I think girls really need to look at all the options and know what they have in their lives so that they can give the same thing to their baby.

This is a question that I have to ask… do you now practice safe sex and use birth control?

Do I now? Yes I do.

What if Bristol Palin wasn’t getting child support from the sale of nude photos of her uber-hick baby daddy?

What if Sarah Palin taught her daughter about contraception before Levi put his P in her V?

What if Bristol didn’t have a team of hair stylists with a Bump-It arsenal?

What if they couldn’t see Russia from their house?

What if Bristol didn’t spend her life complaining about being a mom and telling the world how much she regrets having a child?

Yeah, we get it: being a teen mom is hard. But maybe it’s time to stop bitching about it and start doing something, anything, else*.

*Excludes running for office/starring in a reality TV show about your Alaskan life. We’ve had enough of the Palin family, thankyouverymuch.

Throughout the years, MTV has thrown some bizarre ideas for reality shows our way.  Some catch the attention of the nation while others fall through the cracks.  While watching MTV (daily) I find myself screaming at the TV, “WHAT is the point of this show??”  Entertainment value, usually.  That is if you can call watching guys pick a date based on the underwear a girl has in her drawer, entertainment. (Thanks, Room Raiders).  However, what about the shows that may have actually been created for a real reason?

Let’s rewind.  Teen Mom.  Yes, like most people, I am obsessed.  I am still trying to figure out what Catelynn has that I don’t (besides braces, a trailer, and a 1995 JCPenny homecoming dress) that makes Tyler choose HER over me.  SO unfair.  But back to my point: as I watched the finale of Teen Mom last week and gear up for tonight’s reunion episode with Dr. Drew, I’m really starting to wonder what MTV was trying to do with this show.

Was it for entertainment value? Sure, listening to Gary recite a definition of the word “empathy” during the finale was extremely entertaining, but teen pregnancy is a huge issue; is MTV trying to take a stance? Are they trying to educate teens about the horrors of teen pregnancy? Maybe trying to prevent it? You would think by airing this show, MTV could position themselves as advocates to prevent teen pregnancy and use the show as an education tool, while also providing entertainment. 

And if that was the intent, I have a couple issues with how it was seen through.

Personally, I did not find the show realistic.  Throughout the season, Farrah was the only teen mom who did not have the baby’s father in the picture.  I’m not implying that the other moms are leading ideal lives with their outstanding boyfriends, but Catelynn, Amber, and Maci all got pregnant by their boyfriend at the time.  These were guys that they were having consensual sex with regularly.  Although Gary and Ryan may go down in history as two of the worst boyfriends ever, throughout the season they are shown trying to make their relationships “work” in the best interest of their new child.

Farrah, on the other hand, although not with the father of her child, lives at home with her mother and father.   It is evident that Farrah has grown up pretty fortunately and has an extremely comfortable living situation.  The “hardships” Farrah faces include not being able to party with her friends all the time, and not being able to find a boyfriend who is ready to date a girl with a kid.  Yes these things might be difficult for her, but in the scheme of teen pregnancy they are quite trivial.  Her parents are always there to help out, and support her both emotionally and financially. The same is true for the rest of the teen moms on the show.

If MTV was trying to educate about teen pregnancy and the perils of dealing with it, why not show girls who are even less fortunate?  What about the ones out there who are really on their own?  There are plenty of girls who come from uneducated, broken families, who get pregnant and have no escape, and no chance at a better life.  Some live their whole lives on welfare and in many cases do not know who the father is.  My feeling is that MTV chose these specific moms because the typical viewer could relate to them better than a girl whose life has really been ruined by teen pregnancy.  If this is the case, then why didn’t MTV even show how truly hard raising a child as a teenager is?  There is not one clip throughout the whole season of one of the moms staying up the whole night with a crying baby, or cleaning up vomit.  I don’t want to go as far as to say that MTV “glamorized” being a teen mom, but I don’t think the show will leave any viewers thinking “Oh my god, this CANNOT happen to me, I better take precaution.”

And speaking of precaution, MTV never hit on the topic of prevention.  I don’t remember any of the girls being interviewed as to why birth control was not used during sex. Was it a one time slip-up with no condom?  Too afraid to ask their parents? No resources? These questions never surfaced throughout the season.  And furthermore, I find it extremely unrealistic to not mention abortion on the topic of teen pregnancy.  The a-word was non-existent throughout the series, but in reality, it is an option.  Most people have strong opinions on the subject, being either completely against it or for it.  But just because it would have stirred up controversy, does that mean MTV should have ignored it completely? If they wanted to use their power to educate teens and lay all the options on the table, why wasn’t it even mentioned?

So besides making me fall in love with Tyler, what was MTV’s purpose in producing this show? Do you think they portrayed teen pregnancy realistically?  Share your thoughts, peeps!

For my 20th birthday last year all my friends congratulated me on surviving teen pregnancy. Although we had a little chuckle, teen pregnancy is a huge issue that is only getting worse. Honestly, with shows like I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant holding marathons every weekend I’m completely baffled as to why young girls are still getting knocked up. But they are. A lot.

Clearly these young ladies need a real lesson in Sex Ed, because whatever they’ve been taught is not sinking in. So being the baby fearing girls birth control experts that we are, CollegeCandy has put together a few rock-solid ideas to preventing teen pregnancy in this here country. If teachers and parents do things our way, teen pregnancy would be a thing of the past. And MTV would have a few time-slots to fill during the week.

1. Give them the facts.
This may seem obvious, but science has shown that teens have less of an ability to think things through and see future consequences, so it’s time to spell things out for them: Pregnancy sucks. You will get fat, you’ll act like a bitch-on-wheels, and those perky teenage boobs? Forget about them. Pregnancy can also wreak havoc on every part of your body: you’ll sprout hair in weird places, your skin will break out, your back will ache and it can even put stress on your heart and lungs. Oh, and forget about all those tasty snacks you love so much. You can’t have caffeine (which is in chocolate), nutra-sweet (see ya later, Diet Coke), un-cooked food (TTFN, sushi and lunch meat) or booze (which you shouldn’t be drinking anyway!) for 9 freaking months.

Did I mention you poop on the table when you give birth?

2. Show them their future.
If any of that doesn’t sink in, maybe it’s time to show pics of a woman’s body before and after pregnancy. I’m sure most girls would jump on a bowl of condoms if they saw all those stretch marks or realized they may never fit into their favorite skinny jeans again. On average, women should expect to gain at least 25 pounds during pregnancy, but most gain more (way more) than that, and those pounds are extremely difficult to lose when you’re taking care of a baby 24/7.

3. Give them a dose of reality.
Why not show a few episodes of Teen Mom? Watching Amber move into a dirty motel with her baby had us running to Costco for jumbo packs of Trojans.

4. Educate them.
Let’s stop with the abstinence-only education and give these girls some real information. It’s 2010 in AMERICA, for god’s sake. Even if you believe in the whole “save yourself for marriage” stuff, it’s time to arm our youth with the facts (and the condoms) so they can protect themselves.

Props to B. Palin for that brilliant realization (and for basically admitting being a mom sucks), but since, as she said herself just weeks ago, “abstinence is unrealistic,” why don’t we figure out a more-um-successful way to stay child-free, while still satisfying our libidos.

Enter: Birth Control!!

Crazy, right? This stuff comes in all sorts of forms: patches, IUDs, condoms, looking at teen mothers trying to care for their kids and realizing how much less fun life would be with a child… Oh, and the pill, which, when taken correctly (not a difficult feat to accomplish if you can swallow a pill), is 99.9% effective. Certainly more effective than preaching abstinence…and then having unprotected sex with your hockey playing boyfriend in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness. And most of the pills now come in pretty packaging! (Yaz has a tidy blue suede case with fun stickers that help you stay on track and turn birth control into a fun craft project).

Of course, we all (should) know that hormonal contraception doesn’t prevent against narsty STDs, so, unless you and your sex-bud have been tested and are exclusively hookin’ up, please use condoms too! I can tell you from looking at some pretty graphic books that Syphilis ain’t pretty. Neither is abandoning your education to raise a child on welfare and food stamps. So instead of shooting moose, go get yourself some nooky. Because, like Ms. Bristol once said, not getting any is just “unrealistic.”

Just remember to pop that very important pill first.

Ever since her role in Juno, I’ve had an unhealthy crush on Ellen Page.

While she’s not as mainstream as our past girl crushes, this doesn’t make her any less deserving of the title.  In fact, it makes me love her more. My fellow Canuck obviously has talent – she was, after all, nominated for an Oscar.  She may not have won, but she was the fourth youngest actress to be nominated for the role, and that in itself is pretty darn impressive.

And the movie was awesome. I don’t know one person who can say they saw Juno and didn’t fall instantly in love with it. Ellen played the main character perfectly and even showcased her vocal skills on the soundtrack, which is as good (if not better) than the movie. Sure, the movie sparked controversy – being all pro-teen pregnancy and all – but that’s not Ellen’s fault. Maybe people should teach their kids about sex before they let them watch movies like this. Or watch Bristol Palin on TV.

But I digress. Back to my love, Ellen Page.

Surprisingly, this isn’t the first or only movie Ellen has been in.  She totally kicked ass AND saved the day in X-Men: The Last Stand before she took on her dad’s new girlfriend while acing her SATs in Smart People.  She’s also been in Hard Candy, The Tracey Fragments, and An American Crime. Her next project is Whip-It, which is directed by Drew Barrymore. Two power girls on one project? Sounds like a winner to me.

While she may be an amazing actress, there are many other reasons why I love Ellen Page.  A self-proclaimed tomboy, Ellen usually plays it safe with basic-black on the red carpet. She’s not fashion forward, but that’s even more crush-worthy. If you’re forced to dress up when you’d rather be wearing a pair of Connies, why try and be a fashionista? She knows her style and she does it right.

Oh and did-you-know (say it fast 10x) she is hilarious? Ok, I guess everyone knows that. I mean, she was Juno. But she’s funny in real life too. And she makes it look so easy. Ellen’s just the kind of cool girl that you’d wanna kick back and have a beer (or 3) with. And I’m totally crushing.

Ellen, if you’re out there, call me! I’ll bring the guitar.