Why was one celebrity teen pregnancy less scandalous than another?

Question

i remember when solange knowles (beyonce's little sister) got married at the age of 17. as soon as that happened, i knew it was because she was knocked up. and of course about a 2 months later they announced that she was pregnant and she gave birth about 4 months later. yall do the math.

anyway, when jamie lynn spears (britney's little sis) got pregnant at 16 last year, all major media outlets hopped on the story. maybe its because jamie lynn had a show on nickelodeon, but solange had a solo career also.

was it because solange's parents planned outing their daughter's pregnancy better, was it because of their career paths, was it because of who their audiences were? why was one teen pregnancy more deserving of public outrage than the other?

and please don't make this a race issue, i asked the question somewhere else and a person accused me of race baiting (but for the record, i have better things to do with my time).

Answer 1

I personally think that there is a huge difference between 16 and 17 but maybe that was just me during those ages.  Jamie Lynn had a more clear role model of young parenting and the pros and cons of celebrities raising children in the spot light.  She's a much bigger star than Solange and she had way more on the line than Solange.  You can still sing while going through pregnancy.  Kinda hard to act on a Disney show, portraying a teeny bopper perfect girl with a big ole baby bump.  I also find it ironic that the Spears sisters have a mother writing books on how she's a terrific mother.  After Britney, you would have thought she would have had Jamie on a leash!  

Answer 2

Solange's parents did better damage control, that's all.  The Spears girl already had a controversial sister that the rag papers were jumping all over and that helped keep her in the public eye.

Chalk it up to better management.

Answer 3

Because one is more famous then the other.  If you just said Solange Knowels and left out the fact that she is Beyonce's little sister, I would not have known who she was.  I didnt even know she got married that young or even had a kid.  Once again she's not really that famous.  

Answer 4

I personally think it was because for starters, Jamie Lynn Spears was a little more in the public eye (any family member of Brittany is out there, and way more subject to scandal!) and also because she was not married. Solange was at least married, and even though 17 and 16 aren't that big of a difference, it was a little better for people to swallow. Plus, Jamie Lynn conveyed a very child like star on a children's show on a children's network -that made it a lot worse for her! Solange's singing career was not as popular as Jamie Lynn's show, I don't think (and especially not with children, who would look up to her as a role model) and besides, singing isn't thought of as much as "child star" compared to a TV show watched by preteens.

Answer 5

One has a better agent.

Answer 6

I think it was probably because Britney had been such a mess,that everyone assumed her sister was turning out the same way.If you remember all the drama that Britney had been going through around the time her sister got pregnant,you'll know that the media had been all over her.

Beyonce has always been a good role model,so I assume they figured her sister had just made a mistake...whereas Jamie lynn seemed to be following in her sisters footsteps.

I don't think it has anything to do with race,I just think they were different situations...but the fact is,the media shouldn't be glorifying anyone being pregnant at 16.All that does is make young girls think that it is ok

Answer 7

I think it was because Jamie Lynn Spears had a show on Nickelodeon and had a pretty big fan base among kids.  I didn't know that Beyonce had a little sister or that she was pregnant.  I think it was mostly that kids looked at Jamie Lynn Spears as someone they wanted to be like and then suddenly she was pregnant.  Not exactly the role model most parents want for their kids.

Answer 8

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that the audiences were different.  Britney's little sis also was a bit younger and planned to have the baby but not marry the baby's dad. Timing was also an issue.  Britney's mom had just published her book on parenting.  Yikes. Something tells me the people who bought the book only did so out of morbid curiosity.

Answer 9

I didn't even know Beyonce had a little sister.

I guess it's because one was a star and the other was virtually unknown?

Answer 10

because one is the sister of a psychopath and one is the sister of a sociopath do the math

Answer 11

Because no one even cares about solange knowles! LOL She is a solo artist - yeah ok where has her music career gone?! LOL

Jamie Lynn Spears is the sister of Britney Spears who is ALL over the news with her fabulous parenting skills and also is quiter popular in her own right with her nickelodean show! Huge difference the celebrity of these two figures!

Also a pregnancy at 17 isnt as bad in the public eye as a pregnancy at 15 and a birth at 16!

Shame on both of those girls but more so on Jamie Lynn - Nice example she sets for young girls these days!!! NICE!!!!!

~D~