‘Fix Her Mistake’: Abortion and Parenting Narratives in Jane the Virgin, Riverdale, Pretty Little Liars, and The Fosters
Recognising the impact that fictional stories can have in shaping viewers’ beliefs about abortion in the United States, I analyse unplanned pregnancy storylines in four popular television shows (Jane the Virgin, The Fosters, Riverdale, and Pretty Little Liars) with large young adult and adolescent a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Lectito Journals
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.lectitopublishing.nl/download/fix-her-mistake-abortion-and-parenting-narratives-in-jane-the-virgin-riverdale-pretty-little-liars-11758.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797375249498505216 |
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| author | Shara Crookston |
| author_facet | Shara Crookston |
| author_sort | Shara Crookston |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Recognising the impact that fictional stories can have in shaping viewers’ beliefs about abortion in the United States, I analyse unplanned pregnancy storylines in four popular television shows (Jane the Virgin, The Fosters, Riverdale, and Pretty Little Liars) with large young adult and adolescent audiences to critique how this issue is contextualised for this specific viewing demographic. The unintended pregnancy of each character is part of a larger, complex, and highly dramatic storyline that includes sex outside of a monogamous relationship, murder, rape, and forced or accidental insemination. Additionally, dialogue in two of the four shows does not include the word ‘abortion’. Pregnancy is shown as a punishment for bad behaviour in all four shows. Lastly, three of the five (60%) characters decide not to have an abortion, challenging the findings of current research where abortion is the most frequent pregnancy outcome. These findings imply that shows with large adolescent and young adult viewing audiences are more likely to show adolescent and young adult women choosing parenting over abortion, while simultaneously supporting and challenging existing research on abortion portrayals in television shows. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:19:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7ba9f21d2f7e4c03be74606e917cff58 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2468-4414 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:19:32Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | Lectito Journals |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics |
| spelling | doaj.art-7ba9f21d2f7e4c03be74606e917cff582023-12-26T20:57:06ZengLectito JournalsFeminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics2468-44142022-03-01611410.20897/femenc/11758‘Fix Her Mistake’: Abortion and Parenting Narratives in Jane the Virgin, Riverdale, Pretty Little Liars, and The FostersShara Crookston0Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Toledo, USARecognising the impact that fictional stories can have in shaping viewers’ beliefs about abortion in the United States, I analyse unplanned pregnancy storylines in four popular television shows (Jane the Virgin, The Fosters, Riverdale, and Pretty Little Liars) with large young adult and adolescent audiences to critique how this issue is contextualised for this specific viewing demographic. The unintended pregnancy of each character is part of a larger, complex, and highly dramatic storyline that includes sex outside of a monogamous relationship, murder, rape, and forced or accidental insemination. Additionally, dialogue in two of the four shows does not include the word ‘abortion’. Pregnancy is shown as a punishment for bad behaviour in all four shows. Lastly, three of the five (60%) characters decide not to have an abortion, challenging the findings of current research where abortion is the most frequent pregnancy outcome. These findings imply that shows with large adolescent and young adult viewing audiences are more likely to show adolescent and young adult women choosing parenting over abortion, while simultaneously supporting and challenging existing research on abortion portrayals in television shows.https://www.lectitopublishing.nl/download/fix-her-mistake-abortion-and-parenting-narratives-in-jane-the-virgin-riverdale-pretty-little-liars-11758.pdfabortionabortion stigmateen television shows |
| spellingShingle | Shara Crookston ‘Fix Her Mistake’: Abortion and Parenting Narratives in Jane the Virgin, Riverdale, Pretty Little Liars, and The Fosters Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics abortion abortion stigma teen television shows |
| title | ‘Fix Her Mistake’: Abortion and Parenting Narratives in Jane the Virgin, Riverdale, Pretty Little Liars, and The Fosters |
| title_full | ‘Fix Her Mistake’: Abortion and Parenting Narratives in Jane the Virgin, Riverdale, Pretty Little Liars, and The Fosters |
| title_fullStr | ‘Fix Her Mistake’: Abortion and Parenting Narratives in Jane the Virgin, Riverdale, Pretty Little Liars, and The Fosters |
| title_full_unstemmed | ‘Fix Her Mistake’: Abortion and Parenting Narratives in Jane the Virgin, Riverdale, Pretty Little Liars, and The Fosters |
| title_short | ‘Fix Her Mistake’: Abortion and Parenting Narratives in Jane the Virgin, Riverdale, Pretty Little Liars, and The Fosters |
| title_sort | fix her mistake abortion and parenting narratives in jane the virgin riverdale pretty little liars and the fosters |
| topic | abortion abortion stigma teen television shows |
| url | https://www.lectitopublishing.nl/download/fix-her-mistake-abortion-and-parenting-narratives-in-jane-the-virgin-riverdale-pretty-little-liars-11758.pdf |
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