Jamie Lynn Spears Talks Teen Pregnancy & Birth Control with 'Glamour'
Jamie Lynn Spears, the little sister of Britney Spears, has spent much of the last five years out of the spotlight and focusing on being a mom in her home state of Louisiana. The young actress/singer made headlines back in 2007 for being, in one newspapers words, "the most high-profile out-of-wedlock teen pregnancy in Hollywood history." Jamie was 16-years-old, the star of a hit Nickelodeon show, Zoey 101 and PREGNANT!
Now just weeks away from celebrating her 21st birthday, Jamie is ready to reenter the spotlight. Jamie talks to Glamour magazine about all her trials and triumphs.
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On her pregnancy: "It was 2007. I had been on a Nickelodeon show, Zoey 101, and after we wrapped shooting, I just wanted to go home to Louisiana and finish high school, be a cheerleader, all that. Then I found out I was pregnant [by then-boyfriend Casey Aldridge]. I was 16. I'd had one boyfriend. It doesn't make it perfect or all right. But I was judged for something that probably most everyone does. I was young. I was in love. I was like every other teenager, except I had this last name. And I made a decision that is forever my decision."
On birth control: "I believe in safety and birth control as prevention. But like many young girls... I was really scared to go to the doctor. And I was on a Nickelodeon show, and it [felt] especially embarrassing to ask someone to put me on birth control. I didn't want to ask my doctor, because she had a little girl."
On her fans and the media: "I did feel responsible for the young girls and the mothers who I probably confused and let down. I apologize for that. But I wasn't trying to glamorize teen pregnancy. I hated when [the tabloids] said that. Everybody is dealt a hand of cards. It was my choice to play them the way I played them. But the hateful comments hurt."
On big sis Britney: "[As for Britney], she's in such a good place right now. She's in love. She has her kids. So I'm happy for her. Of course [our bond as mothers], it's such a big thing, you know? Especially 'cause there's an age gap there -- she's 10 years older. I think if I were just a normal 20-year-old, I wouldn't be able to relate as much to her."
As for reentering the spotlight: "I was a kid who did a kid show. Then I went away and raised my child, and the world has never met me as an adult. This is the first time anybody is really meeting me as a grown woman and grown mother making a decision about what to do with my life. Do people have an idea of who they think I am? Yes, and that's fine with me. My music will speak for itself."
What do you think about Jamie Lynn Spears starting a music career?
Photo courtesy of Glamour
