On Dignity and Jamie Lynn Spears Pregnancy

Morning divas,

I'm sort of strapped for time as I'm doing some last minute studying for an Arabic exam in a few hours. I really want to take it just so that it's over. I'm so done with the semester.

The fly advice for today: Dignity is a woman's most beautiful quality. Really, a woman that can maintain grace and equanimty through out life's most challenging situations is a beautiful woman, inside and out. I hate to witness an angry woman lose her composure, or show signs of desperation. Like ashy blue mascara, it has a way of making her seem much less attractive. So when life throws you a curveball, remember, keep your head up, be calm, and stay beautiful. Afterall, the best revenge is to do well and to look good.

And while we're on the subject of dignity I'd like to address the media sensation of the moment: Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant. Ummm... I'm reluctant to dwell on the obvious, like the fact that her tweenage career as a Nickelodean star is ruined. Or, hasn't she learned from her big sis? And, if her boyfriend is 19, should he be running from the law? I'll let you ponder these realities at your own convenience.

I will address the reality that everyone knows about her predicament. I don't care if you are a celebrity, a 16 year old who becomes an accidental mother is a private, family issue. It should not be up for discussion with the rest of the world. That, divas, is dignity.

The bright side, if you want to stretch it, is that maybe this will be the wake-up call needed for the public school system in America to take sex-education more seriously. I don't see why health teachers can not promote abstinence and condoms. Many teens engage in sexual behavior and the saddest part of that reality is that many of them are not protecting themselves. Decades ago, becoming an unwed teen mother was the biggest fear for sexually active young women. But today sex can give life, and take it away. Our nation needs to increase the dialogue about safer sex practices.

Okay, I'm off to go study.
Flyness and funk,

Ike

PS: Here is CNN's fly reporter Lola Ogunnaike reporting on Jaime's pregnancy for those of you who are interested.