Samantha Costanzo

Forever 21 launches Love 21 Maternity, but not everyonethinks it’s all sugar and spice.

Rejoice, pregnant teens of America! While I can’t get you out of dealing with the emotional meltdowns and general dramarama that usually come with teen pregnancies, I can guarantee that you’ll still be able to shop at one of your favorite trendy and budget-friendly stores: Forever 21.

The chain’s latest stroke of money-making genius is its brand new Love 21 Maternity line, which is so new, in fact, that there really isn’t much of a selection online. But never fear! After promising to deliver some new styles soon and sell in California, Alaska, Utah, Arizona, and Texas stores, these comfy clothes are sure to be a hit with teens and twenty-somethings alike. (Side note: the abovementioned states all have high rates of teen pregnancy. Coincidence? I think not. Someone in the marketing department did their homework!)

So Forever 21 makes money and mommies-to-be get cute clothes like the stretchy tank top, leggings and “belly panel” (which is actually designed to make your clothes fit better) that come in the Starter Kit ($15.80) or a summery purple drop-waist tunic ($17.80), ensuring that for once during their nine months of feeling nauseous and fat they can look and feel fashionable. Everybody wins! Yay! Um, no. Hold the applause for just a second, because reality is about to drop by for a visit.

You know how it goes. According to Society, we’re not supposed to be helping teen moms like this. We’re supposed to lock them away in their rooms until the baby is born, then give the so-called bundle of joy up for adoption and never mention the ordeal again, except for the frequent dirty look in the school hallway à la Secret Life. And ok, fine, if we simply must address teen pregnancies, we’ll use MTV’s 16 and Pregnant to illustrate the life-changing and painful realities of them. We are not supposed to be selling maternity clothes in a store like Forever 21, whose clientele consists mainly of teenagers. Now stores across the country are going to bluntly acknowledge the fact that teen pregnancy is becoming much more common, and instead of presenting the issue in a negative light, they’re going to try to make a buck off of it.

But here’s the truth of it all: no matter what Society may think, nobody is going to get pregnant just so they can buy new stuff from Forever 21. So far, the Starter Kit is pretty plain and only comes in black. And that tunic? You guessed it—only purple. There are so many other styles, prints, and details available at Forever 21 right now that we teenage girls are better off staying our normal-sized selves so we can fit into them. Love 21 Maternity isn’t encouraging teen pregnancy at all– it’s just another way for Forever 21 to make some cash. Besides, who says a teen mom doesn’t have the right to look cool and feel good about herself?  Yeah, maybe she did party a little too hard, and maybe she did go out with one too many guys. But have you ever seen a chick six months pregnant rock a pair of bootcut jeans like she can?

Yeah. I didn’t think so.

Check out Love 21 Maternity for yourself.