In a new ad campaign featuring teen boys with pregnant stomachs, the Chicago Department of Health tries to get their message across in a shocking way, picking up mixed reviews on social media.
Along with sad faces and round bellies, the tagline reads, “Unexpected? Most teen pregnancies are.”
“The point was to get people’s attention and get conversation started about teen pregnancy and teen births, and how they really affect a community,” said a spokesperson from the Chicago Department of Health, Brian Richardson.
Richardson continued to stress the importance that teen mothers aren’t the only ones affected, according to The Inquisitr.
“We wanted to create an ad campaign that would cut through the clutter and get people thinking about teen pregnancy and teen births, and how it can affect more than just teen girls,” he said.
According to USA Today, the teen pregnancy rate in Chicago is declining, but it’s still much higher than the national average. Teen pregnancy ads in the past have helped to decline teen pregnancy by 10 percent.
While some think the ad campaign is groundbreaking and clever, others criticize the ads for being hurtful towards the transgendered community, Chicagoist reports.
Today reports that the ads are visible in high traffic areas like bus stops, trains and around high schools where teen pregnancy rates are the highest.
You can check out USA Today’s analysis below.