After seeing Miley Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop” music video and Miley Cyrus Twerking at the MTV VMAs, there is little doubt she is taking a wrecking ball to pop culture as we know it. Fittingly, her new single will be called “Wrecking Ball.” It drops Monday, she teased along with this image: Clinging to a giant sphere and showing plenty of skin, the 20-year-old appears in cropped white tank, white underwear and a pair of wine-colored Doc Martens. “#WreckingBall #comingMonday #VEVO,” she Tweeted regarding the next single to her forthcoming album Bangerz , which will be released October 4. Speaking of Miley Cyrus’ ball and chain, word has it Liam Hemsworth may dump her over … well, just about everything she’s done in the last few months.
Perhaps Teen Mom and Teen Mom 2 are becoming obsolete? The birth rate among teenagers hit a record low in 2012, government research shows. Teen Birth Rate Keeps Falling There is evidence that a trend of more effective means of birth control is a factor, according to the National Center for Health Statistics at the CDC. Watching Farrah Abraham and Jenelle Evans can’t hurt, either. The birth rate among young women ages 15 to 19 fell 6 percent last year, to 29.4 births per thousand, the lowest rate in the 73 years of data collection. The decline was across all racial and ethnic groups. The 2012 number was a significant drop and follows fairly sizable declines since 2007 , when the rate was 41.5 births per thousand young women ages 15 to 19. In fact, except for a small uptick between 2005 and 2007, the teen birth rate has been steadily declining since 1991, when it reached 61.8 births per thousand. The data used comes from the birth certificate that parents must complete at the hospital and it provides a wealth of information regarding demographics. But to figure out why exactly the teen birth rate is falling, researchers have to rely on extensive surveys, and the results are much harder to pin down. There is not much evidence of a change in abortion use and not much change in sexual activity, according to analysts, meaning birth control may be up. Or better, or better used. While condom use increased substantially in the 1990s and early 2000s among high schoolers, it actually declined slightly after that, according to the CDC. At the same time, medical professionals have increasingly been recommending the IUD, a small, plastic device that is inserted and left inside the uterus. While it does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases, the IUD can be used in combination with a condom, which does offer such protection. Beyond teens, the birth rate for American women in their early twenties also declined in 2012, to a new record low of 83.1 births per 1,000 women. Birth rates rose for women in their late thirties and early forties.
Let’s hope Katy Perry isn’t reading this right now. The singer’s boyfriend, John Mayer, has been exchanging text messages with former Bachelorette star Emily Maynard, according to a new report. That is one bad Santa , indeed. “I’m shocked he’d be talking to Emily, but she is gorgeous,” an insider dishes. “I don’t know how she does it, but she’s got all of these guys chasing after her.” THG NOTE: She does it with her insane body and hours of daily primping. Having publicly admitted on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that The Bachelor is his “guilty pleasure,” John is “a huge fan of the show,” gushes the insider. For the mother of one, however, this may be little more than a distraction. “Emily is bored out of her mind” living in Charlotte, N.C. “So she sits at home and flirts with guys via text. That’s what got her in trouble with her ex fiance, Jef Holm.” It’s true, Emily Maynard and Jef Holm split this summer after a very short engagement, and Emily’s sexting Matt Leinart was allegedly, partly to blame. Meanwhile, Katy Perry and John Mayer are reportedly going strong, with the singer having spent the holidays with her family in Santa Barbara. If he hasn’t been kicked to the curb for sexting Emily yet. J/K. Maybe.
Call us crazy, but we think a new Philadelphia high school program may create a bit of controversy. According to ABC News, the city – in response to a new report that cites five percent of its high schoolers have tested positive for STDs – is installing condom dispensers in the 22 schools with the highest rates of these diseases. “We believe distributing condoms is part of our obligation to keep students healthy and to remain healthy,” said school district spokesman Fernando Gallard. “The health department has described this as a continued epidemic of STDs among teenagers in Philadelphia.” Approximately 130,000 high school students in the Philadelphia area have been tested over the past five years, with 6,500 of those coming out positives for STDs that include HIV. As a result, when students return from Christmas break, they will be greeted by machines in the nurse’s office that provide free protection. The condoms will be available to all, unless parents sign an “opt out” form. HOWEVER, the schools do not plan on actually enforcing these forms. “Opt-out letters are to be maintained by the school office,” Assistant Superintendent Dennis W. Creedon wrote. “Students are to honor the wishes of their parents. If a student disrespects their guardian’s directive, that is an issue of the home.” Overall, according to nonprofit organization Advocates for Youth, at least 418 schools across the country supply condoms to their students. How do you feel about this practice? It’s the smart thing to do It’s a greenlight for teens to have sex Where can I get some?!? View Poll »
