High School Student Pretends She’s Pregnant as School Project
High School Student Pretends to Be Preggers
Gaby Rodriguez could have chosen from a whole myriad of projects for her senior year. She could have trained a guide dog, started a recycling program or made a modern day adaptation of Wuthering Heights. But instead what did this 17-year-old A-student do? She pretended she was pregnant.
For six and half months, Rodriguez lied to just about everyone she knew. She told her friends and school mates that she was knocked up and wore a fake baby bump to complete the charade. There were only a handful of people in on the deception; her best friend, her boyfriend, the school principal, and her mother were among those in the know. The rest of her friends and all but one of her seven siblings all believed that she was pregnant. And her boyfriend’s parents? They thought they were going to be grandparents and were apparently hoping for a boy. So why would Gaby Rodriguez pretend to be preggers?
It was a social experiment to study rumors and stereotypes. At an all-school assembly she addressed all the things that were said about her (that had gotten back to her), which were read by fellow students and teachers. She then came clean saying, “I’m fighting against those stereotypes and rumors because the reality is I’m not pregnant.” She shocked the audience as she took off the fake baby bump.
This was news that was a surprise to almost everyone, the audience was apparently filled with emotion, awe and at the end, they gave her a standing ovation. But deceiving almost everyone in your community, lying to your friends and family, disappointing -albeit temporarily – teachers who didn’t want to see Rodriquez as being another teen mom, would that be worth it?
Photo: Flick Rockmysox
I would have told the boyfriends parents, what if they were looking forward to being grandparents?
Ah- so lying is not spun as a “social experiment”? Gotcha.
It was playing people- especially those who thought they were going to be grandparents and the school as well as the all the other involved adults and kids ought to be ashamed of themselves. The end doesn’t justify the means.
And conversely RiChan- what if the boys parents were devastated over the loss of potential future and really disappointed the girl didn’t abort? I sure wouldn’t celebrate any of my teens becoming parents instead of securing their futures first.
Perhaps this girl will go on to live with some very REAL LIFE consequences to her deception and fakery. I sure hope so.
I think it’s pretty neat. Deception is part of many social psychology experiments. Sometimes there is no other way of studying a particular subject without using deception. I do agree that it was hard on the boyfriend’s parents, but maybe she had her reasons why she could not trust them. She did secure the permission of the principal beforehand. The fact that she received a standing ovation seems to indicate that her deception was not too detrimental.
Yikes, she really should’ve told her boyfriend’s parents. Other than that? What a neat experiment, and a great way to expose high school social dynamics.
awesome
Interesting. So from now on, whenever someone in her life lies to her, they can just say it was a social experiment? “Congratulations you won the state lottery, you’re now 100 million dollars richer!!” Two days later “Oh you quit your job…that’s too bad, because you didn’t really win the lottery, it was just a social experiment to see how people would act when they think they’ve won the lottery”
Don’t human’s have to acknowledge and give permission to enter experiments?
Brilliant experiment. I applaud this young lady.
I want to address Goddess’s comment(s). First of all, as far as the boyfriend’s parents, if they were hoping for a boy then they obviously weren’t devastated. Maybe their acceptance was the reason she didn’t tell them. Perhaps she would’ve let them in on her experiment had they been upset over the situation. Or perhaps she wanted to see their reaction as part of her experiment.
Furthermore, I certainly don’t condone teen pregnancy and I would be devastated if any of my children became parents in their teens, but I don’t think she did anything malicious in “deceiving” people for this experiment. nor she should be reprimanded or have to face any consequences. Since the school principal knew about and condoned this experiment, then she didn’t do anything wrong. As chicadificil stated, the “deception” was necessary to conduct this experiment. If everyone knew she wasn’t pregnant then no one would’ve made the statements that were true to how they reacted. Sadly, with teen pregnancy on the rise, she was attempting to show that expecting teens are treated differently and often discriminated against. Just because we don’t agree with teens having babies, no teen who ends up pregnant should be discriminated against. We live in an age where sexual conduct is imitated on primetime tv shows and discussed on magazine covers on display at registers in supermarkets. Unfortunately sex is no longer portrayed as a sacred, private act among a married man and woman, but instead is portrayed very openly as something glamorous and “cool”. Teens get the wrong image and mistakes happen, but the teens who do find themselves expecting should have the same rights and be treated the same as all others when they are in school. Their lives are complicated and difficult enough when they do become parents, that alone is punishment enough. I think she did a good thing. Hopefully she opened up her peers’ and teachers’ eyes to recognize that pregnant teens should not be ridiculed and should be given the same respect as their peers. It took courage for her to endure her experiment and to stick with something she started as an experiment even though she was subjected to comments and ridicule. Good for her for sticking it out to the end. It shows she is a strong, committed, dedicated young lady.
Age of puberty is declining for girls !
http://funnyandspicy.com/age-of-puberty-is-declining-for-girls
So if it was an experiment was the premise and conclusion. Or was it just a lie to see what people said. Whatever they said what was the cause, her being pregnant or just the usual high-school gossip and rumours. As an ‘experiment’ it is a fail, too many uncontrollable variables. What she needs to do is take more science courses and learn how to set up an experiment with the proper controls and parameters so she can draw a reasonable conclusion. Of course it then has to be repeated numerous times to have an validity.
Final grade : E
A social experiment is not the same as a normal scientific experiment. It doesn’t take into account variables because it’s studying life as it is. It’s not like trying to see what environment a plant grows best in, it’s about real human reactions. You can’t gain understanding of how people and cultures really work without just setting the experiment in motion, that’s why only the necessary people can know about the experiment if anyone at all.
And humans need to consent to experiments that have them taking pills or being hooked up to machines or changing their entire lives. The fact of the matter is that most of the people in her school wouldn’t be affected by her having a baby.
why couldn’t the same thing be studied using a REAL pregnant teenager?
The girl achieved her experiment and maybe will win an einstein award for brilliance really brave thing to do . i read some of the comments and really come on shes 16 years old get a life already to be saying such negative things terrible it was a social experiment to study rumors and stereotypes and she achieved that. I commend ehr for her boldness Goddess you have real issues to wish something upon someone especially a child it was a controlled experiment grow a brain there was no pregnancy so no pain would be felt Samantha you go girl for giving her the 411..
So very interesting. I’d love to see an actual paper or, gasp!, a book detailing her experiences. What a fascinating young lady to come up with a project like this. These types of social experiments are incredibly telling. Once they are revealed it can reflect back to everyone involved their actions hopefully creating a teaching moment. Of course this is controversial but any good SOCIAL experiment should be. (please google the terms “social experiment” vs. “scientific experiment” if you don’t know the very real and very real difference)