There’s a lot of blame to go around in a story like this. You can place plenty of blame on the ridiculous anti-birth control TikTok and Instagram influencers who are convincing young women that birth control is “disconnecting you from your true self.” You can also place some blame on the women who don’t have enough sense to ignore these frauds and then are shocked to discover that they became pregnant after having unprotected sex.
The f**k did you think would happen?
The radiant, ethereal women of TikTok and Instagram softly whispering that your birth control, one of the miracles of the modern age, is actually killing you, are convincing women to ditch their hormonal contraception to go on some spiritual vision quest or some such horses**t. It’s a lot of neo-hippie bulls**t mixed with pronatalist conservative nonsense that is ending with real-world consequences like surprise babies and medical horror stories.
Anti-Birth Control Influencers Are Accidentally Getting Women Pregnant
The New York Times ran a story about a 26-year-old Texan named Ashley Hamrick, who got swept into a vortex of pseudo-science and hazy-filter feminism. After more than a decade on the pill with no issues, she began questioning it all thanks to the algorithm’s parade of anti-pill influencers.
“Who am I without birth control?” she wondered, echoing the kind of question that sounds deep until you’re four months pregnant and Googling “Texas abortion laws 2024.”
Hamrick’s doctor advised against quitting the pill, because it should not be surprising to learn that doctors actually know what the f**k they’re doing… for the most part. That a**hole on TikTok/Instagram does not. She turned to her boyfriend of less than a year, and together they made a plan: stay off birth control and hope for the best.
Folks, the best did not occur.
Don’t Stop Taking Birth Control Because TikTok Told You To
Four months later, Hamrick was pregnant, and Texas was having a constitutional crisis over whether women should be allowed to survive childbirth if things went badly. With abortion essentially off the table, and the state’s rule of law looking like it was written by a chatbot trained exclusively on Old Testament verses, Hamrick spiraled. She began contemplating moving to a different state, perhaps even a different country.
While her partner went back to work, she stayed home, stewing in postpartum depression. “My whole life felt on pause,” she said. The wellness influencers didn’t post about this part. I argue this part is what they were really aiming for, and actually don’t give a s**t about birth control toxins in your body.
Eventually, Hamrick started antidepressants and went back on the pill. “I don’t want to get pregnant again,” she said—no shame in that. I’d argue that waiting to have a baby, taking your time to decide whether you’re even the right fit for parenthood, and whether you even want a child at all, or whether familial or societal pressures are forcing you into doing it, is not only healthy but also a sign of intelligence and independence.
All of this serves as a reminder that just because the particular social media echo chamber the algorithm has confined you to is all screaming the same message, that doesn’t mean you have to listen. Also, and perhaps most importantly, stop taking medical advice from these stupid Dips**t on social media. Please consult with a qualified doctor and value their opinion over that of a random person making money from views.
The pill isn’t perfect. Like any other medication, it has its side effects, its downsides. But it does its primary job extraordinarily well, and it can help women with a range of other issues outside of stopping pregnancy, like regulating out-of-whack hormones. If it hasn’t failed you for a decade, it likely won’t fail you for the decades to come. What will fail you consistently is listening to the advice of some random a**hole online.
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