Oh. My. Gawd! Make it STOP! A December 6 headline reads: “Mariah Carey (and Her Baby Bump) Perform at Disney World.” (If you want to further torture yourself, read the full article here.
First of all, as a professional writer and editor, I must point out that a baby bump cannot “perform” at Disney World or anywhere else. Unless, okay, maybe if the mother-to-be is a belly dancer. But still, mostly impossible.
Secondly, why is this news?! Why should we care?! I think it’s enough that a supremely talented woman is sharing the gift of her amazing voice (although I still don’t think it’s newsworthy). And while I’m happy for any woman who finally gets pregnant after having difficulties, I think it’s jinx-inducing to make such a big hullabaloo in the early and precarious stages of her pregnancy. Most of all, I don’t want to hear about how the parade of expectant celebrities are using the latest fashions to conceal, accentuate, or accessorize their swollen bellies.
I’m possibly just feeling pissy, but I’m starting to think that reinstating the old-fashioned tradition of a woman going into “confinement” once she begins to show could bring a little balance back into our baby bump-obsessed world.
Kathleen Guthrie is a Northern California–based freelance writer. She is learning how to embrace being childfree.
Lisa,
I’ll tell you what’s getting on my very last nerve…in addition to Hollywood “baby bumps” (despise that phrase BTW) is all the focus on the “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” faux celebrities. I saw a news story where teenage girls are getting pregnant intentionally to get on those shows.
I went to the grocery store on Saturday, and at least three magazines at the checkout counter had stories on the teenage mothers.
This has gone past baby mania to literal baby insanity.
And we wonder why, despite all the education and availability of birth control, teen pregnancy is still on the rise! Sigh.
AMEN!!!
i just totally agree!
So, I go over to Huffingtonpost today… And there’s an article on Penelope Cruz’s body, post baby. Then there is an article on Alyssa Milano sporting her baby bump… You know, I’m sure a HUGE part of my anxiety about being unable to procreate is the social pressure, the “what are you waiting for”, the “why don’t you have kids”, the constant chatter over how great it is to have a baby bump… the glow of motherhood… the Chistmas cards it seems everyone now feels they must send with a family picture, or picture of kids. This was never the case before. People did not need to flaunt their pregnancies, kids were part of a family, but I don’t recall that they had to be the center of all conversation, parents had conversations about different things.