yummy mummy syndrome

I was just perusing Google* and doing a bit of research (seriously) about celebrity pregnancy (as I do) when I came across this ridiculous website which just confirms my purpose in starting this blog: http://www.gorgeousgetaways.com/packages_postpregnancy.htm

I have heard about these cosmetic surgery 'getaway' companies but I guess I never really gave it much thought in relation to postpartum 'mummy tummy'. Anyway, I was appalled to discover that women are being encouraged to spend upwards of $10,000 to 'turn back the clock' on their post-pregnancy bodies (not only do you get surgery, you get an island getaway as well! Sounds great. Sip a fruity drink while your surgery wounds are weeping and your body bloody and bruised). The suggestion that postpartum mums are only able to 'regain control' over their bodies (as if it was ever lost) through invasive surgery is a fairly frightening insight into just how much Australian culture is suffering from Hollywood celebrity-itis and the pressure placed on average women to perform motherhood and pregnancy like very rich, very famous celebs. As the stories about Katie and Angelina have finally started to disappear, now we have to look forward to Kate Moss and her second pregnancy; impossibly thin, impossibly stylish and with a look that is so unattainable for most women. As this piece from the Daily Telegraph notes, she's a damn hard act to follow:
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20637451-5001031,00.html

This is also a good article from The Age in 2004 and still very relevant, perhaps written at the height of the cult of yummy mummy:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/05/05/1083635198286.html?from=storyrhs

And what is it with all of the damn articles about fertility lately?? Why is it so hard for people to accept that the majority of women are choosing to having children later in life?? Some people in the media like to speculate that the cult of celebrity motherhood is encouraging women to wait longer to fall pregnant. As yummy mummy-hood is thrown in our faces everyday, they suggest the idea that women have to 'bounce back' just like Elle or Posh post-baby is a serious deterrent to motherhood. Basically, that all of us gals are just passive recipients of pop culture; that we don't think about what we read or what we see in a considered, thoughtful way. Even though I tend to agree that celeb pregnancy puts pressure on everyday mums, I don't agree that it's connected to fertility. The facts: more women are in the workforce and are seeking tertiary education. Women are becoming more independent and financially stable (we don't need men to 'keep us'- screw the patriarchy!). Whilst the Howard government is so keen on having women* pop out babies as fast as they can (and willing to pay!), who the hell is going to look after the babies? Oh right. The women. Hello? Gendered division of labour!!!

*if Google was a Mr., I would definitely marry him. How do I love thee! Let me count the ways...
*white, middle-class hetero and partnered but preferably married women (Oh the horror for old Johnny H. to even think about lesbian couples having babies too! )

Mornings with Kerri-Anne

Thanks to those of you who watched The Baby Bump Project's debut on Mornings with Kerri-Anne on Friday. Filming the show was a hoot! I flew to Sydney the Wednesday before airing and met up with two terrific mums I found through some frantic advertising on various pregnancy forums. I think the two kids on set with us had the most fun playing with the toys on the stage and looking at themselves in the monitors as we were taping.

Look out for BBP on Today Tonight coming up soon! Will let you know....

Hey has anyone seen the new photos of Britney since the birth?? She had a caesar and it seems like she's lost nearly 15 kilos in less than a month...looks a bit dodgy!

Read more about Brit and her post-baby body here:
http://diet.ivillage.com/celebprog/0,,8dhj9xkl,00.html

And..a nice antidote to all of the celeb postbaby hoo-ha from the Sydney Morning Herald:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/heckler/learn-from-pregnant-silence/2006/09/18/1158431643040.html

36 weeks and looking fab!

Why all the fuss about bumps?

This blog is based upon a subject, which for many women compromises one of the most significant periods of their lives. Pregnancy is not only something that most women will experience at least once during their lifetime but also a prominent topic of discussion in our everyday lives. Whilst our popular culture is currently saturated with images of celebrity pregnant bodies, thin postpartum bodies and images of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ motherhood, such an intensive focus on the pregnant body is only a recent phenomenon. Not only has pregnancy become culturally fetishised but it has also engendered the creation of a term to symbolise its popular representation, ‘baby bump’ or the ‘visible manifestation’ of a pregnancy.

In 1953 when Lucille Ball appeared on television pregnant, the word ‘pregnant’ was rarely uttered publicly given the implication that pregnant women are sexed bodies, they have sex, and their ‘baby bumps’ are only a reminder. Demi Moore created controversy with her nude, pregnant photograph on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine in 1991. Dripping in diamonds, Moore’s photograph evidenced that the pregnant body is a body to be looked at and not hidden beneath infantalising maternity frocks. With this knowledge, I realised that as pregnancy becomes increasingly visible and technologised, this has opened the door to thinking about the fetus as ‘person’ in public culture and particularly, the focus on ‘baby bumps’ in visibly pregnant bodies constructs the fetus as public property.

A term that has only been used in the last two years, ‘baby bump’ is increasingly becoming the defining feature of a pregnant woman’s body. First entering the Western cultural lexicon in 1987 in a British style article in The Guardian, a passing reference to maternity wear not looking as good ‘after the bump has disappeared’ seemed innocuous at the time. As celebrity pregnancy is celebrated in a global tabloid culture, it seems as though there is no other word to describe a growing belly other than ‘bump’. Not only does the ‘bump’ recognise a pregnancy but it also symbolises a growing fetus that is thought of as a separate person or ‘baby’ even before the birth. The ‘bump’ particularly takes on a life of its own in the media, almost to the point where popular culture forgets about the existence of the woman.

The Baby Bump Project is devoted to telling your stories of pregnancy, how you coped with a changing body, the beautiful bits of pregnancy and motherhood (and the not-so beautiful bits) and sharing your 'bump' photos from pregnancy and even the 'bumps' postpartum.

How to share your story

If you would like to share your own experiences of having a 'bump' with other mums-to-be and mums-already, email your story to me on babybumpproject@yahoo.com.au and I will post your message for others mums to read and learn. Feel free to include any handy hints for coping with the pressure (body or otherwise).

Make sure to include images of your bump or your body during pregnancy or postpartum so we can all share in how everyday mums look and feel. If you have a Flickr account, join our group The Baby Bump Project and post yourself in the Bump Gallery (otherwise send me your images and I can post them for you).

Share in the backlash. Talk about the bump.