Roar Like a Tiger on TV?

Abstract

The genre of reality TV is a significant feature of popular culture and has grown to include shows that document diverse aspects of social life. The common element of these shows is that they use personal history as spectacle, basing themselves on the idea that the shows portray the real lives of ordinary people rather than scripted performances. This paper takes a closer look at one of these reality TV shows—A Baby Story—to examine how this “record of reality” works to challenge and/or reinforce established norms related to gender, race, class, sexuality, and ability. Based on an analysis of 24 episodes, we identify four main discourses in A Baby Story related to women and childbirth: (1) The birthing woman; (2) The birthing story; (3) The role of medicine; and (4) Agency and resistance. Through a discussion of these discourses, we argue that A Baby Story constructs a specific televisual narrative that supports established gender roles and dominant social norms in relation to the event of childbirth, rather than reflecting the diversity of women's experiences. By presenting this televisual narrative as ordinary or common A Baby Story potentially acts as a powerful element of a larger electronic panopticon that serves to surveil and discipline women and their bodies.