"This is not what motherhood looks like" : mothers' interpretations of cultural representations of the celebrity pregnant and post-partum body."

Abstract

THIS IS NOT WHAT MOTHERHOOD LOOKS LIKE: MOTHERS' INTERPRETATIONS OF CULTURAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THE CELEBRITY PREGNANT AND POST-PARTUM BODY Brittany M. Williams April 18, 2013 This research utilizes a feminist critical perspective to examine celebrity mom body (CMB) narratives in popular magazines and explore how they affect non-celebrity mother's body image based on class, race, and education. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were done with 25 non-celebrity women between the ages of 19 and 50 who have had one or more children to explore women's experiences in light ofCMB Narratives. Women were asked questions about their bodies and experiences during and after pregnancy as well as shown images of pregnant and post-partum celebrity mothers from People Magazine, Us Weekly, Elle, and other popular magazines Despite the differences in levels of consumption, all women believed CMB narratives were problematic for women, as they normalized images of motherhood that were unrealistic for non-celebrity women. Further, this research found problematic differences in women's experiences based on their class, race, and education.