Oh, my! I was going to blog today about the trendiness of having babies...but everyone must try Google Earth, if you haven't tried it already. Go anywhere, see anything, all from space! So cool.
Okay, back to babies. I find it almost heartening that those arbiters of trendy, today's celebrities, are racing to have babies. Headlines in the gossip section of one of our local rags: Hurley turns to baby food ("I found all I wanted to do was give him perfect, unadulterated food."); Tara admits to boob job ("Meanwhile, the American Pie actress has revealed she is desperate to fall in love and start a family."); and J. Lo pregnant? ("A source told the New York Post: 'Her freinds and family members have told us she is pregnant.' But representatives for the 34-year-old star continue to deny the claims.") Not to mention Ms. Spears constantly in the news about her upcoming baby...
What annoys me about this? Sex, drugs and alcohol were the trend of the up-and-coming stars in my generation (ie. when I was in my 20s). And when I was in my 20s, I was like everyone else, assuming I'd invented drunken promiscuity. (An attitude which is still alive and well in the cornucopia of dating TV shows: Blind Date, Elimidate, Fifth Wheel) What annoys me is that now these women, and the media surrounding them, act as if they are the first women in the world to have babies. And it's coming at a time when so many (normal) women are delaying it until they are more secure in their financial lives, or even deciding not to, because of career/lifestyle priorities.
The upside? Being pregnant is suddenly sexy. Women all over Canada and the United States are showing off their pregnant bellies, navel rings and all. It's quite a celebration of motherhood.
The downside? Gads, where do I start? Having a child is an expensive proposition, especially if you are not a millionaire pop icon. And the marketing -- it is becoming so 'important' to have the right 'stuff' for your kid. Rubenesque women were the trend when the poor couldn't afford to eat. Aerobicized asses when the poor couldn't afford to go to hire a trainer. Anemic scrawniness is the trend now, as it is an expensive alternative to eat organic/vegan. I'm a litle worried about the cost of having a child -- what ways will 'They' find to make it rise, and rise, and rise?
I'm going back to my Google Earth...far more fun.
Lori
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4 comments:
Why am I suddenly getting so much spam?!?
ARGH!
...but there's one real comment -- that's good!
Lori
Hey Lori,
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Lori....??
Well, if you go the more natural route with pregnancy. birth and babies it doesn't have to be costly. Midwives are affordable, homebirths are AMAZING and SAFE and breastmilk is free! :) All a baby really needs to be happy is a clean diaper and time at his mother's breast. Babies don't care about any of that material stuff. They just want loved and fed. :)
My concern about the "trendiness of motherhood" lately is not the financial side but instead how many women will become mothers before they are really ready just because "it's the thing to do" or "it's what you do next" after getting married.
You can either turn off "anonymous" comments (which I think I am going to do soon because I am getting spammed like crazy) or just delete them, which is what I am doing right now. When you view the comments as you are signed in you should get a little garbage can and when you click it you can delete it, I normally "delete forever" as I don't think there is much need to leave a ghost of the deleted comment.
Congrats on getting married.
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