Fiction: Unrealistic Expectations
How Mummy Shaming is Causing Women to Internalise Unhealthy and Unrealistic
M
ums are being judged, criticised and shamed for everything today, from the moment they fall pregnant. The majority of times, it is other women who are doing the shaming; whether it is someone from the public, someone from within their inner circle, social media or information from the Media. The fashion industry and Hollywood (Movie and TV) have created unrealistic expectations and role models for decades. As a society we are so easily ‘infected’ by the desire and need to be like the people we see and watch, that we have seek out any information and products to help us move closer to this ideal. Many people will do anything to be just like their role models, even if it is not healthy.
During Pregnancy – Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don’t The Media thirsts for stories that support the idealised role models or tear women apart when they don’t fit the mould. They are constantly scrutinising 4
March 2015 | iSelf Magazine
female celebrity bodies. How often do you see the media commenting on a male celebrity’s body, in the same way? During a pregnancy, the Media reports on everything including, if someone has not gained enough weight, gained too much weight, what they are wearing, what they are eating, the exercise they are doing and on and on it goes. Just some of the celebrities that have been shamed during pregnancy include, Kim Kardashian and Jessica Simpson (putting on too much weight), Hayden Panettiere (wearing a bathing suit at a beach, on holidays), Sonia Kruger (being too old) and Kate Middleton (not putting on enough weight). All of this judgement is being filtered down into our society so that women are starting to lose focus on what pregnancy is truly about and the focus is on body and image.
Weight gain in pregnancy seems to be unacceptable these days! When we ask pregnant women how they are feeling, they often respond, ‘fat’ or ‘huge’! - PJ Wells Stretch Yoga
photos courtesy of Jade Beall (www.jadebeall.com)
The Shameful Sport of Mummy Bullying