Motherhood in the Media

In a modern world brimming with technology, media is at the forefront of many lives and has the potential to deeply influence mindsets. The messages the media communicates to pregnant and postnatal women increase their likelihood of body image issues, eating disorders, anxiety, postpartum depression, and more. I am studying the negative implications of messages communicated through media to perinatal and postnatal women because I want to find out how it impacts perinatal and postnatal health. This review will disclose the use of female celebrities as standards for physical appearance, the correlation between media consumption and mental health issues, and the need for realism in the media’s portrayal of pregnant and postnatal women.

Female Celebrities as Standards for Physical Appearance

Female celebrities are utilized by the media as the standard for physical appearance of pregnant and postnatal women. The depiction of fit and flawless celebrity mothers in the media creates unrealistic expectations for the average pregnant and postnatal woman to uphold. Recently, there has been a surge in popularity of these media narratives featuring the impeccable bodies of celebrity mothers, stories of how every woman can reclaim their body after pregnancy, and photos of exuberant celebrity women and their babies (Bedor & Tajima, 2012; Hopper, 2014). Celebrities have access to resources that are not available to the regular mother like around-the-clock childcare, dieticians, and personal trainers. Nevertheless, mothers are expected to be able to achieve the level of body satisfaction and sex appeal that the media portrays in celebrity magazines and television shows.

Although magazines portray celebrity mothers as easy to relate to, the dissimilarities between the pregnancy and postpartum experiences of average women in contrast to that of celebrity women indicate that readers are exposed to unattainable goals and are encouraged to believe they can have the same successes that celebrity mothers have (Bedor & Tajima, 2012). In emphasizing the commonalities between the experiences of celebrities and of readers, the media is able to foster the idea of a personal connection between readers and media figures. Media coverage of the pregnancies and postpartum experiences of celebrity mothers identify the general population as their weight watchers, in the sense that they are scrutinized or praised by the public based on how quickly they bounce back to their pre-pregnancy weight (Bedor & Tajima, 2012).

Typical images conveyed by the media feature celebrity women with flawless skin, makeup, and hairdos, immaculately put together from head to toe. Many of these photos are digitally altered to decrease body fat or remove stretch marks resulting from pregnancy and/or general weight gain (Kourtney, 2010 as cited in Coyne et al., 2018). In an experimental study conducted by Coyne et al., (2018), a group of pregnant or postpartum women were provided with a magazine containing glamorized media portrayals of pregnant or postpartum celebrities. Given the way that attractive pregnant celebrities are glorified in the media, the women in the study made upward social comparisons, defined as comparisons to those presumed to be better than oneself. These comparisons are typically correlated with negative outcomes, as they may lead to self-objectification and poor body image. This is proven by the results of the study, in which pregnant women reported feeling a decrease in body image after only five minutes of exposure to the celebrity magazine.

In a similar study conducted by Hopper (2014), pregnant women described engaging in a prospective comparison with celebrities who had recently given birth in regard to how their own bodies would look after the birth of their babies. The women agreed that they experienced the most frustration and jealousy when they thought about how their bodies would appear after birth in comparison to the celebrities’ bodies featured in popular magazines (Hopper, 2014). Therefore, it can be determined that the amount of media consumed by a pregnant or postpartum woman has a clear relationship with negative body image and trouble with self-worth and self-confidence, leading to larger issues in the realm of mental health.

Media Consumption and Mental Health Issues

There is a direct correlation between the development of mental health issues and the consumption of media in perinatal and postnatal women. The media’s portrayal of ideal mothers, complete with perfect physical appearance and unwavering mental fitness, can cause a variety of mental health issues including eating disorders, anxiety, and postpartum depression. Exposure to thin-ideal media, defined as the glorification of a very thin body type, is associated with poor body image, poor self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and an increased propensity toward eating disorders (Grabe et al., 2008 as cited in Coyne et al., 2018). This inclination is supported by clinical research indicating that an increasing number of new mothers follow unhealthy diet practices and suffer from eating disorders (Bedor & Tajima, 2012). Presented with contradictory messages between medical professionals encouraging healthy weight gain during pregnancy and media images emphasizing the importance of postpartum weight loss, mothers are forced into a tumultuous cycle that starts at conception and does not simply end after birth (Bedor & Tajima, 2012). Adding to this mental tug of war, are the media’s negative depictions of postpartum distress, anxiety, postpartum depression (PPD).

Held and Rutherford (2012) examined portrayals of postpartum distress in popular magazines and advice books to analyze the ways in which distress and motherhood were discussed. They discovered a persistent reluctance to cite motherhood itself, in all its complexities, as the cause of serious emotional distress among mothers. Instead, there was an insistence on changing mothers themselves to better adapt to their role. (Held & Rutherford, 2012). A good mother versus bad mother dynamic is perpetuated by the media, which attempts to define how a mother should feel and behave. In order to be considered an ordinary mother in accordance to the media, a woman has to be pleased with the sacrifices she must make of herself for her children (Held & Rutherford, 2012). An unhappy mother is looked down upon as one who is not properly adjusting to her role. Any dissatisfaction in pregnancy is labeled as abnormal and selfish. Even miscarriage used to be viewed as a consequence of any rejection of the motherhood role (Held & Rutherford, 2012). As a result of this, normal and expected feelings of exhaustion, stress, and anxiety throughout motherhood is condemned and women are ashamed to reveal their struggles in fear of being labeled a bad mother.

Although postpartum depression is common, with one in ten new mothers suffering from the disease, it often goes untreated because of the stigma enforced by the media combined with the societal expectations of being a new mother (Held & Rutherford, 2012; Holman, 2011). The overarching message contained within magazine articles reviewed by Held and Rutherford (2012) was that “unhappiness and motherhood are incompatible, rather than truly part of the story” (p. 17). This story, of the journey of motherhood, is one that the media breaks and contorts in order to better suit its preferred mold of perfection. In sharp contrast, its consumers have begun to express their desire for an increase in inclusivity and an incorporation of more realistic narratives in the media’s portrayal of all that encompasses motherhood.

Need for Realism in Portrayal of Pregnant/Postnatal Women in Media

There is an intense need for more realistic images and narratives in the media’s portrayal of pregnant and postnatal women. Media coverage of pregnant and postnatal women oftentimes fails to include the struggles that can accompany motherhood like infertility, weight gain, anxiety, depression, and more. In a study conducted by Leichty, Coyne, Collier, and Sharp (2018), the majority of female participants mentioned the lack of realism related to the portrayals of pregnancy in the media. Expected physical changes of pregnancy such as acne, stretchmarks, and/or excess skin on the belly were noticeably absent from magazines, television shows, etc. Participants of a related study conducted by Incollingo, Dunkel-Schetter, & Tomiyama (2019) found similar issues with the misrepresentation of pregnant women in the media. They pinpointed the lack of plus-size pregnant women. One participant explained that she “never gets to see the chubby mom with the apron belly, just these picture-perfect tiny moms with their perfectly round bump” (p. 6).

Naturally, there is an overwhelming concern that these unrealistic images cause unrealistic expectations among pregnant and postpartum women and can encourage society to enforce the idea that there is only one acceptable way to appear and behave throughout motherhood. Fortunately, groups of mothers and their supporters have begun to push back against these expectations. A study directed by Bute, Quinlan, and Quandt (2016) examined the online comments of an article by celebrity Giuliana Rancic centered around her infertility issues in order to better understand the role of celebrity experiences in personal and public conversations about maternal health. Commenters viewed Rancic as a privileged celebrity whose battle with fertility problems were not representative of the average woman struggling with similar issues. Commenters also observed her tendency to paint the perfect picture of her infertility journey, including her unimpeded access to treatments (Bute et al., 2016). The reader accounts challenged the widely spread message by the media that celebrities are just like us and gave voice to women who are less privileged than Rancic and facing the same issues.

In corresponding fashion, the Beautiful Body Project of 2012 refused to uphold the unattainable expectations of mothers perpetuated by the media and instead honors mothers of all shapes and sizes. Researchers Palmer-Mehta & Shuler (2017) investigated responses to a Facebook post announcing the project to understand how commenters respond to efforts like these that redefine and reconstruct the concept of motherhood. The Beautiful Body Project consists of a group of photos depicting the postpartum body in all its forms. Commenters supported the project and encouraged its founder to continue posting photos. Many expressed their disappointment in the media’s representation of pregnant and postpartum women and wished images like the ones in the Beautiful Body Project were featured more prominently. (Palmer-Mehta & Shuler, 2017). Comparatively, Palmer-Mehta and Shuler (2017) uncovered a strong resistance to the media’s portrayal of the perfect mother as well as an incessant need among women to have more accurate depictions of motherhood shown across all media platforms.

The media plays a significant role in the decline of mental and physical health among pregnant and postnatal women. The use of celebrity mothers as the standard to strive for, the portrayal of the ideal mother and rejection of anything less, and the significant lack of realistic images and narratives surrounding motherhood combine to form harmful messages for women to consistently receive. Data on the effects of Instagram on pregnant and postnatal women should be examined. It is one of the largest social media platforms today and is not considered in research, which is mostly focused on magazines and Facebook.

References

Bedor, E., & Tajima, A. (2012). No fat moms! Celebrity mothers' weight-loss narratives in people magazine. The Journal of Magazine and New Media Research, 13(2), 1–26.

Bute, J. J., Quinlan, M. M., & Quandt, L. K. (2016). Informing or exploiting? Public responses to Giuliana Rancic's health narrative. Health Communication, 31(18), 1008–1018. doi:10.1080/10410236.2015.1027987

Coyne, S. M., Leichty, T. M., Collier, K. D., Sharp, A. J., Davis, E. L., & Kroff, S. undefined. (2018). The effect of media on body image in pregnant and postpartum women. Health Communication, 33(7), 793–799. doi:10.1080/10410236.2017.1314853

Held, L., & Rutherford, A. (2012). Can't a mother sing the blues? Postpartum depression and the construction of motherhood in late 20th-century America. History of Psychology, 15(2), 107–123. doi:10.1037/a0026219

Holman, L. (2011). Building bias: Media portrayal of postpartum disorders and mental Illness stereotypes. Media Report to Women, 39(1), 12–19.

Hopper, M. K. (2014). Looking beyond the baby bump: The role of magazine portrayals of pregnant and post-partum celebrity bodies in social comparison processes in pregnant women. Ohio Communication Journal, 52, 35–54.

Incollingo, R., Dunkel Schetter, C., & Tomiyama, J. A. (2019). Weight stigma among pregnant and postpartum women: A new context of stigmatization. Stigma and Health. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/sah0000191

Leichty, T. M., Coyne, S. M., Collier, K. D., & Sharp, A. (2018). It’s just not very realistic: Perceptions of media among pregnant and postpartum women. Health Communication, 33(7), 851–859. doi:10.1080/10410236.2017.1315680.

Palmer-Mehta, V., & Shuler, S. (2017). Rising against the third shift: Reclaiming the postpartum body in “A Beautiful Body Project.” Women's Studies in Communication, 40(4), 359–378. doi:10.1080/07491409.2017.1368055

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