While I was at the grocery store stocking up for the Thanksgiving dinner I will be hosting Saturday (yes, I said Saturday. I like to eat and hate conflicts, so I host early Thanksgiving for my large immediate family-seven siblings- on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and everyone can do whatever they want on the “real” Thanksgiving. Saves on in-law fights), I came across the cover of this tabloid with the two pregnant turkeys women preening on the cover. Yes I know this is a rag-mag, but the cover irritated me on so many levels. Here’s why:
Fearing Childbirth: “Give me as many drugs as possible!” Those who read this blog regularly know I am not anti-epidural or pain medication during labor. So there. However, this cover statement has an astonishingly negative view of childbirth. It certainly is OK to be apprehensive and scared as a primip, but come on! These two cover models, Kendra and Kourtney, are women, adults, and pregnant. Was there any sort of childbirth education undertaken? Drugs do not cure fear. Being ignorant on childbirth and just relying on an epidural is a dangerous game to play, as I have written about before. I have no clue as to waht the demographics are of the people who read In Touch Weekly. If the demographic is young women, (my guess is this is the demographic), what kind of message does this send? Birth is something to fear and multiple drugs will solve all. YUCK! For two women who became famous for nothing (OK, sleeping with Hugh Hefner and being rich), they lost a great opportunity to educate young women on pregnancy and childbirth. Rikki Lake they aint!
After Four Years of Humiliation: Jen Finally Get’s Even! This reeks of sexism. If a successful woman gets divorced from a successful man, SHE is to be pitied as a pathetic loser. The “other woman”, also a successful woman, is portrayed as a man-stealing, family destroying harpie. Get over it already!
My Battle with Bulimia Well, could the issue of bulimia and body image problems in women be due to the fact of media showing unrealistic images of perfect feminine bodies (as the picture of the bulimic housewife displays?). Puh-leeze!
Robot Wife No More Oh My. A picture of a pathetic and plain-looking wife of a former A-lister. A dead-behind-the-eyes wife, a Robot Wife. (A Stepford wife?). Again, a young successful woman in her own right, degraded to a Robot Wife to big powerful Top-Gun man. What message does this send.
So now I have Gastro-Esophageal Reflux to deal with before my big (28 people) Thanksgiving dinner party. Thanks In Touch Weekly. I guess I should shop only at Whole (Pay Check) Foods from now on, so the only magazines I encounter are, “The Atlantic”, “Real Simple”, “Men’s Health”, and “Architectural Digest.” If only I could afford it.
RR
