Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Bumpy Roads

What do Kim Kardashian, Jessica Simpson, and Kate Middleton have in common?  Yes, they're all famous, and yes, they're all pregnant, but all three have also been criticized for their pregnancy shape.

As if the physical and emotional aspects of pregnancy aren't enough stress to bear, women's pregnant bodies are constantly scrutinized and judged by others.  Are you gaining enough weight?  Are you gaining too much weight?  Or are you the Goldilocks of motherhood?

For those who struggled with food prior to pregnancy, these 10 months can be exceptionally challenging.  Morning sickness, weekly weight checks, a growing belly (and body. . .  even despite a real and delicious purpose), sometimes well-intentioned comments about the "right" things to eat--all can rile up an already shaky relationship with food and weight.  And, as more and more women are turning to fertility treatments these days, tack on additional pre-pregnancy gain.

A lot of this cannot be stopped.  But the comments, they need to cease.  Internet magazine Jezebel recently ran an article lambasting the media hoopla around Kim K's gain.  I say, we need to apply these words to every expecting mother.  Not one woman should be critically commenting on another woman's growing belly.  It's the quickest, surest way to devalue the miracle of life.  

Tuesday, March 05, 2013

I Recommend This Book to No One


Remember those book reports from grade school, which inevitably concluded with your recommendation for a target audience ("I'd recommend this book to other boys and girls my age. . . .")?

Well, I found a book that I would like to recommend to no one.

I was browsing in my local novelty shop and came across this title:




Never have I been so disappointed by a subtitle. And to think, the title had such promise!

So, I found myself mentally rewriting the subtitle (and, of course, by extension, the book).   Six Weeks to OMG:  Never Pick Up a Diet Book Again. . .  Six Weeks to OMG:  Learn How to Challenge Current Media Representations of Women. . .  Six Weeks to OMG:  Finally Organize Your Sock Drawer. . .  really anything than the one they chose.

How would you rename this book?  What can you accomplish in six weeks that is healthier and more productive than the promise laid out here?