The media and its portrayal of pregnancy, labor, and family life

[The Alchemist]

I'm kinda sick of how the media exaggerates everything. In movies, labor looks like the woman is possessed by the devil. In tV, the wife always looks great, like a model...with kids. How about paper towel commercials? The kid spills something, mommy sees the disaster, and all she does is smile and cleans it up smiling. Lol! Yeah, I wouldn't be happy. Really?! I just wish they portrayed real life for once!

Sorry, this is just random thread. I'm bored, lo's napping, and I'm just watching TV because I am just too tired. And that's what came to mind.

 

[aliss]

I hate A Baby Story on TLC. Every description is "but can she handle it?" or "a frightening complication!". People need to stop taking pride in women's pain and fear in labour. The occasional natural birth girl is shown as a weirdo.

 

[Equreuil]

Sorry but I feel like playing Devil's advocate here... Movies/TV are supposed to be a break from reality. Yeah, if it's too crazy it's hard to suspend disbelief and enjoy but...

Movies portray women in labor as raving she-devils in order to make it more dramatic and thus interesting for the viewer. A movie goer isn't necessarily going to want to see a woman calmly breathing through contractions... but a woman screaming curses and throwing things at her husband who "did this to her"? Potentially funny.

Commercials for cleaning products show people smiling as they use them because they're trying to show that their product makes clean up so easy that there's nothing to frown about.

And TV moms looking like supermodels with kids? TV caters to the common denominator... which doesn't want to see frumpy, chubby, overwhelmed women (sorry but it does describe quite a few including myself). They want to see what they wish they were... pretty, in shape, put together and capable of handling it all with a smile on their face.

 

[The Alchemist]

Mhm...we live in such an.exaggerated world that illusion becomes reality.

Come to think. The only tv show I can think of that is as close as it gets to real life is Malcolm in the Middle lol.

 

[babydevil1989]

I DID look like a woman possesed when I was in labour lol x

 

[Yipee]

I like how pregnant women are always played by these thin, fit, actresses, and they just stick a pregnant belly on the front of them (yes, you, Katherine Heigle). No fat gain, water retention, puffiness, etc.

And morning sickness is sooo underplayed in movies. In my case, it was nearly 4 months of near-constant suffering. I didn't just puke one morning as part of a plot-point of finding out I was pregnant, and then go about the rest of the day feeling fine.

But yeah, of course we want to watch something entertaining and/ or pleasant to look at. We don't want to watch some lady with greasy hair in sweat pants puking and complaining for 4 months (me), or a 200-lb lady 9 months pregnant (my SIL) talking about how difficult it is just to lug herself out of bed to go to the bathroom, 7-10 times every single night.

 

[aliss]

Mhm...we live in such an.exaggerated world that illusion becomes reality.

Come to think. The only tv show I can think of that is as close as it gets to real life is Malcolm in the Middle lol.

True, I liked her a lot. She was probably the most real mom. ALthough I wish I was Peggy Bundy.

 

[The Alchemist]

Peggy Bundy is a damn sexy milf/cougar in the show. Funny how Al always complains about her but never cheated. The way he he complains of her, some men in reality would choose to stray. Atta go, Al.

 

[bekkie]

What to Expect When You're Expecting is the best movie I've ever watched re: pregnancy/birth because it covers it all, and is hilarious the entire way through - if you haven't seen it... I highly suggest it.

The shows that I watch are typically the ones that still portray what average life is like, while sometimes exaggerating for comedic effect, which I don't mind - like up all night (so sad it's gone now!) or the middle.

If TV was like my life, I would never watch. I live it every day.

 

[ShelbyLC]

I love how in movies and TV, when a woman's water breaks, she immediately starts having contractions, extreme pain, and yells, "The baby is coming!" And two minutes later people are yelling, "PUSH!"

Actually, I think the movie Juno does pretty well making things seem realistic.

 

[jasminemarie]

I hate A Baby Story on TLC. Every description is "but can she handle it?" or "a frightening complication!". People need to stop taking pride in women's pain and fear in labour. The occasional natural birth girl is shown as a weirdo.

And they never show normal deliveries, nope just emergency C-sections haha.

 

[Quailpower]

I love how in movies and TV, when a woman's water breaks, she immediately starts having contractions, extreme pain, and yells, "The baby is coming!" And two minutes later people are yelling, "PUSH!"

Actually, I think the movie Juno does pretty well making things seem realistic.

My favourite bit is where her waters break and she thinks shes wee'd haha

 

[The Alchemist]

Dunno about other countries' soap operas or television series, but Thai television, nausea+ vomiting is always the tell tale sign she's pregnant. Always hovered over the sink or toilet.

 

[txbiscuit]

The thing that always drives me crazy is that half the time in paper towel commercials, there is a dad standing there looking clueless. My husband is actually pretty capable of operating a paper towel. I can't decide if the commercials are more sexist against men or women.

 

[SIEGAL]

I DID look like a woman possesed when I was in labour lol x

I agree. A very fast progression to 10 cm with no pain killers of any kind will have the average woman screaming and crying and writhing

 

[The Alchemist]

I DID look like a woman possesed when I was in labour lol x

I agree. A very fast progression to 10 cm with no pain killers of any kind will have the average woman screaming and crying and writhing

Oh boy, will I look forward to that!

 

[rigolici]

ha ha, I feel the same way. real life differs from what media want to make us believe.