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Alphia,
I am extremely interested in your work and am very
happy to share mine.
Please contact me off this list. We can report back
to the list on our findings.
Cheers
Gabrielle
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, December 02, 2002 2:35
PM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Magazine
Horror story
Gabrielle,
I am very interested in the research you have
conducted. I have been collecting over the last two years various
newspaper and magazine articles on pregnancy and birth. I was wondering
if you were interested in sharing some of your research. I am in the
middle of my PhD thesis- and a section of a chapter is related to what you are
speaking of. If you had a reference list of the articles you have used
it would be most helpful- and I am happy to reciprocate.
Take
care
Alphia
At 01:30 PM 2/12/02 +1000, you wrote:
Thank you Andrea for
alerting us to the 'power of the popular media's portrayal of childbearing',
and how insidious it can be.
Recent research I have completed on the information women receive
regarding childbearing in popular women's magazines was very disturbing. SHE
magazine was one magazine analysed as it offered a story on Cindy Crawford
and baby Presley (Cindy had a home birth). It offered nothing valuable about
birth, it was a six page advertisement for Revlon cosmetics using images
that were very sexy. Phallic lipsticks oozing with melted liquid and a
beautiful buxom Cindy wearing an off the shoulder lacy black bra. All about
the 'Whore'. She birthed at home, a very bold defiant woman, NOT a woman you
would trust.
My research
revealed if you are a good woman accepting the 'correct medical advice and
care in a safe hospital environment' you are portrayed as 'The Madonna'
pink, married and submissive. 'Good women' fear birth and doubt their
strength as women to birth safely without medical intervention. Your reward
for this behaviour will be a pain free birth via and epidural and a perfect
baby that the Doctor delivers for you. Instrumental births are portrayed as
'normal births'. (Women's Weekly, March 2000, Jennifer Keyte's antenatal
story)
The magazines demonised
the home birth choice, denying the safeness of a home birth comparing it to
the safety of a hospital birth.
The stereotype was apparent 'Good girls do as they are told and have
medicalised births', Bad girls are untrustworthy and chose home
births'.
In 2000 one only of the
magazines analysed sold over 750,000 copies in one month, popular women's
magazines are a very powerful form of media, we do need to challenge them
and certainly not accept free advertising by distributing them within the
hospitals.
Cheers
Gabrielle
Alphia Garrety
(Ba. Hons.)
PhD. Candidate
School of Sociology and Justice
Studies
Bankstown Campus, University of Western Sydney
UWS Locked Bag
1797
South Penrith Distribution Centre
NSW 1797 Australia
Phone:
02 97726628
Fax: 02 97726584
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