#Celebrity pregnancy big business full#

Pregnant with the Stars reveals how the pop culture portrayal of pregnant women's bodies undermines equality and deeply-held social values. 'Cramer's examination of celebrity pregnancy reminds us that robust analysis can also be wildly fun.

Pregnant with the Stars takes a nuanced and engaging look at celebrity pregnancy, connecting the baby bump craze to larger issues governing women's bodies and what we expect and demand from them.' 'When people hear I study celebrity, they often ask, 'What's going on with the obsession with celebrity pregnancy and baby bumps?' Finally, I have somewhere to direct them. Cramer has a rare gift for drawing our attention to everyday forms of power that occur at the intersection of popular culture, politics and the law and converge in our gaze on women's bodies.' ' Pregnant with the Stars is as entertaining as it is illuminating.

Cramer asks each reader and cultural consumer to recognize that the seeing, judging, and discussion of the 'baby bump' isn't merely frivolous celebrity gossip-it is an act of surveillance, commodification, and control. Combining cultural and legal analysis, Pregnant with the Stars uncovers a world where pregnant celebrities are governed and controlled alongside the recent, and troubling, proliferation of restrictive laws aimed at women in the realm of reproductive justice and freedom. Their stories provide a paparazzi-sized lens through which we can interpret a complex set of social and legal regulations of pregnant women.Ĭramer exposes how cultural ideas like the 'rockin' post-baby body' are not only unattainable they are a means of social control. Investigating and comparing the media coverage of pregnant celebrities, including Jennifer Garner, Angelina Jolie, Beyoncé Knowles, Kristen Bell, M.I.A., Jodie Foster, and Mila Kunis, Renée Cramer shows us how women are categorized and defined by their pregnancies. This book charts how the American understanding of pregnancy has evolved by examining pop culture coverage of the pregnant celebrity body. What drives our cultural obsession with celebrity baby bumps? Pregnant with the Stars examines the American fascination with, and judgment of, celebrity pregnancy, and exposes how our seemingly innocent interest in 'baby bumps' actually reinforces troubling standards about femininity, race, and class, while increasing the surveillance and regulation of all women in our society. These women prove that if they can do it, anyone can.'Check out that baby bump!' Online and print magazines, television shows, and personal blogs are awash with gossip and speculation about pregnant celebrities. Even though you might not have to shimmy into a superhero suit while growing a baby, the demands of any job can be tough to keep up with while pregnant. There are plenty of celebrity moms who worked while pregnant that should inspire pregnant moms everywhere, no matter what their job may be.Īccording to Business Insider, Gadot was five months pregnant while she filmed Wonder Woman - no doubt earning her the title of 'real life Wonder Woman.' Knowing that Gadot and many other stars didn't let their pregnancies slow them down can act as an encouragement to real moms hoping to strike a healthy work-pregnancy balance before their baby arrives. Most recently, Gal Gadot has been praised for her dedication to film and promote Wonder Women while pregnant. Even celebrity moms may feel like they have to take time off, but many decide to keep working in spite of (or, rather, in support or) their growing belly.

#Celebrity pregnancy big business full#

Being pregnant can feel like a full time job, hence why society pressures moms to 'take it easy' over those 10 months.