Dear Colleagues,
A friend of mine (not a philosopher) has asked for a good book or article
that addresses the aesthetics of pregnancy. Here is what he has written to me:
"I know someone who I think of as being
very traditional in her views of gender roles. But, she believes
pregnancy is a fundamentally ugly thing, and that pregnant women should
do everything they can to hide the changes that they are going through.
After much conversation, I came to realize that these views are tied in
with this person's association of the celebration of pregnancy with the
sexist idea that women are just 'baby-making machines', i.e. that the
proper role of women is just to be pregnant. Given this individual's
otherwise traditional views of gender roles, I was a little surprised to
realize that her very negative views of the pregnant body's appearance
is, in a sense, an expression of her feminism.
Those who view pregnancy
as beautiful (as I do) she views as disrespecting women via
their aesthetic response. I was fascinated - I had simply never thought
about it that way, but I suppose I can see where she is coming from. I
do not see that however as the direction that feminism (at least in the
US) has generally gone - somehow, our culture has come to increasingly
view pregnancy as a beautiful thing which need not be hidden (as though
that were even possible), while simultaneously respecting the role of
women in the workforce, in higher education and academia, in politics,
and other positions of power. Our culture doesn't seem to view these two
things as existing in tension.
I would assume much has been written
about the aesthetics of pregnancy in the context of feminist ideals, but
I can't say I've read it or even know where to begin. I think some
background on that would be very helpful."
Any suggestions? Please reply off-list to me at [log in to unmask]. If others are interested in getting the responses, I'll be happy to compile them and post later.
Sophia Wong
Associate Professor of Philosophy
LIU-Brooklyn
http://sophiawong.info
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