so i am neck deep in final paper writing, grading and general last week of the semester cuckoo-crazinesss. there isn't much that can draw my attention away at the moment. but in an effort to find some holiday tunes on the radio, i happened to catch a "celebrity gossip" piece on a mainstream radio station this morning. the part where they were lambasting jennifer lopez for gaining too much weight too early on in her pregnancy. some ill-informed woman arrogantly repeated the sooo out-dated notion that you are only supposed to gain 20-25 lbs during pregnancy. i think she even cackled afterward. there isn't much that can get me more riled up than ignorant sexist remarks like these...and spoken by a woman! so much for solidarity. soooo, for the very first time in my life i wrote in to a station to complain. of course now that i've sent it, i've thought of a million more things i wanted to say. but if i took any more time it never would have gone out. for what it's worth, here's the letter:
Dear Chris,
I have never written in to a radio station in my life, but I just heard your celebrity gossip bit, and I am compelled to respond. I’m not sure who the woman was who was doing the reporting, but I was frustrated by her discussion of Jennifer Lopez’s pregnancy. I could care less about Jennifer Lopez, but in a culture where women are constantly being scrutinized and criticized for gaining weight, where so many women suffer from devastating eating disorders, to reprimand someone for gaining weight during pregnancy is unconscionable. Most doctors today will tell you that the range of healthy weight gain during pregnancy depends on a variety of factors, and every woman gains weight at different rates. Do you know there are women who are so terrified of gaining weight during pregnancy because of the misplaced values in this country that they actually starve themselves (and their fetus) so as not to gain too much?
Furthermore, the woman who was reporting had her facts wrong. Jennifer Lopez is indeed having twins, and you are supposed to gain more weight when you are pregnant with twins. It is maddening to me that instead of trying to combat sexism your radio station took the sleazy, trite route to reproduce it. Why not try something new next time?
Sincerely,
Deborah
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
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3 comments:
Good for you! What a bunch of assholes run the media. First of all why on earth (or any other planet) should how much weight anyone has gained be considered NEWS???? Aren't we in the middle of a war? Aren't people going hungry and freezing? Wasn't there just a huge storm across the country? It really is sad that the biggest mouthpiece for criticizing women's appearance, particularly weight, is other women. I would like to think that your letter will prompt some kind of retraction, or more conscionable reporting from your radio station...let us know if you get any kind of reply. Oh yeah, and the only rule when you're pregnant with twins is eat and rest as much as possible. Which I followed to the letter...gaining 50+ lbs., and yes, returning to pre-pregnancy weight after the first 9 months (yeah breastfeeding diet)...not that it matters.
It will be a bit shocking if you get anything back from the radio station. The only response I can imagine is them reading and then MOCKING your email on air. I think those AM morning talkers are awful across the board....
In terms of all the talk about celebrities & weight during pregnancy, the thing that really sticks in my craw is all the coverage of how quickly these women lose their baby weight. Oh please! Yes, they probably work really hard at it-- it is their jobs, for good or bad, to have a certain body type. But for the rest of us shlubs who don't have $$ for childcare coverage or private in-home pilates instructors or chefs, often taking a shower & combing our hair is a huge accomplishment after baby.
i know, i was kind of expecting the on-air mock. i think they understand that probably isn't wise in such a small community.
it was just so funny...b/c they are doing this 24 christmas music thing. and then during a break they go into this celebrity critique...just seems a bit misplaced, but perhaps that is naive. :)
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