Katherine Schwarzenegger and Chris Pratt are expecting their first child (his second) together. This is not surprising – they met, started dating, got engaged, and got married quickly. It was almost expected that she’d be pregnant before their first anniversary. And of course it’s an exciting time for them, as it is for any couple looking forward to the birth of their baby. It’s pure happiness, building a family is a beautiful thing. And I’m not here to dump on that, because yes, it is undeniably such a gift to be able to have children. So let’s leave that there and not confuse it with what I’m about to say next…
Which is that the way people talk about celebrities having children is so… hilariously stupid? Specifically the headlines and the stories that are generated about it. If you’ve been visiting this site over the years, you know this makes me crazy, and it also makes me laugh. Because celebrity pregnancies seem to generate the most ridiculous quotes that then get turned into actual articles about the most basic sh-t – and this was happening well before the pandemic lockdown.
The latest example comes from PEOPLE (it almost always comes from PEOPLE, actually) about how Katherine is feeling:
“Katherine Schwarzenegger Is 'Getting More Excited Every Day' About Her Baby on the Way: Source”
Is she supposed to be less excited every day about her baby on the way? Is she supposed to be the same excited every day about her baby on the way? A woman is pregnant. Every day of her pregnancy is she more excited to meet her child. Was this somehow news to you? Like before Katherine Schwarzenegger got pregnant, were you unaware that when women are pregnant, they get more and more excited during their pregnancy about finally being able to meet their babies? Did you read this headline and suddenly realise something you previously didn’t know about a woman’s eagerness to have a child? Until PEOPLE decided to open your eyes about this, were you out here thinking that Katherine Schwarzenegger was probably bored by her pregnancy and now you stand corrected?
Pregnancy, no doubt, is wonderful. Becoming a parent is a special experience, totally. I’m not here to deny that. I’m actually here to defend it. Pregnancy and parenting are so precious that, ironically, they deserve to not be infantalised. These headlines are infantalising. They’re insulting, even. Because they presume that we are so hungry for any story about pregnancy that we would consume even the most basic ones out there. Creating a story about a woman being more excited every day about her baby is basically like publishing a headline about someone laughing because they heard something that made them laugh. It’s absurd! And pregnancy deserves better! Because if pregnancy is special, and it most definitely is, shouldn’t we demand more of the stories about it?!
Now here’s something special – Chris Pratt’s contribution to the All In Challenge:
You could win a chance to get eaten by a dinosaur in the next Jurassic movie. And since the last Jurassic movie was terrible, your scene might just be the best scene! It’s a brilliant prize. One of the best, if not the best, that’s been put up so far.
Here's Katherine out for a walk with her dog on the weekend in LA.
