- George Clooney (age 55) & his lovely (and highly accomplished) wife Amal (age 39) recently announced that they are expecting -- not just A baby, but (of course!!) twins -- a boy & a girl. I have to admit, I groaned when I heard. (Et tu, George?)
- Factoring in the ages of the parents & the fact that it's twins, I'm going to take a wild guess and assume it's likely that fertility treatments were involved. In other words, definitely not an "oops" pregnancy.
- Until now, of course, George had been famously adamant that he was not cut out for fatherhood -- and I believed him. Of course, he was also once famously adamant that he would never get married again, so perhaps we should have taken his other "never" pronouncements with a grain of salt. :p ;)
- Both Laura & Karen at The NotMom posted recently about the Clooney pregnancy. (Both worth a read.) As Laura said, "We’re looking for others who share our experiences. Women without children, whether they’ve made the choice for themselves or had it made for them, are just looking for others who understand. And when those others are celebrities, we feel proud and excited... we don’t have that any more. We feel betrayed even though we have no right or justification to feel that way."
- I am not going to begrudge anyone a baby if they really, really want one... and I realize that everyone has the prerogative of changing their minds. But it would be really, REALLY nice to see a celebrity who says they are happy without children... and stays that way. (Jennifer Aniston, I'm looking at you... ;) )
- The other celebrity who is pregnant with twins right now is, of course, Beyoncé. I will never forget how she announced her pregnancy with Blue Ivy at the MTV awards in 2011, ripping away her jacket to expose her pregnant belly -- which, in case we didn't get the picture, she proceeded to massage with a huge, self-satisfied smile on her face.
- This time, she announced her pregnancy by releasing a series of over-the-top photos that showed off her expanding belly (including lingerie, veils and enough flowers to stock a small florist shop).
- As if that weren't enough, she turned the recent Grammy awards show into a celebration of pregnancy & motherhood (hers most of all -- her outfit & performance were obviously designed to show off her pregnant belly to the max). I didn't watch, but I saw photos & clips later.
- "At the Grammys, Beyoncé and Adele Talk Up Motherhood," the New York Times noted, gushing that "Beyoncé was a serene fertility goddess, her gold headdress and necklace sparkling, exulting in the bonds of maternity and the power of a woman’s body to give life." "Stunning," read other headlines that I saw. (I was stunned, all right...)
- Yes, I have a bad case of sour grapes. :p
- As Karen wrote, "I like to think that I am “past” the grieving that childless-by-chance women endure. I’ve found acceptance, right?... And yet, Beyonce’s news made me think, “Good Lord, does she have to get everything?!” "
- I do realize that she had a miscarriage before Blue Ivy... and the presence of twins, and the age gap between them & her daughter probably indicates that they are the result of infertility treatment. Somehow, though, that doesn't make me feel better.
- Please tell me I'm not the only one to react to these celebrity pregnancy announcements like this...
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Nope, you're not the only one. I think Beyonce's pregnancy I met with an "OF COURSE" reaction, and then the whole mother-worship display at the Grammys (which I admittedly didn't watch either, just saw pictures of and responses to after) made me feel a bit ill. The Clooney one threw me for a loop though, because it's not like I didn't see that possibility coming when he married a women in her late 30s, but it still shocked me. I'm also irritated with the Duggars constantly getting coverage and accolades for reproducing. I feel my sour grapes most with these celebrity things, especially when there's a seeming turn of the tide. (I also secretly hope Jennifer Aniston stays childfree along with Cameron Diaz). You are so not alone!
ReplyDeleteI react to every pregnancy announcement like this. I. Still bitter, under all my acceptance cloaking.
ReplyDeleteyou know I was also thinking that Beyonce probably did some sort of fertility treatment, probably IVF and in which case it would be really nice if she would be open about it! I usually like Beyonce but I found her maternity shoot a bit cringe to be honest. Very smug too! But maybe I'm also just feeling jealous
ReplyDeleteEven after having rainbow babies, I find the celebrity pregnancy worship distasteful and kind of obnoxious. I want to be happy for anyone who wants a baby and has one, but I still resent people who seem to take it for granted or are really smug about it--like motherhood is a professional achievement or something.
ReplyDeleteI could have written this post and any of the 3 comments before me. So nope, not alone.
ReplyDeleteyou are definetely not the only one.
ReplyDeleteTwo additional celebreties that irritated me recently:
- Madonna adopted two additional kids, she is aged 58.
- Mick Jagger has become a father for the eighth time, at the age of 73.
Oh yeah. I'm holding out on Jennifer too. George really surprised me. I can say this too...nannies. A lot easier to do with lots of money and nannies.
ReplyDeleteQuite honestly, Beyonce's pregnancy announcement made me gag. How she did it and the reaction she got made her look as though she truly does think she's a Queen. Smug, over the top and very self-involved. And the way people fawn over her is truly a head-scratcher. So yes, when George Clooney and his wife announced their pregnancy (also twins), I'm pretty sure I said, "Oh of course, because why not?" out loud. At my desk at work. My only child, our baby girl Evelyn, passed away in August so I too am aware that I have a particularly potent case of bitter grapes but you're definitely not alone. People in real life announcing pregnancies and sharing baby photos are more than enough for me to handle so when celebrities are thrown in to the mix at a rapid rate, it seems like the whole world is fertile and having kids and then there's us.
ReplyDeleteI didn't see, but heard about Beyonce's whole pregnancy announcement/Grammy's thing, and more than rolled my eyes. At least the George/Amal announcement was tasteful (from what I know).
ReplyDeleteI was less surprised about the Amal/George announcement, due to her age, and less bothered because
1. even though George might have felt fatherhood was not for him, he obviously accepted that maybe motherhood was right for Amal.
2. he's in his 50s, so (unless he was going to do a Mick Jagger) this was his last chance, and maybe the clock ticks a lot later for men.
3. Also - as the commenter above said - money and nannies!
That said, "Et tu, George?" is a brilliant title, and sums up how it did make me feel.
What I really hate is the glorification of motherhood and pregnancy, and the inability to admit that maybe technology was involved. Because yes, I make the same assumptions.
Saw this article via Facebook... it's a bit snarky but it matches my mood on this subject, lol. ;)
ReplyDeletehttp://nypost.com/2017/02/18/having-a-baby-isnt-a-miracle-and-doesnt-make-you-a-goddess/
Absolutely. Its none of my business but I often wonder about whether people used infertility treatments, celebrities and regular folks alike. and I feel guilty for thinking that it is any of my business how/if/when people announce pregnancy or birth. I think that they have every right to do things their way, but what I hate is that there is (what feels like) a complete indifference to the pain that their own happiness brings so many others. For many years I couldn't open our holiday cards because the images of happy families put me over the edge. I made my husband collect them all from the mail every afternoon and put them in a box. We did this for years until we finally had our own family picture with a baby to send out. I open the holiday mail now, but it still burns deep inside in some way that I don't fully understand and certainly don't know how to explain.
ReplyDelete