Minni Driver Jumps on the Baby Train

Women have babies all the time all around the world. However, when Hollywood starlets announce that they're pregnant the world reacts as if it is a novel thing for a woman to actually conceive, carry, and have a baby. Along with this are the many different reactions that these ladies receive when they make their big announcement. Some receive praise, and others receive criticism. It's interesting to think of an event that usually is so awe-inspiring to the parents involved becoming a media circus where in addition to the pressures of being pregnant, this woman now has to possibly face a backlash for her condition.

Minnie Driver is one of the latest actresses to announce that she is expecting. She made this announcement on the Jay Leno show on Thursday March 13th after the host teased her about her weight gain and she responded, "You noticed my tummy, haven't you?"¹ Even though Leno asked her, Driver didn't reveal the name of the father. While this is not an unheard of thing for a woman to have a baby and not tell who the father is, one wonders if Driver will be subjected to the treatment of other Hollywood actresses who have admitted that they're pregnant. Most actresses have had to face some sort of backlash once they made their announcement.

Take for example Nicole Richie; once she announced her pregnancy, the first thing that everyone commented on was her weight. Jenny Bowden made the comment that everyone was wondering "how such an underweight woman could actually conceive". In her article she then went on to explain that because of her history with alcohol, drugs, and weight issues that it was more than likely that she would deliver a low birth weight baby and face numerous difficulties during her pregnancy. Richie had to overcome criticism over her weight and hear the media judge her for having her baby when she seemed so unhealthy. She was scrutinized throughout her pregnancy for this until she gave birth to her daughter who ended up having a healthy birth weight of 6 pounds and 7 ounces. While weight is certainly cause for concern, Richie did make the effort to gain more weight for the health of her baby; she took it seriously and did what most mothers-to-be would do and did everything in her power to help take provide for her unborn baby.

Then there is Jamie Lynn Spears, the sixteen year old star of Zoey 101 who announced she was pregnant. Immediately because of her age not to mention her hit show on Nickelodeon which made her a role model for 'tweens' and teens, there was a backlash against her. Many felt that this new development was a "major step back in the fight against teen pregnancy"² and thought that as such her show should be canceled. While it may not be desirable for a sixteen year to have a child, Ms. Spears is certainly not the first woman to get pregnant at such a young age, although she may be the first woman who was an actress. And it is because of this status that more likely than not she will be judged more harshly during her pregnancy. She is only 16 and a star on a cable network that caters to young people. This will undoubtedly be the only thing that the public focuses on during her pregnancy. She could do everything right from her diet to exercise to the amount of sleep she needs to eat, and deliver a perfectly healthy baby and the one thing people will remember is that she got knocked up at 16 without even having graduated from high school.

Yet another actress (who is actually due this month) who has recently become pregnant is Halle Berry. She and her boyfriend Gabriel Aubry announced last September that they were expected and excited about their impending baby. She was so excited that it was said she was already looking forward to "[giving] the baby a brother or sister to play with soon"³. The public seemed to embrace Berry's pregnancy, possibly because she was doing it "right". By that it could mean that she wasn't a teenager, she was at a healthy weight, and while not married she was in a steady relationship with the baby's father. There was no mention or criticism or concern with Berry, non withstanding the normal concerns of all women such as blood pressure. It seems that the public had decided that Berry was doing her pregnancy right and there was nothing wrong with her.

That being said it should be interesting to see how the public reacts to Driver's announcement. While she is not a teenager nor is there a weight issue with her, she also is not in a steady relationship that we know of and she has already refused to announce who the father is. Will we as the public decide that this is okay or will there be a backlash against her much like there was in the early nineties when then Vice President Dan Quayle chastised the fictional character of Murphy Brown for doing the same thing Driver is doing. Only time will tell how this newest announcement of an impending arrival will go over but for what its worth, congratulations Minnie Driver. With the fickle behavior of our society you may need it

Works Cited

1) Yahoo! News, Minnie Driver Confirms She's Pregnant, Yahoo

2) Tim Nudd, Shock, Disappointment Over Jamie Lynn's Pregnancy, People.com

3) OneIndia, Halle Berry took 35 Pregnancy Tests!, OneIndia