Suki Waterhouse Confirms Her Pregnancy: So, What’s Our Obsession With Celebrity Babies?
Photo Courtesy of Thomas200 : Wikimedia Commons
Not too long ago, if you typed Suki Waterhouse’s name into google you would likely be faced with articles focusing on her American tour promoting her new album ‘Every Day’s A Lesson in Humility’, her recent performance as Karen Sirko in the wildly popular Amazon Prime show ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’, or even her previous modelling work and fashion week appearances. Whilst her previous high-profile relationships may have brought her some notoriety in the gossip pages, none have cast her so heavily in the limelight than her current relationship with actor Robert Pattinson.
Two weeks ago, however, Waterhouse made an announcement confirming her pregnancy during her set at Corona Capital music festival in Mexico City amid rumours that had been swirling around earlier in the month. Now, if you enter her name into your internet search engine, almost immediately, you’ll be faced with an onslaught of media coverage of her pregnancy or of her ‘showing off her bump’ as many media outlets have phrased it. This has prompted the question of this article: what is with our obsession for celebrity babies?
The Independent asked the same question in 2011. In doing so, they cite Demi Moore as the perpetrator for western society’s frenzy over expectant celebrities because of her posing nude on the cover of Vanity Fair in 1991 when she was pregnant with her second child. The news outlet goes on to report that before Moore, old Hollywood actresses such as Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn had hidden away from the limelight for a year when they were both expecting. It would be illogical to suggest that Moore is the whole reason behind why we sensationalise the pregnancies of these famous women so much, so, what has changed?
Some researchers have suggested that the development of social media and our widespread use of it has caused a shift in the way that celebrities interact with their audiences. Instead of continuing to act as a part of a mysterious and aloof crowd, celebrities, like us, have been using social media to increase their accessibility to the wider public. This makes them appear more like us, more relatable. The combined increased accessibility and more ‘down to earth’ persona that each celebrity attempts to portray has, to some extent, resulted in us, the audiences, having certain expectations. These expectations may involve, but are not limited to, knowing what brands they wear, what their homes look like, and arguably, whether they’re pregnant. All these aspects of a celebrity’s life contribute to their relevance, as we may also indulge in and experience these facets of life. We can be just like them!
When speaking to the Independent, Kate Smurthwaite argued “whether it’s complimentary or critical, the message is clear: women’s bodies are public property,” on the topic of celebrity pregnancies… I am inclined to agree. The sheer speculation on whether someone may be expecting generates revenue for the outlet and our wide accessibility to the rich and famous, paired with our innate nosiness has resulted in the commodification of those who are expecting. Even when there’s a slight possibility that they may be, there’s an immediate rush from photographers and media outlets, all of them wanting to be the first to get the all-important ‘bump’ photograph. No doubt any pregnancy photoshoot of Waterhouse that comes to light will become inundated with critiques and comparisons to Robert Pattinson’s previous partners, namely FKA Twigs, or the rogue notion to tell Taylor Lautner to stay well away…