$3 million to lose your baby weight in the public eye? Jessica Simpson's joining up with Weight Watchers.
When contemplating becoming a mother, the biggest consideration for today's celebrity woman is how to manage the inevitable changes the pregnancy will cause her body to go through.
She knows the media will be keeping a close eye on her figure - to see whether she's "blooming", "still worryingly thin", "piling on the pounds" or even - as Beyoncé has recently been accused, of "faking it". She knows her every outfit choice will be analysed to judge how flattering it is. But most of all, she knows the pressure she'll be under from the moment her child is born to look fabulous and lose whatever weight she gained as quickly as possible. Preferably so she can show off her "stunning transformation" in swimwear or a figure-hugging dress, or at least look stylish enough to be labeled a "yummy mummy".
In an age where even the outfits worn by their infants receive obsessive coverage (Suri Cruise; Harper Beckham), today's famous mother can't let the side down. Who wants to end up like Britney Spears, ridiculed after her 2007 comeback at the VMAs because she dared to show up on stage having given birth to two children within a year, no longer as thin as in her teen pop princess days?
Presumably, this obsession with getting post-baby bodies back into perfect condition has something to do with the announcement that Jessica Simpson, currently expecting her first child, has signed a $3 million deal with Weight Watchers. TheNew York Post has reported that Simpson will lose her baby weight with Weight Watchers - and that she "has been fielding offers from a number of weight loss programs".
That's unsurprising, seeing as Simpson has long been the focus of gossip magazines' snide comments due to the fact she's sometimes appeared in public having - shock! - gained a couple of pounds, taking her beyond acceptable celebrity weight boundaries. And weight-loss programs are always keen to have the backing of famous faces. It's a match made in heaven.
The Post reports that Simpson is also keen to get on the weight-loss wagon as she hopes to marry fiancé Eric Johnson soon after their baby is born next spring.
Last year a survey of thousands of mothers carried out by the Royal College of Midwives found that a significant proportion - six out of ten - felt that coverage of celebrity mothers and the media's obsession with appearance put a lot of pressure on them to shed pounds and get back to their pre-pregnancy weight as soon as possible. Yet at the same time they felt that healthcare professionals do not give them enough information about healthy eating and weight management.
No doubt, with the help of Weight Watchers and however many trainers and dietitians Simpson will have on hand, she'll make the transformation from postpartum to glowing and fabulous in a relatively short space of time. That time is when the majority of new mothers are completely wiped out with exhaustion, hormonal fluctuations, sleepless nights, and coming to terms with having to care for a helpless baby.
But as far as the media's concerned, those sort of experiences are for us mere mortals. When you're a famous woman, you're bound by different expectations. That's what they'd claim, denying that your average woman should be aspiring to such an ideal. But all the time, they continue to define the worth of these women by their bodies - and that message filters down.
Occasionally, you'll see coverage of a famous woman sticking up two fingers to the idea of rapid weight loss and enforced glamorous motherhood (hurrah!). She'll be praised as a good role model, yet her message will be taken on board by the magazine or newspaper she was interviewed by for all of five minutes - until the next photo opportunity of a famous mother in a "deeply unflattering" outfit comes along.
Jessica Simpson's Weight Watchers venture is yet another pressured example of celebrity motherhood to beat the rest of us around the head with.
Hannah Mudge writes about all things news and feminism-themed for BitchBuzz. You can also read her blog, We Mixed Our Drinks or follow her tweets as @boudledidge.
Image via jvh33'a Flickr