از خانه‌دار خوشحال تا خانه‌دارهای ناامید: مادری و تلویزیون محبوب

‘From Happy Homemaker to Desperate Housewives: Motherhood and Popular Television’ is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to key debates concerning the representations of motherhood, motherwork and the maternal role in contemporary television programming. The volume looks at the construction of motherhood in the ostensibly female genre of soap opera; the mother as housewife in the domestic situation comedy; deviant, desiring and delinquent motherwork in the teen drama; the single working mother in the contemporary dramedy; the fragile and failing mother of reality parenting television; the serene and selfless celebrity motherhood profile; and the new mother in reality pregnancy and childbirth television. ‘Motherhood and Popular Television’ examines the depiction of motherhood in this wide range of popular television genres in order to illustrate how the maternal role is being constructed, circulated and interrogated in contemporary factual and fictional programming, paying particular attention to the ways in which such images can be seen to challenge or conform to the ideal image of the ‘good’ mother that dominates the contemporary cultural landscape. Half Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 CONTENTS 8 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION: THEORISING MOTHERHOOD ON THE SMALL SCREEN 10 Chapter 2 SOAP OPERA: CHALLENGING THE ‘GOOD’ MOTHER STEREOTYPE 22 Introduction 22 History of the Genre 22 Women and Soap Opera 23 Soap Opera and Motherhood 25 EastEnders 27 Abortion, Miscarriage and Impending Motherhood 28 Birth and Biological Mothers 32 Soap Opera and Other-Mothers 35 Conclusion 37 Chapter 3 SITUATION COMEDY: THE (UN)FUNNY MUMMY WARS 38 Introduction 38 History of the Genre 38 Situation Comedy and the Importance of Family 39 Situation Comedy, the Family and Social Change 41 Pregnancy and Motherhood in the Situation Comedy: Lucy, Murphy and Roseanne 41 Outnumbered 50 Maternal Routine and Motherwork 51 Women, Work and the Mother ‘Wars’ 54 Conclusion 59 Chapter 4 TEEN DRAMA: ABSENT, INEPT AND INTOXICATED MOTHERS 62 Introduction 62 The Teen Experience Within and Beyond the Small Screen 62 History of the Genre 63 Ineffective and Absent Parents in Teen Television 65 90210 68 Domestic Privilege and Problematic Motherhood 69 Power, Patriarchy and the Single Shift 73 Imperfect but Available Motherhood 74 Conclusion 77 Chapter 5 DRAMEDY: STRUGGLING, SEXUAL AND SISTERLY SINGLE MOTHERS 80 Introduction 80 History of the Genre 80 Single, Sexual and Sisterly Motherhood in the Dramedy Genre 81 Defining Single Motherhood in Society 84 The ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ Single Mother 88 Gilmore Girls 89 A Myriad of Mothers on Gilmore Girls 90 Lorelai, Rory and the Sisterly Bond 94 Lorelai, Rory, Sex and Conversation 96 Lorelai, Rory and Domestic Indifference 99 Lorelai, Rory, Other-Mothers and the Community Effort 100 Lorelai, Emily and the Mother–Daughter Dynamic 100 Conclusion 104 Chapter 6 REALITY PARENTING PROGRAMMING: FRAGILE, FAILING AND INEFFECTUAL MOTHERS 106 Introduction 106 History of the Genre 106 Maternal Myths and the Monstrous Reality of Motherhood 109 Class, Gender and Parenting Programming 115 Supernanny 119 Positive and Empowering Parental Programming 120 Incompetent, Incapable and Ineffectual Mothers 121 Conclusion 128 Chapter 7 CELEBRITY REALITY TELEVISION: MAINTAINING THE ‘YUMMY MUMMY’ PROFILE 130 Introduction 130 Serene, Selfless and Spontaneous: The Celebrity Mother Profile 131 The Hierarchy of Contemporary Female Celebrity 141 Mothering and Motherwork in Celebrity Reality Television 142 Alicia Douvall: One Teenage Daughter, Body Dysmorphia and Glamour Modelling 143 Katie Price: Three Children, Two Fathers, Disability and Material Excess 146 Kerry Katona: Four Children, Two Fathers, Bankruptcy and Bipolar Disorder 150 Conclusion 155 Chapter 8 FACTUAL TELEVISION: PREGNANCY, DELIVERY AND THE NEW MOTHER 156 Introduction 156 The Changing ‘Nature’ of Childbirth 156 Women’s Voices and the Childbirth Experience 162 A Baby Story: The Cosy Reality of Pregnancy and Childbirth Television 166 Maternity Ward: The Difficult Reality of Pregnancy and Childbirth Television 170 One Born Every Minute UK 172 Fixed Cameras, No Commentary and a More Balanced View of Childbirth 173 Revealing the Hidden Truths of Pregnancy and Childbirth 177 Dramatic Action, Voice-Over Narration and Medicalised Childbirth in One Born Every Minute USA 181 Conclusion 183 Chapter 9 CONCLUSION 186 BIBLIOGRAPHY 194 INDEX 212 Introduction: Theorising Motherhood On The Small Screen -- Soap Opera: Challenging The Good Mother Stereotype -- Situation Comedy: The (un)funny Mummy Wars -- Teen Drama: Absent, Inept And Intoxicated Mothers -- Dramedy: Struggling, Sexual And Sisterly Single Mothers -- Reality Parenting Programming: Fragile, Failing And Ineffectual Mothers -- Celebrity Reality Television: Maintaining The Yummy Mummy -- Profile -- Factual Television: Pregnancy, Delivery And The New Mother -- Conclusion. Rebecca Feasey. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.