Rosemary’s Baby:
The Demonization of Motherhood and Patriarchal Dominated Pregnancy
By Chelsea Domaleski
Introduction to Cinema Studies
Paper 01
“Women are the victims of this patriarchal culture, but they are also its carriers.” Observes Iranian lawyer, former judge and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi. “Let us keep in mind that every oppressive man was raised in the confines of his mother’s home.” Attitudes surrounding pregnancy and childbirth have changed throughout history, while still retaining the ability to elicit responses of both fascination and horror. Historically pregnancy has been repeatedly demonized, with our response to pregnancy having being dominated by patriarchy for centuries. Judeo-Christian mythology has given us …show more content…
Wade decision. In many ways, the film held a mirror to the changing cultural climate. Attitudes towards marriage and motherhood were changing, with heteronormative family values facing off against women’s rights and sexual liberation movements. Rosemary is seen as “Other”. Her worth is placed in her ability to reproduce, while her identity as a woman and as an individual is effectively erased. This also brings up the issue of women having to conform to binary gender roles and convincingly perform their femininity to society’s expectations and standards. Simone de Beauvoir elaborates this sentiment by writing, “But first we must ask: what is a woman? ‘Tota mulier in utero’, says one ‘woman is a womb’. But in speaking of certain women, connoisseurs declare that they are not women, although they are equipped with a uterus like the rest…we are told that femininity is in danger; we are exhorted to be women, remain women, become women. It would appear, then, that every female human being is not necessarily a woman; to be considered she must share in that mysterious and threatened reality known as …show more content…
In the case of Rosemary’s Baby, pregnancy is seen as an invasion of a parasitic creature, an infestation of the mother’s body. It is a point of both fascination and revulsion. The womb and vagina are through which all humans enter the world, however it is also where women have vaginal sex and derive pleasure. This brings up a troubling dichotomy. Society tells us that it is a women’s duty to bear children, while at the same time demonizing women’s sexual pleasure. In this thinking, the womb and birth canal will never be “pure”, thus making childbirth an unclean and shameful act. One can’t help but think of the similarities between Rosemary and the Virgin Mary. Both were inseminated against their will by “otherworldly” forces, the difference is that Mary is never demonized. The only pure womb is one belonging to a
The Demonization of Motherhood and Patriarchal Dominated Pregnancy
By Chelsea Domaleski
Introduction to Cinema Studies
Paper 01
“Women are the victims of this patriarchal culture, but they are also its carriers.” Observes Iranian lawyer, former judge and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi. “Let us keep in mind that every oppressive man was raised in the confines of his mother’s home.” Attitudes surrounding pregnancy and childbirth have changed throughout history, while still retaining the ability to elicit responses of both fascination and horror. Historically pregnancy has been repeatedly demonized, with our response to pregnancy having being dominated by patriarchy for centuries. Judeo-Christian mythology has given us …show more content…
Wade decision. In many ways, the film held a mirror to the changing cultural climate. Attitudes towards marriage and motherhood were changing, with heteronormative family values facing off against women’s rights and sexual liberation movements. Rosemary is seen as “Other”. Her worth is placed in her ability to reproduce, while her identity as a woman and as an individual is effectively erased. This also brings up the issue of women having to conform to binary gender roles and convincingly perform their femininity to society’s expectations and standards. Simone de Beauvoir elaborates this sentiment by writing, “But first we must ask: what is a woman? ‘Tota mulier in utero’, says one ‘woman is a womb’. But in speaking of certain women, connoisseurs declare that they are not women, although they are equipped with a uterus like the rest…we are told that femininity is in danger; we are exhorted to be women, remain women, become women. It would appear, then, that every female human being is not necessarily a woman; to be considered she must share in that mysterious and threatened reality known as …show more content…
In the case of Rosemary’s Baby, pregnancy is seen as an invasion of a parasitic creature, an infestation of the mother’s body. It is a point of both fascination and revulsion. The womb and vagina are through which all humans enter the world, however it is also where women have vaginal sex and derive pleasure. This brings up a troubling dichotomy. Society tells us that it is a women’s duty to bear children, while at the same time demonizing women’s sexual pleasure. In this thinking, the womb and birth canal will never be “pure”, thus making childbirth an unclean and shameful act. One can’t help but think of the similarities between Rosemary and the Virgin Mary. Both were inseminated against their will by “otherworldly” forces, the difference is that Mary is never demonized. The only pure womb is one belonging to a