Is this some hot new diet fad? A drug? Guest star on SNL? Nope, it's adoption. All the women above are single and unmarried, and all of them have adopted children, with the exception of Simpson and Aniston, who are still merely "considering" adoption. God knows how many celebrities have popped out babies with men they've dated for a few months at best and aren't married -- and if they are married, split up in record time. Even Paris Hilton is interviewing that she wants a baby, probably because former BFF Nicole Richie is stealing her spotlight by having one. And now, a new movie is coming out that, in a sense, spotlights this fad -- except this movie shines the light on surrogacy instead.
I give you Tina Fey's new movie, "Baby Mama".
I had only one thought when I watched that trailer for the first time.
What is wrong with Hollywood?!
Tina Fey's movie "Baby Mama" illustrates an epidemic to me. Her character "wants a baby more than anything else", so she finds a way to go out and get one. Nevermind that she's not even dating anyone, so they kid will have literally no father figure in his or her life. Nevermind that an adoption agency turned her down. She wants a baby, damn it, so she's gonna get one by whatever means necessary. She finds a woman to be a surrogate so she can have her baby.
Now, no one misunderstand. I have nothing against adoption, artificial insemination, or surrogate mothers. My own mother and my aunt, her sister, are both adopted (they are not blood-related). A friend of mine is going through the adoption process as well because she's unable to get pregnant after trying every available option to her for a long time. I think it's wonderful when people are willing to open their hearts and adopt, or when someone is willing to carry a baby for a woman otherwise unable to have children. And I also know that there are many single mothers and fathers working hard to give their children the best possible upbringing they can. I don't have a problem with any of that.
What I do have a problem with is how cavalierly Hollywood and celebrities in general seem to treat motherhood.
This trend of celebrities having babies, or adopting babies, just because they decide they "want one" disgusts me. Just because you are rich and famous does not mean you are ready and capable of caring for a child (hello, Britney Spears... ) -- like the ones who adopt or give birth to children without haviny any kind of stable family setting to give them. To celebrities, children are accessories -- just like having another dog to take care of. And when taking care of the kid is getting to be too much work, or they have a movie premiere to go to across the world, or if they want to go out and get obliterated every night at clubs across the country, they can just hand them off to their army of nannies and caretakers, standing by to take over when Mommy doesn't feel like it anymore.
How many of these celebrities do you think are truly capable of putting their child before themselves? Celebrities are narcissistic by nature; it's almost a requirement to be self-centered and self-serving before all else to make it in Hollywood. Putting the well-being of a child before what the celebrity may want right that moment never really crosses their mind; after all, the nanny can take over!
Take Angelina Jolie. She's reformed her image by adopting kids from all over the word, and then giving birth to an adorable little girl named Shiloh who was fathered by Brad Pitt. But how good of a mother is she really? She gives them no stable family whatsoever -- after all, she and Brad are not married, and Billy Bob Thornton was Maddox's original father -- and she doesn't give them a stable home, either. She constantly talks about giving up working for a year or two to give them a stable home, but she never does. Instead, they're uprooted every few months to fly to another country whenever Angelina decides she's getting bored. Does she think about the effect that could have on her children? I'm sure that Angelina loves her children. But I think that she loves herself and her carefree lifestyle more. She doesn't give them a chance to develop roots anywhere, so how can they grow to be healthy and strong? They're "children of the world", she'd say, which I'm sure the U.N. would approve of greatly. But is it what is best for her children? And let's not forget she used to be Hollywood's bad girl, engaging in lesbianism, exchanging blood in vials with her beaus, making out with her brother at award shows, and claiming that she could never be monogamous. What will her children think when they see Mommy making out with Uncle?
I'm sure that there are celebrity parents who are genuinely good, caring parents who are able to put their children first. Unfortunately, they seem to be outnumbered.
Celebrities think its OK to just find yourself a kid as soon as you get a twinge of a maternal urge, but it isn't. Having money does not mean you're able to give your child the best environment possible. Children need stability in their lives; parents that are willing and able to put the wants and needs of their children before their own, and parents who can be good, steady role models for them. Parents who think of themselves first always and see no problem with having a steady revolving door of lovers, while they're out partying every night, doing God knows what kind of drugs, do not make good children. The offspring of celebrities often end up on the covers of tabloids with sex and drug addictions, often with no future and no clue what to do with their lives. Do we really need to wonder why? If celebrities aren't prepared to make their children their first priority, then they shouldn't have them, no matter how much they might "want them". Unless they're actually willing to be parents, it isn't right to just go out and get one like you would a puppy at a pound to make themselves feel more complete inside.
It's time to put an end to this epidemic of Celebrity Baby Mama Drama.
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