Once again, the question arises: are men truly okay? This thought crossed my mind after reading the online commentary surrounding Margot Robbie’s red carpet appearance this week. The confusion, it seems, is quite baffling. To be clear, for any bewildered individuals out there, Robbie is pregnant with her first child. It’s a simple fact, a tiny detail that should be inconsequential. Yet, it hasn’t stopped a certain segment of the internet from dissecting her body with the same zeal an octogenarian might dedicate to analyzing a porcelain teapot on Antiques Roadshow.
It’s as if a subset of the male population feels compelled to undermine a woman who is not only one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors but also the owner of the production company behind the highest-grossing film directed by a woman in history. Are we truly so lost in a distorted reality that we now shame women for carrying a child? Perhaps not surprising, considering the constant barrage of criticism women face for either appearing their age, having ‘too much’ cosmetic work done, being overly obsessed with their appearance, or ‘letting themselves go.’
The truth is, certain internet dwellers, lurking in the depths of Reddit, refuse to see women as anything more than objects meant to satisfy their gaze and cater to their needs. This warped mindset fuels the Catch-22s that define much of modern womanhood, particularly when it comes to motherhood. Choose not to have children, and you’re labeled a ‘childless cat lady,’ inherently selfish and miserable with your life, as Republican VP candidate JD Vance charmingly put it. (Don’t even get me started on the groups of men openly boasting about wanting to ‘domesticate’ Robbie and ‘have six kids with her.’) Choose to become a mother, whether through pregnancy, surrogacy, or adoption, and your body is deemed ruined, your attention too divided.
I don’t know about you, ladies, but I’m starting to think the system might be rigged against us! Let me be clear, I’m not advocating for celebrating Robbie’s body, showering her with terms like ‘glowing,’ ‘radiant,’ or ‘blooming.’ Such language feels dangerously close to the maternal fetishization that fuels the ‘trad-wife’ phenomenon. Nor do I believe we need to mount a defense of her appearance, which is undeniably stunning by any standard. Frankly, I have no idea how Robbie feels about her pregnancy, her appearance, or her appearance during her pregnancy.
Instead, what I propose is something revolutionary: say absolutely nothing about her body. As America Ferrera states in the film ‘Barbie,’ it’s already impossible to be a woman. Let’s not make it harder by dissecting pregnant figures for our amusement.
