I thought Oliver's analysis of Hollywood's characterization of pregnancy and the pro choice/pro life argument was interesting in that it seems to reflect a general view that Hollywood often projects of women: one in which women are rather shallow, empty objects waiting to be fulfilled by something else, whether it is falling in love with the perfect guy, having the ultimate life of leisure, or having a child. It seems that these images support the idea of women as "the other," while also taking it one step further by saying that the only way we can become whole is through a man (marriage, family, etc.). I don't disagree that a woman can find her own, autonomous fulfillment in a marriage or children and I think both can be beautiful things. That said, I think the hyper emphasis on absolutely needing those things to be happy or have purpose objectifies women in such a way that they are a means to an end. It made me think of an op ed that came out in NYT last week that discussed how fetal protection laws are slowly pushing women to provide the perfect uterine environment because it is their duty as a mother and wife.
Here is the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/13/opinion/the-error-of-fetal-homicide-laws.html?_r=1
Insightful analysis! The topic of reproductive rights within Hollywood and other popular media leaves women as incomplete or empty beings that need men and children to produce a "whole" woman. Abortion directly strips others of power over the woman's body, and allows women to exercise autonomy over the course of their lives. In doing so, the woman who chooses to have an abortion becomes "the other" because she no longer falls within the confines of the Patriarchal family unit. This societal role reduces women, as you put it, to be "means to and end." The "end" being the ideal capitalist familial unit that projects the masculine head of the household as the economic actor, while women must remain to act as "moral" guidance for the children, who are meant to perpetuate the system they were born into. Hollywood and popular media stigmatizes abortion and women's reproductive health by equating abortion with disease, death, and unhappiness.
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