Phoebe Bridger’s candor about her ‘easy’ abortion is a refreshing change of pace in a tense debate
People have been in an uproar since news that the US Supreme Court plans to overturn the 1973 Roe V Wade decision, effectively removing abortion rights for US women.
Omen and Men have, with a heavy heart, shared their own stories of accessing termination services online. Others have worried about the consequences of forcing women to continue pregnancy in a country without universal subsidized childcare, no paid maternity leave and with the highest maternal mortality rate in the world.
Amid those familiar stories and those widespread concerns, singer Phoebe Bridgers tweeted her own personal experience.
“I had an abortion last October while on tour,” she posted earlier this week. “I went to Planned Parenthood, where they gave me the abortion pill. It was easy. Everyone deserves that kind of access.”
The Bridgers’ tour continued apace. Her life, as we know, moved on at a brisk pace. Her relationship – with Irish actor Paul Mescal – continued.
Bridgers’ experience, refreshing in its transparency, cuts through the aisle of many other similar stories for a number of reasons. As a famous person, Bridgers certainly knew that revealing these facts would lead to anti-choicers voicing their dissatisfaction. Still, she insisted because she knew people needed to hear these stories and that women’s voices/opinions are so important at this moment.
“No one takes abortion lightly” is a phrase we’ve heard many times. But “it was easy” is something we very rarely hear in the discussion about access to termination services. She doesn’t qualify her choice with any kind of regret or apology, mostly because she doesn’t have to. She doesn’t tell us whether the decision to quit was easy or difficult for her, because it’s none of our business.
However, this is something that many people have yet to get their heads around. I don’t want to speculate on Bridger’s reasons for having access to an abortion, but let’s be honest. Her frankness has been absent from the narrative for far too long. It’s time we realized that the reasons women choose to have abortions are more diverse than we think.
Over a decade ago, Caitlin Moran wrote about her own abortion in her 2011 seismic book how to be a woman. I was stunned when she admitted that she had given less thought to terminating a pregnancy, her third, than to choosing her kitchen countertops.
Up to this point, there was a feeling among Irish women that there was nothing to express but regret after being fired.
In the months leading up to the repeal referendum, Irish people broke the dam and recounted their own harrowing experiences of traveling abroad for abortions. The majority of these testimonies related to cases of fatal fetal abnormalities, problematic pregnancies, or a number of other factors that would have made continued pregnancy a disaster.
There was very little room throughout the conversation for someone to say they just wanted to live their life as it is, or that they didn’t want to take on the heavy workload of parenthood. A very vocal cohort will lead you to believe otherwise, but these are perfectly valid reasons for having an abortion.
Motherhood is hard, exhausting and tiring like no other job in the world. Forcing people to do this is horrible. The sooner people understand that what is an appeal for some is a life sentence for others, the better.
Conclude
Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala. Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Kardashian is not a role model
The Met Gala is like the Olympics for celebs, and as the crowd became the focus of the night, Kim Kardashian made it easy for her to wear Marilyn Monroe’s iconic ‘Happy Birthday’ dress, which she wore to the US -President John F Kennedy in 1962.
It appeared to be a fashion-forward return to basics for Kardashian, who appeared at the event in a fully masked black outfit a year earlier.
And yet, with the revelation that she went on a crash diet to lose 16 pounds to fit in the dress, Kardashian made herself the main talking point of the night. Which would not be like her.
Kim has been slammed for unhealthy messaging and promoting unattainable body standards, and it’s not the first time. To that, the only answer is: Why are we slamming her as a bad role model when apparently it was never a role she asked for?
It certainly exerts a massive influence on young women and their attitude towards their own bodies.
And while there’s a lot to appreciate about Kardashian’s ability to celebrate herself and her accomplishments, Kim’s body image and the efforts that go into maintaining that physical ideal are so deeply problematic.
From excessive photoshopping to supporting flat-stomach tea, Kardashian seems to actively defy the duties of a good role model, if one at all.
Maybe it’s time we pushed this on her.
Heard it all before, Drew
A day after Drew Barrymore called the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial a “seven level dip of insanity,” he was forced into a public apology.
“[This is a] teachable moment for me and how I move forward and how I act,” she said. “I can be a more thoughtful and better person because I just want to be a good person. And I really appreciate the depth of it and I will grow and change from it. And thank you to everyone who helps me grow and teach me along the way.”
Anyone else find those over-the-top mea culpas to be wearing off?
https://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/phoebe-bridgers-candour-about-her-easy-abortion-is-a-refreshing-change-in-a-fraught-debate-41614945.html Phoebe Bridger’s candor about her ‘easy’ abortion is a refreshing change of pace in a tense debate