Supernatural Pregnancy in Film
Supernatural Pregnancy
Supernatural Pregnancy, also called Mystical Pregnancy, is a common trope in science fiction, fantasy, and horror media wherein a (usually female) character becomes pregnant by paranormal means, or when a current pregnancy is affected by similar forces. The impregnation is often forced, and in almost every case it is the work of “more powerful” sources that seek to achieve their own ends, using the woman and her reproductive capabilities as their vessel to accomplish these [1]. The child, if it is born, often ages rapidly and develops an abnormal bond with the mother. Although this trope has existed since ancient mythology with moderate popularity throughout the interim centuries, it has experienced a recent resurgence in the science fiction and fantasy shows of the 1990s and 2000s. The trope reflects the politicization of the cisgendered female body, particularly the reproductive organs, and the idea that a woman does not have full agency of her body even concerning pregnancy and birth [2]. Analysis of this trope and its widespread media influence is pertinent to the current fight for women's reproductive rights and safe abortions worldwide. [3]
Trope in History
In Religion
Many religions include divine pregnancy in their mythos. Ancient Greece had multiple examples of women impregnated by gods with gods, for example the woman Leto, who gave birth to Artemis and Apollo after being impregnated by Zeus [4]. More recently widely practiced, both Hinduism and Christianity have examples of holy impregnation as central to the religion [5]. Often the pregnancies result in adult children, and although the women are featured in these stories the subject of the tale is more often than not the child they beget. In some cases, these myths have caused religious women to believe or claim that they are pregnant through mystical means, and (especially before pregnancy and paternity were easily testable) glean considerable followings of similarly religious people [6].
In Television
Supernatural pregnancy (often alien in nature) has experienced a renaissance of sorts with television and films in the latter half of the 20th and first part of the 21st century [7]. It is most prevalent in horror and science fiction media, and the pregnancy often results in the birth of an otherworldly or evil force. This trope was arguably reintroduced by the novel and film of Rosemary's Baby, introduced as a sci fi television mainstay by Deanna Troi's pregnancy in a 1988 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and popularized by The X-Files' main female character, Dana Scully, becoming pregnant under paranormal circumstances twice within the show's run. Scully, seen by many critics as a well-rounded and feminist character [8], and whose second pregnancy lasted a whole season, is an unusual example of the trope.
Accelerated Pregnancy/Aging of Child
It is common for the supernatural pregnancy to develop in a matter of days or even hours, and if the resulting child is born - often circumstances conspire so that this does not occur – it will frequently age rapidly. There is very rarely an actual infant to deal with. If there is a baby, it will often be abducted by the higher powers that conceived it, or another means will be employed wherein the mother will not actually raise this child (for example in the X-Files Scully’s alien child is given up for adoption) [9]. Although these pregnancies are often unusual, difficult, and life-threatening, they rarely last the full nine months typical of human gestation. A normally aging/developing child is even less of a likely consequence of this type of pregnancy. A prime example of this is Bella Swan's vampire pregnancy in Breaking Dawn, which lasted for only a few weeks, almost killed her, and resulted in a child with special powers who would age to maturity in seven years [10]. In some cases the mother will have to deal with her child again when it is an adult, either through its rapid aging or via time travel. The adult child may be a force of evil and require redemption through the experience of the “purity” of maternal love and the relationship between mother and child. Either way, the mother will be expected to intervene in her child’s life and take up the maternal mantle in some way when their child is no longer small or dependent but when they are either a teenager or an adult. In the case of Cordelia Chase's second pregnancy on the show Angel, the child was kidnapped by demons and returned as a fully-grown teenager [11].
Interpretation of Trope
It is posited by feminist scholars, including the prominent Anita Sarkeesian that the supernatural pregnancy trope exists as a story device to create maturity or maternal instincts in a character, thus contributing to the story. Characters who originally appear to be immature or masculine will often be put through this type of pregnancy to give them an appearance of greater “depth” when they are forced to conform to the feminine archetype of life-giver. Because the writer, director and producer wish to alter a female character fundamentally without introducing a new player, the infant borne of this supernatural pregnancy will ‘evaporate’, and the bereaved mother will develop as a new female character but with little reason or consequence. Although this character will go through the physical and emotional changes of pregnancy, she will often never have the opportunity to be a true nurturing mother to the child, because the child will disappear through deus ex machine and rarely if ever be mentioned again [12].
This portrayal of the pregnancy as "greater than" the mother, pregnancy without longterm consequence, and pregnancy as a necessity for the introduction of powerful essential forces may contribute to the general media stigmatizing of abortion and dehumanization of pregnant women that is widely spread in media. This perception can be harmful to women considering alternate options to carrying through a pregnancy. This perception can be harmful to women considering alternate options to carrying through a pregnancy, because it engenders a belief that the unborn child is more important than the woman, who is alienated from both her body and her choice. [13]
Furthermore, almost every example of supernatural pregnancy in Western media focuses on a white woman. Because of this bias, the trope also sidesteps the issue of race and pregnancy. Prenatal care currently "remains insufficient in its present form for minority women", and black women's pregnancies account for 16% of prenatal deaths [14] and if the women being impregnated are all white, this is yet another example of how the trope ignores the harsher side of realistic pregnancies. The women are also generally well-off and young. Some of them are teenagers, such as Bella Swan, but they are always in a stable financial situation despite the fact that pregnant women under 20 are historically "significantly underprivileged" compared to adult mothers. [15] As previously discussed, the trope continues to ignore real issues involved in pregnancy in order to gain from the storyline and characters.
Examples of Trope
Although not comprehensive, this list covers some prominent examples of supernatural pregnancy in media.
- In Religion
- The Pregnancy of Leto— Hellenism
- The Birth of Krishna— Hinduism
- The Immaculate Conception— Christianity
- In Literature
- Rosemary Woodhouse in Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin (later shown on film)
- Daenerys Targaryen in "Game of Thrones" by George RR Martin (later shown on television)
- Bella Swan in Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (later shown on film)
- In Television
- Deanna Troi in "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
- Dana Scully (twice) in "The X-Files"
- Cordelia Chase (twice) in "Angel"
- Amy Pond in "Doctor Who"
See Also
Phantom Pregnancy
Phantom pregnancy is a condition in which a woman believes that she’s pregnant, yet conception hasn’t taken place and no baby is forming inside. It is the appearance of clinical symptoms that are realistic and long-lasting that the women remain convinced they’re pregnant for nine months or even longer - despite the fact that there is no baby. Women with pseudocyesis may stop menstruating and have distended abdomens – probably caused by gas. Their hormone levels may rise, and their breasts can become engorged, sometimes even releasing colostrum. Some women develop health complications associated with pregnancy, such as preeclampsia. False pregnancy can even result in contractions.Phantom pregnancy isn’t a condition with an easily identifiable cause. But, for the most part, the cause is psychosomatic that is, a woman wants so badly to be pregnant that her brain creates changes in her body. The condition is frequently triggered by trauma, such as multiple miscarriages or the death of a spouse. It's very difficult for patients to accept that the pregnancy is not real and they might even see a fetus on the ultrasound screen. [16][17]
Old Boy
The movie, Old Boy describes a girl with Phantom pregnancy after committing an incest with her brother.
- Plot
A girl who commits incest with her younger brother has a phantom pregnancy. She is suffered the public humiliation of immorality and jumps to her death. The younger brother is charged with hatred after the sister’s death and his grudge toward the world creates a horrible plan to avenge his lover’s death.
- Award
Old Boy was released in 2003. The movie won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and high praise from the president of the Jury. [18] In 2008, voters on CNN named it one of the ten best Asian films ever made.[19]
References
1. #5 The Mystical Pregnancy (Tropes vs. Women). Dir. Anita Sarkeesian. Perf. Anita Sarkeesian. Feminist Frequency. Bitch Magazine, 28 July 2011. Web. 5 Feb. 2015.
2. Geek Girl, Lady. "Mystical Pregnancy: Keep Your Tropes Off The Bodies Of Female Characters". Lady Geek Girl 2012. Web. 5 Feb. 2015.
3. Sangala, V. Safe Abortion: A woman's right. (2005) Tropical Doctor, 35 (3), pp. 130-133. Web. 5 Feb. 2015.
4. Wikipedia contributors. "Leto." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 Jan. 2015. Web. 5 Feb. 2015.
5. Wikipedia contributors. "Mary (mother of Jesus)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 4 Feb. 2015. Web. 5 Feb. 2015.
6. Juster, Susan. "Mystical Pregnancy and Holy Bleeding: Visionary Experience in Early Modern Britain and America" (April 2000) The William and Mary Quarterly Vol. 57, No. 2, pp. 249-288. Web. 5 Feb 2015.
7. "Mystical Pregnancy." - TV Tropes. TV Tropes Foundation, LLC, n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2015.
8. Goldman, Judy, and Michael Pillinger. "Sense and Anti-sense — The X-Files." Nature Genetics. Nature Publishing Group, 1998. Web. 5 Feb. 2015.
9. Wikipedia contributors. "Dana Scully." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 31 Jan. 2015. Web. 5 Feb. 2015.
10. Wikipedia contributors. "List of Twilight characters." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2 Nov. 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
11. Wikipedia contributors. "Cordelia Chase." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 3 Sep. 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
12. #5 The Mystical Pregnancy (Tropes vs. Women). Dir. Anita Sarkeesian. Perf. Anita Sarkeesian. Feminist Frequency. Bitch Magazine, 28 July 2011. Web. 5 Feb. 2015.
13. Kumar, Anuradha, Leila Hessini, and Ellen M. H. Mitchell. "Conceptualising Abortion Stigma." Culture, Health & Sexuality 11.6 (2009): 625-639. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
14. Schneider, Mary Ellen. "Race and pregnancy outcomes." OB GYN News 15 Mar. 2006: 26. Health Reference Center Academic. Web. 2 Apr. 2015.
15. Williams S, Forbes JF, McIlwaine GM, Rosenberg K. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1987 Jan 3; 294(6563):20-1. Web. 2 Apr. 2015.
16. Evonne Lack, "Strange but true: False pregnancy" BabyCenter, L.L.C. Web. 25 Nov. 2015
17. Jennifer Kelly Geddes, "What Is False Pregnancy?" Meredith Corporation, 2014 Web. 25 Nov. 2015
18. Stephen Hunter, "Cannes Winner 'Oldboy': Vengeance That Hits Like a Hammer" The Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2005 page:C01 Web. 25 Nov. 2015
19. Troy Bordun, "Trent Film Society Presents: Oldboy (2003)" Arthur, 18 Nov. 2013. Web 25 Nov.2015