Keywords

rhetoric, feminism, maternal body, midwifery, social media

Abstract

When women find out they are pregnant, they encounter discourse about their bodies they may not have consciously considered before. Frequently, the information is based on ideologies that consider maternal bodies to be inherently problematic. The discourse in this information informs and shapes women’s choices about the role of medical oversight in their pregnancies and impacts the perceptions they have of themselves.

Midwives argue that mothers and their bodies are not inherently problematic but are powerful and capable of childbirth. They argue that medical oversight has been too aggressive in birth management, interrupting the natural process of birth and causing more risk. They are taking their arguments about maternal capability to social media to educate women and challenge sociocultural discourse that convinces the public that women’s bodies are inherently risky.

This thesis offers a rhetorical review of midwives’ advocacy on Instagram to understand the strategies they use to argue for the capable maternal body. It offers a brief historical review of the arguments about birth management, reviews the sociocultural information women encounter that articulates their bodies as problematic, and performs a visual and textual analysis of a series of childbirth photographs taken from a midwife’s account.

Midwives are powerful rhetors and advocates for women, and their use of social media has brought discourse around women’s capability to a more public space.

Completion Date

2024

Semester

Fall

Committee Chair

Melody A. Bowdon

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

Writing and Rhetoric

Format

PDF

Identifier

DP0029027

Language

English

Release Date

12-15-2024

Access Status

Thesis

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

Accessibility Status

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