This book was originally conceived as a feminist gift for baby showers. Feminist academics are familiar with the wealth of maternal feminist scholarship that has been produced over the past five decades, much of it by Demeter Press. However, new generations of mothers are born all the time. In the spirit of the Barbie movie, this book is intended to provide a gentle entry point for those new to feminist scholarship, and also an enjoyable and invigorating emotional experience for those who are more familiar with motherwork and maternal feminist thinking. This book invites readers to step lightly into a transformative realm where the conventional narratives of pregnancy, motherhood, and femininity are defied, reshaped, and celebrated. In response to decades of limited portrayals of pregnant women and mothers as merely ‘good,’ ‘bad,’ or ‘monstrous,’ this anthology intervenes with a diverse array of contributions from scholars, artists, activists, and those who have lived the journey of motherhood. It brings forth a colourful mosaic of perspectives that push beyond the confines of societal norms, presenting images, writings, and creative expressions bursting with authenticity and power. This anthology is an affirmation, a celebration, and a transformative journey that invites all to join in reframing the pregnant body and the lived experiences of motherhood, and in to deeper engagements with maternal feminist writing and thought.

Rebecca Jaremko Bromwich has a B.A. (Hon.) in social/ cultural anthropology from the University of Calgary, an LL.B. and an LL.M. from Queen’s and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies from the University of Cincinnati. This book is adapted from her Ph.D. dissertation, which she completed at Carleton University, in the Department of Legal Studies. In her Ph.D. research, Rebecca is working towards an understanding of what insights from the field of critical studies and cultural theory of girls studies can bring to law and legal studies.Called to the Bar of Ontario in 2003, Rebecca works as a lawyer, and has previously researched and published in a variety of areas, including youth criminal justice law, law practice management and equality issues relating to women and members of other historically marginalized groups in the legal profession as well as contributing as author and co-editor to several Demeter Press anthologies. She is a Contract Instructor at Carleton’s Department of Law and Legal Studies, a PartTime Professor at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, and a staff lawyer, legislation and law reform with the Canadian Bar Association. All views expressed in this book are hers alone and do not reflect the views of any organization with which she is or has ever been affiliated.

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Elana Finestone is a lawyer, feminist academic, and, in 2022, became a first time mother.

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