This Artist Responds To Society’s Pressure On Women To Become Mothers By A Certain Age By Showing Pregnant GRANDmothers
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The latest project by multidisciplinary artist Anna Radchenko tackles ageism. Titled GRANDmothers, it plays with the idea that we will eventually be able to have children later in life, to the extent that even as grandparents, we will have the choice to get pregnant.
Composed of a set of photographs and a short film, GRANDmothers stands as a humorous visual commentary on society’s pressure to become a mother by a certain age in order to still be considered valuable.
More info: Instagram | annaradchenko.com
Image credits: anna_radchenko
Shot in Russia in what used to be one of the leading gynaecological hospitals in the country, the 1911 Hospital has been unused since 2013. The location also plays with our perception, combining the new with the old. Channeling a strong post-soviet aesthetic, we find pop band posters hanging on the wall, as well as Russian propaganda prints praising the traditional family. The result is an apparent eclectic ensemble, aimed at challenging what we know and take for granted while leaving us wondering about what would happen if we stopped adhering to social norms and acting according to society’s expectations.
Image credits: anna_radchenko
Image credits: anna_radchenko
Artist’s statement: “I was thirty years old when I became a mother. This made me think about how in the USSR, I would have been referred to as an ‘Old Mother’ on my medical card. Which is crazy when you think about it. Childless women over the age of forty or fifty are often seen as purposeless and they are encouraged to embrace a more sedentary lifestyle. On the other hand, men are perceived as getting better with age. This mindset is particularly true to Russia, though still very much present all over the world.”
Image credits: anna_radchenko
Image credits: anna_radchenko
Image credits: anna_radchenko
“GRANDMothers is a reflection on this. It holds an element of criticism, but it’s also a positive reminder of how far we’ve come in terms of being able to make our choices. By having projects such as GRANDmothers published and shared online, I want to make a difference in shifting our mindset and allowing us to perceive ageing as something as valuable for women as it is for men.”
Image credits: anna_radchenko
Image credits: anna_radchenko
Image credits: anna_radchenko
Image credits: anna_radchenko
Image credits: anna_radchenko
Image credits: anna_radchenko
Image credits: anna_radchenko
Image credits: anna_radchenko
Image credits: anna_radchenko
Image credits: anna_radchenko
Image credits: anna_radchenko
Short movie
GRANDmothers from Anna Radchenko on Vimeo.
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Actually giving birth at an advanced age might be the easiest part. Think about caring for the baby, keeping up with an active toddler and later dealing with a recalcitrant teenager in your later years.
Not to mention it's very possible that you'll die before your kid turns 18, if you're having a kid in your 70s, 80, or even late 60's.
Many people die way before 70's and not due to childbirth. Many women at every age die during childbirth.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Lucille McGillicuddy haha
I am over 65 with a kitten. I can hardly manage him!
Food, exercize, inherated factors,attitude and determination play a major factor in strength and age. I state this based on personal facts.
MPaula Whelan what
sasch-gromow2015 love
MPaula Whelan ?
sbashor49 easy
mert-kerem-kadiz no
xpunkcatx haha
mert-kerem-kadiz lol
bekahchuu lol
MPaula Whelan love
jacksonfonseca no
khag easy
Very true, I can't even imagine that!
niccolomontanari lol
niccolomontanari lol
niccolomontanari follower
It would give you a reason to realize you are still very much alive and have wonderful things looking forward.
"Childless women over the age of forty or fifty are often seen as purposeless and they are encouraged to embrace a more sedentary lifestyle." So instead of showing we have purpose even with out procreating, you do this.
Yeah...I was also wondering if it was healthy to carry at that age? Like it's your body so I'm not complaining but..just wondering.
It would be hard on a woman's body, her bones, and by that time in her life she probably suffers from various health issues which can be aggravated by a pregnancy. Then there's the moral dilemma... is it fair to a child? Selfish to fulfill ones own need to have a child and leave said child motherless at an early age. How early is hard to say, perhaps at birth. Plus there's an increase in birth defects, worse scenario is a motherless child left alone to struggle with physical handicaps, feeling unwanted and questioning why someone would do that to them. Go to the shelter and adopt a dog or cat.
Tanya Avines like
Tanya Avines love
Tanya Avines ?
cstrohmier2001 -
Carring a child is dangerous at every age. I'm shocked at some of these ideas that limet everything to one age braket.
This comment has been deleted.
Menopause? Am I missing something? Are these women artificially inseminated and given hormone injections? Are they carrying the baby for another loved one - like a daughter who can't carry the pregnancy? I need more context.
I didn't go through menopause until my 60's, my doctor said it was because I began my cycle at a late age.
Pov: you're 30 and your aunt is 2 days old. lollll
I'm just gonna put it out there so nobody else has to: This is definitely someone's thing.
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should...
Just because public opinion say's you shouldn't doesn't mean you shouldn't have a child at any age.
You shouldn't because your child is going to become an orphan at a very young age. Also, your child will not have a parent who can be physically active with them during key development stages
*that one 5 year old mother intensifies*
Gave me the heebiejeebies... :(
They are really pretty
What the actual f*ck??
I struggle with the idea of whether or not I am willing to be an "older" mother... and I still don't get this.
I hope in the future (where menopause is extended or simply didnt exist) getting pregnant before 34 is considered freaks.
Neird lol
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Most uplifting movie ever, beautifully and tastefully done ,something that needed to be seen in order for some to understand the absolute beauty of a woman with child. Narrow minds stand in the way of progress and waste so many good years in every way. You can't do that, why? Because. You Can do that Just Because. Thank you Anna Radchenka.
This makes no sense. There is a "pressure" because of the simple facts. Having a child at 25 is more healthy for the baby and yourself compared to 65. The child will lose their mother at a younger age and have to help them at a younger age aswell. The whole concept of older women having babys is dumb. I get it your body your choice but its safer and healthier for it be when your younger.
AIDAN SIVITS good
AIDAN SIVITS like
And the only way not to waste good years is having more babies in an over populated world? It's sad if even one woman thinks she is only worthy if she has kids. This isn't progress, not by a long shot.
Actually giving birth at an advanced age might be the easiest part. Think about caring for the baby, keeping up with an active toddler and later dealing with a recalcitrant teenager in your later years.
Not to mention it's very possible that you'll die before your kid turns 18, if you're having a kid in your 70s, 80, or even late 60's.
Many people die way before 70's and not due to childbirth. Many women at every age die during childbirth.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Lucille McGillicuddy haha
I am over 65 with a kitten. I can hardly manage him!
Food, exercize, inherated factors,attitude and determination play a major factor in strength and age. I state this based on personal facts.
MPaula Whelan what
sasch-gromow2015 love
MPaula Whelan ?
sbashor49 easy
mert-kerem-kadiz no
xpunkcatx haha
mert-kerem-kadiz lol
bekahchuu lol
MPaula Whelan love
jacksonfonseca no
khag easy
Very true, I can't even imagine that!
niccolomontanari lol
niccolomontanari lol
niccolomontanari follower
It would give you a reason to realize you are still very much alive and have wonderful things looking forward.
"Childless women over the age of forty or fifty are often seen as purposeless and they are encouraged to embrace a more sedentary lifestyle." So instead of showing we have purpose even with out procreating, you do this.
Yeah...I was also wondering if it was healthy to carry at that age? Like it's your body so I'm not complaining but..just wondering.
It would be hard on a woman's body, her bones, and by that time in her life she probably suffers from various health issues which can be aggravated by a pregnancy. Then there's the moral dilemma... is it fair to a child? Selfish to fulfill ones own need to have a child and leave said child motherless at an early age. How early is hard to say, perhaps at birth. Plus there's an increase in birth defects, worse scenario is a motherless child left alone to struggle with physical handicaps, feeling unwanted and questioning why someone would do that to them. Go to the shelter and adopt a dog or cat.
Tanya Avines like
Tanya Avines love
Tanya Avines ?
cstrohmier2001 -
Carring a child is dangerous at every age. I'm shocked at some of these ideas that limet everything to one age braket.
This comment has been deleted.
Menopause? Am I missing something? Are these women artificially inseminated and given hormone injections? Are they carrying the baby for another loved one - like a daughter who can't carry the pregnancy? I need more context.
I didn't go through menopause until my 60's, my doctor said it was because I began my cycle at a late age.
Pov: you're 30 and your aunt is 2 days old. lollll
I'm just gonna put it out there so nobody else has to: This is definitely someone's thing.
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should...
Just because public opinion say's you shouldn't doesn't mean you shouldn't have a child at any age.
You shouldn't because your child is going to become an orphan at a very young age. Also, your child will not have a parent who can be physically active with them during key development stages
*that one 5 year old mother intensifies*
Gave me the heebiejeebies... :(
They are really pretty
What the actual f*ck??
I struggle with the idea of whether or not I am willing to be an "older" mother... and I still don't get this.
I hope in the future (where menopause is extended or simply didnt exist) getting pregnant before 34 is considered freaks.
Neird lol
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Most uplifting movie ever, beautifully and tastefully done ,something that needed to be seen in order for some to understand the absolute beauty of a woman with child. Narrow minds stand in the way of progress and waste so many good years in every way. You can't do that, why? Because. You Can do that Just Because. Thank you Anna Radchenka.
This makes no sense. There is a "pressure" because of the simple facts. Having a child at 25 is more healthy for the baby and yourself compared to 65. The child will lose their mother at a younger age and have to help them at a younger age aswell. The whole concept of older women having babys is dumb. I get it your body your choice but its safer and healthier for it be when your younger.
AIDAN SIVITS good
AIDAN SIVITS like
And the only way not to waste good years is having more babies in an over populated world? It's sad if even one woman thinks she is only worthy if she has kids. This isn't progress, not by a long shot.