This analysis of images of maternity and pregnancy seeks to identify the values and social conduct behind their creation. Through transformations of identities, the representations of the pregnant body that circulate in the media reflect a peculiar combination of values which, while affirming freedom of choice and self-realization, also suggest that a female nature exists. Scientific conceptions of problems related to biological reproduction are widely conveyed as a biological problem attributable to the individual or couple. Historical analyses, however, show that the way we view reproductive events has changed, reflecting how modern medicine has intervened in our bodies and in the family and how female identity has been affirmed.
transformation of identities; reproduction; social anthropology