We often place female celebrities like actresses and singers on pedestals where we can perform our own forms of idol worship, in a manner of speaking. What we fail to remember at time is that stars are humans, too, with human bodies and human emotions just like the rest of us . Evidence for this can be found in the sad stories that some celebrities share with us about their losses during pregnancy published in magazines and on websites. Proving that they are not immune to the suffering that we experience and feel.
Common Nature
Miscarriage can be considered as one of the equalizers among women. Pregnancy loss transcends all boundaries of physical beauty, social stature and economic wealth. I have the same level of risk for miscarriage as the glamorous movie actress with her army of health advisers, stylists and handlers.
Each woman, of course, will react differently to the miscarriage with factors like personality, lifestyle and beliefs coming into play. Our reactions can range from deep sadness to clinical depression in the emotional sense.
Nonetheless, there are common signs between a celebrity miscarriage and ours. The grief of a miscarriage can be so isolating because the deep connection to the unborn child can be misunderstood. Deep sadness, irrational anger, vehement denial and extreme anxiety are often felt at one point or another, which can leave us feeling so isolated from the rest of the world.
Society does not generally provide for mourning rituals for miscarriage, which can be more common for a stillborn birth. Regardless of this, it is important to remember that funeral services and burial rites are not so much for the benefit of the deceased but to allow the living to say goodbye. In a miscarriage, these final rites are often not possible but some type of ceremony may be helpful to our grieving process.
Comments from the Stars
Probably the only significant difference with a celebrity miscarriage is the amount of press coverage that it receives. In many ways, the grief can be magnified a hundredfold because so many people are now putting in their two-cents’ worth of opinions, judgments and advice on the matter.
It’s no wonder then that so many celebrities like Mariah Carey choose to keep their miscarriages under tight wraps. Or even when the miscarriage is made known, a request for privacy is always added to the announcement made by the star’s agent much like we request from friends and family.
To name a few more of the celebrities who have suffered through miscarriages, we have Tori Amos, Guiliana Rancic, Audrey Hepburn, Celine Dion, Yoko Ono, Amy Brenneman, Brooke Shields, Emma Thompson, Pamela Anderson, Courteney Cox Arquette, Lilly Allen, Nicole Kidman and Jane Pratt. We can only surmise how many more celebrities have chosen to keep silent about their miscarriages for their own personal reasons.
So, why do we appreciate these celebrities telling their stories even when doing so is painful? It has something to do with getting the word to other women who have suffered and who are suffering from miscarriages that they are not alone in their sufferings.
A celebrity miscarriage is a tragic event and we can all learn valuable lessons in how our idols on screen became stronger for it. We can also find more inspiring stories from people who are just like you and I in the recently published ‘Beyond Pregnancy Loss‘.
Talk soon
Helen.
