ABSTRACT
This folder deals with the pronatalist messages that, even if mostly unnoticed by the “majority” on the ground that they constitute “normality,” in fact relentlessly bombard us through the media and popular culture. The analysis focuses in particular on film, presenting the disturbing results of a study of the representation of childlessness in 50 movies from the US, Italy, and Norway. The analysis discusses the implications of, effectively, a demonization of childless individuals based on demeaning stereotypes and makes practical suggestions to counter the stigmatizing effects of these representations. The text includes excerpts of conversations from the films analysed, as well as examples of “filler dialogue” from TV series. These examples show how even apparently harmless conversations contain assumptions about the impossibility of living a fulfilled life without children.
