Mythical Mother 9th - 30th September
Georgie White Winter.
Artist Statement: ‘Old Wives’ Tales Pregnancy Myth’
This series is a tongue in cheek look at Old Wives’ Tales. I am fascinated with myths, folklore and tales, I believe they are really important to our culture. During my first pregnancy I studied old wives tales that claimed to predict the sex of your unborn child. I found a selection of myths, some commonly known which still get referenced today whilst others less commonly known myths which really were unusual discoveries. I used these as a basis to create visual representations of the myths. However, when I became pregnant the second time I decided to revisit the project but this time I wanted to play with the idea of myths and really push the understanding of what they have become today. Often regarded as irrational, illogical and absurd stories that over the passing of time have become more of a fanciful and fun saying than anything of truth or a statement to learn from I have been curious to explore the irrational with my own myths. The Oxford dictionary understands the term Old Wives Tale as ‘an old idea or belief that people now know is not correct’, but is this too hasty? Are we too quick to write off the term as foolish stories told by senile women? As Germaine Greer states “most of women’s poetry and story-telling has been swallowed up in the maw of time. Because the authors of old wives’ tales were not literate, because the tales were variants of traditional themes, because the people who told them were women and the people who heard them were children, they were phenomena of no account.” (Greer 2010)
Would the term Old Husbands’ Tales have had a different weight or is the passing of time the strength that weakness the truth in the stories? What often surprised me was that during my pregnancy the amount of friends, family and even strangers who would suggest I do some of the tests that the Old Wives’ Tales claimed to guess the gender of your child. It was most definitely a game to most people, but for some it seemed like a duty or a right of passage. I felt only too obliged to try some of the myths out, but reminding myself that there surely couldn’t be any truth to it.
Interestingly, and perhaps unsurprisingly, what I discovered with the traditional Old Wives’ Tales was the ingrained prejudice against women. The outlook of the myths hint at the desire to bear a cherished baby boy and not another ghastly girl. The traits to carry a boy are kinder to the mother’s figure and fatigue, whereas there is abrasive contempt in birthing a little girl who will give you a hideous shaped bump, cover you with spots, greasy hair or baldness and even riddle you with in digestion. If you’ve got weight gain during pregnancy then it’s because your little girl is deteriorating your looks generating a current of mother and daughter rivalry. A boy however won’t do such a thing to his mother and is only a joy to behold.
However, when discussing Old Wives’ Tales and the misogyny reflected in them, Marina Warner acknowledges that ‘No story is ever the same as its source or model, the chemistry of narrator and audience changes it’ (Warner 1991). Understanding this means that mythical writing is just that, mythical and magical, but they come to teach us the wonders of the world and often how to be a better person and have a sounder character, kinder, stronger, even to have more patience. Playing with the theme I created my own pregnancy Old Wives’ Tales which emphasise the inequality in the result.
#1
Balance one ripe pineapple on your head, count to 20, still safely on your head then you’re having a boy.
Verdict - Definitely a Girl
#2
Eat a carrot and if it gives you hiccups then you are expecting a girl.
Verdict - Must be a Boy
#3
A boiled cauliflower can tell the sex of your baby. Boil until soft and then hit it hard with a wooden spoon to break it into pieces. If it breaks into an even number of pieces then you’re expecting a boy, odd number then it’s a girl.
Verdict - It’s a Boy
#4
Put a lock of your hair in a glass of whole milk, swill it around for 3 minutes. If it turns sour then it’s a girl.
#5
Verdict - It’s gonna be a Boy
#6
Spots on your bum, then it’s a girl. Bruise easily then it’s a boy.
Verdict - I’m bruising like a peach, must be a Boy
#7
Pluck a pineapples leaves until no more come free. If you have an even number then you’re expecting a boy, but an odd number or no leaves then it will be a girl.
Verdict - Looks like it will be a girl
#8
Balance a raw cauliflower on your pregnant belly and if baby starts kicking enough to push the cauliflower off then it’s definitely a strong and feisty boy. No kicking then it’s a lazy, lethargic girl.
Verdict - Inconclusive
#9
Melt an ice cube in your hand, if you get a warm sensation in your little finger then it’s a boy. Cold un comfortable feelings in your toes then it’s a girl.
Verdict - Another inconclusive result
This series is available to purchase as limited edition prints
Georgie White Winter is a multidisciplinary artist, curator and educator who trained at the London College of Communication and has a Master’s in History of Photography from Birbeck, University of London. She is co-founder of HEWING WITTARE where she has designed and curated six diverse exhibitions with significant artists working in a variety of mediums. Her work can be found in private collections throughout the UK and has featured in exhibitions including a collaboration project entitled Tell with artist Emily Vanns. This was accompanied by an extensive events programme for all ages as part of Waltham Forest's 2019 Borough of Culture celebrations and was included in both the E17 Art Trail and Art Night.