Mum's Not the Word

A groundbreaking 112 page.colour photobook about women without children. The nude images challenge the negative attitudes within society towards women who are not mothers, and the text shares their stories of birth and death, choice, freedom, pain ... and regret. 50 colour images show real n women in the foetal position: they come from all walks of life - professionals, artists: a few have mental health issues or disabilities; some have fragile relationships with their birth mother; a couple identify as other than heterosexual. Mum's not the word debates the social stigmatisation of women, who, by choice, circumstance or, for whatever reason, go against the instinct for childbirth and maternal productivity. Mums Not The Word debates the social stigmatization of why women friction against the instinct of childbirth and maternal productivity to symbolize maternal anarchy. Females who do not procreate are too often misrepresented by negative terms such as barren, spinster, wicked step-mother or crazy cat lady. On too far too many occasions I have heard people say ‘You would not understand unless you are a parent yourself.’ I label myself as being childfree because I do not want children. However being infertile is not a choice and for many it's also a grieving process, which for some may slowly grow into acceptance and for others the pain never goes away. There are also the childless by circumstance people who might be in abusive relationships, have an illness, be widowed, have lost a child or have individual grounds for not bearing children.