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Good body, good health, and the good mother habitus

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Abstract

This research explores the construction of a particular form of maternal identity described as the ‘good mother,’ an idealized form of motherhood within contemporary Western culture. Drawing on 133 interviews with 48 middle and upper-middle class postpartum women conducted in the nine months following pregnancy, we interrogate how maternal identity is uniquely intertwined and understood as associated with the body and health during the postpartum period. Specifically, we propose the good mother habitus, a theoretical construct that it is embedded in, and inseparable from, the presentation of an esthetically fit ‘good body’ and an appropriate lifestyle demonstrated through ‘good health.’ We argue that each of these constructs is individually significant as well as collectively enmeshed to produce a conceptual model of motherhood in which these themes operate dialectically to cultivate a postpartum lifestyle wherein bodies are the visible manifestation of maternal success.

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Funding

The research described herein received funding from the College of Health Professions, and an award from the Faculty Development and Research Committee at Towson University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Kinesiology, Towson University, 8000 York Rd., Towson, MD, 21252, USA

    Jaime R. DeLuca & Jacob J. Bustad

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  1. Jaime R. DeLuca
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Contributions

Jaime DeLuca was the principal investigator on the research study, and collected and analyzed all data. Jacob Bustad had a contributing role in analyzing the data and writing the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jaime R. DeLuca.

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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This research was approved by the Towson University IRB and all researchers involved with data collection have up to date CITI training on file with the university. The research was conducted as outlined in the IRB application, there were no adverse events, and the study adhered to all ethical standards.

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DeLuca, J.R., Bustad, J.J. Good body, good health, and the good mother habitus. Subjectivity 30, 227–250 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41286-023-00166-7

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