Contributions Beyond Research: One Undergraduate’s Role in Newly-Released Bikini-Ready Moms
Rhetoric Professor Lynn O-Brien Hallstein releases her new book, Bikini-Ready Moms, on September 1. As this key milestone approaches, Hallstein can’t help but reflect upon the hard work, effort and support that made the book possible. Undergraduate research assistant Allyson English (CGS 14, SAR 16) played a critical role in the writing process, not only conducting valuable research to inform the insights of the book, but also re-inspiring her faculty mentor when Hallstein needed it the most.
The two met in Hallstein’s freshman rhetoric course, and stayed in touch afterwards. “I was on sabbatical working on the book, when I heard about the Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning’s newly-funded Undergraduate Research Opportunities.” The research opportunity, made possible by a generous donation from a CGS alumnus, specifically supports undergraduate students secure research positions in a highly-competitive, research-oriented university; specifically working alongside a CGS faculty member. “[Allyson] had shown lots of interest in my book project, and had been an excellent student. I had no doubt that she would be a great researcher,” comments Hallstein.
“I learned so much about the thinking, planning, and writing process from [Professor Hallstein]– it was so exciting to have the opportunity to really test these skills out with the individual who inspired me towards such a passion for writing,” reflects English. “Before my freshman year, I had never known that media criticism existed as a study.”
Bikini-Ready Moms analyzes and evaluates why and how celebrity mom profiles, or stories, are now integrating the slender-pregnant, and quickly slender post-pregnant maternal body as the central feature; while also continuing to reinforce and romanticize what constitutes “good” mothering today. Anyone who shops at a chain grocery or convenience store can relate to Hallstein’s inspiration behind the book: the token magazine stands at the checkout lines. “Around 2010, I started to notice that the profiles on celebrity mothers seemed to be changing from a focus on the celebrities’ mothering to the celebrities’ quickly slender, and even ‘bikini-ready’, post-pregnant body,” comments Hallstein. This was a major shift from what she had observed in the past: profiles that centered on the actual mothering, and once the children were toddlers.
English’s primary role was centered on media research and analysis, which required looking at “media artifacts” such as blog posts, magazine articles, celebrity interviews, and more. “I contextualized the underlying message in the media artifacts to think critically about their impact on the psyche, especially that of the postpartum mother.”
Early into the research partnership, Hallstein suffered a terrible ski accident. Bed-ridden for five weeks and recovering from broken bones and torn tendons, Hallstein understandably found herself in a bit of writing slump. “Then, Allyson started to send me all the research she was finding, and she was so excited about the project… her enthusiasm rubbed off on me,” accounts Hallstein. She formally acknowledges all of her research assistant’s efforts in the beginning of Bikini-Ready Moms: “[Allyson’s] energy and enthusiasm for this project reenergized me and helped me sit up and just do the work to complete the manuscript, leg brace and all.”
This won’t be the last we see from this duo. Hallstein already has two new projects in the works: she is guest editing a special issue titled Mothering Rhetorics for an academic journal, Women’s Studies in Communication; and is working on a book chapter titled “But, Didn’t I Choose This?: Empowering Mothers by Closing the Choice Gap between Women and Men Before becoming Mothers and Fathers.”
English reflects, “The most important take-away from working with Professor Hallstein, between her class and mentorship, has been an analytic perspective on the world. I see this reflected in my daily life. Simply walking down the street in Boston I no longer just see advertisements or hear the lyrics to songs passively, I’m always challenging myself to consider the true message- who was it designed by, what purpose is being achieved, what does this mean in relation to me?” She continues, “I, too, hope to contribute to the academic body of knowledge someday with my own research and publications.”
Hallstein will be the keynote speaker at the “Mothers, Mothering, Motherhood in 21st Century: Culture, Society, Literature, and the Arts” at the Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement, October 21-23, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada.
For more information on the Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities, or to support future research opportunities, please contact CITL.