Why Mums Don’t Jump (2023): Animation as a Feminist Tool - Article

In 2020, journalist Helen Ledwick launched her podcast Why Mums Don't Jump with a manifesto to help bust taboos surrounding incontinence, prolapse and pelvic pain after childbirth. As a backdrop to this the UK government published its 'Women's Health Strategy for England' that acknowledged there were gaps in research, training and education. Other affected women were also going public with fitness channels, books and podcasts. In this journal article for MAI: Feminism and Visual Culture, I draw attention to the cultural and medical bias women face, the activists who are making a difference and the power of animation to help break taboos. In 2022, I invited Ledwick to be a live-brief client for the 2nd year animation students at Falmouth University. The students produced a short 2D animated film that premiered at La Femme International Film Festival in Los Angeles in October 2023. The film captures the suffering women endure but also their optimism for the future they'd like to create. Reflecting on the process of making and distributing the film, I make a case for animation as a powerful feminist tool.

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