Anatomy of a Mermaid: Subverting the performative image of the pregnant woman

In the play Anatomía dunha serea Galician actress Iria Pinheiro uses parody to share the experiences of obstetric violence she went through during and after childbirth. Humour has been commonly used in films to portray pregnant women. However, this has helped to perpetuate a performative image of this experience rather than subverting the imaginary. I filmed Pinheiro’s play and creative process to look at how Pinheiro uses parody to subvert the portrayals of the pregnant woman and, with this paper and video essay I aim to open up a conversation about how to portray this uncomfortable topic on screen.