For most mothers of Asian descent, leaving the hospital with their newborns often means reporting to “mum jail,” as some observers have dubbed it. The age-old tradition of confinement sees mothers limit themselves to the boundaries of their homes — and in some extreme cases, bed — for the next 30 days following delivery. Depending on one’s adherence to tradition, air conditioning, watching television and surfing the internet can all be verboten.
The practice is strict because the time immediately after delivery is seen as a “golden opportunity” — to use the words of one of Taiwan’s first female traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) physicians, Shuqi Zhuang — for a woman to recover after childbirth.
But the tradition is not without its critics. A 2009 study by Josephine Wong and Jane Fisher posits that aspects of the confinement period can “contribute to or fail to protect” against postpartum depression. One anonymous writer who penned an op-ed in Canadian magazine Today’s Parent said that confinement was “a key factor in [her] postpartum misery.”
“I watched life pass us by outside and yearned to feel the vibrant buzz of summer,” wrote the mother, who described how stifled she felt by the constant hovering and oftunwelcome interventions by her parents and in-laws. “I had nowhere to escape.”
Denne historien er fra March 2021-utgaven av T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra March 2021-utgaven av T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Look At Us
As public memorials face a public reckoning, there’s still too little thought paid to how women are represented — as bodies and as selves.
Two New Jewellery Collections Find Their Inspiration In The Human Anatomy
Two new jewellery collections find their inspiration in the human anatomy.
She For She
We speak to three women in Singapore who are trying to improve the lives of women — and all other gender identities — through their work.
Over The Rainbow
How the bright colours and lively prints created by illustrator Donald Robertson brought the latest Weekend Max Mara Flutterflies capsule collection to life.
What Is Love?
The artist Hank Willis Thomas discusses his partnership with the Japanese fashion label Sacai and the idea of fashion in the context of the art world.
The Luxury Hotel For New Mums
Singapore’s first luxury confinement facility, Kai Suites, aims to provide much more than plush beds and 24-hour infant care: It wants to help mothers with their mental and emotional wellbeing as well.
Who Gets To Eat?
As recent food movements have focused on buying local or organic, a deeper and different conversation is happening among America’s food activists: one that demands not just better meals for everyone but a dismantling of the structures that have failed to nourish us all along.
Reimagining The Future Of Fashion
What do women want from their clothes and accessories, and does luxury still have a place in this post-pandemic era? The iconic designer Alber Elbaz thinks he has the answers with his new label, AZ Factory.
A Holiday At Home
Once seen as the less exciting alternative to an exotic destination holiday, the staycation takes on new importance.
All Dressed Up, Nowhere To Go
Chinese supermodel He Sui talks about the unseen pressures of being an international star, being a trailblazer for East Asian models in the fashion world, and why, at the end of the day, she is content with being known as just a regular girl from Wenzhou.
