Guest blogger Jessica Schimmel: Move over, Octomom -- there is a new Octo-family on the loose, and from the looks of things, America only has room to sensationalize one Octo-family at a time.
Everyone everywhere was in a feeding frenzy when, in January of 2009, a woman named Nadya Denise Doud-Suleman Gutierrez gave birth to a set of octuplets -- only the second set to be born alive in the U.S. She later became known worldwide as Octomom. The media followed her every move -- and scrutinized exactly what kind of mother she would be. She was 1) single, and 2) used IVF and implanted eight embryos, a decision that was ethically questioned by everyone including her own mother, and 3) she already had six small children at home -- one who has special needs.
She was only 32 years old when the babies were born, and she refused to disclose who the father was. Her past was questionable, her finances unstable, and her face shared an odd resemblance to superstar Angelina Jolie. But we were captivated by her every move and the endless hours of footage force-fed to us via the Internet and television.
And then suddenly it went from all Octomom all the time to
another Octo-family -- Jon and
Kate plus their eight tykes and their very public
divorce.
The last time we really heard about Octomom was July 17, 2009, when
her son Caleb was rushed to the hospital for
ingesting a salt-based solution. And then it seems like she
disappeared.
It was only 25 days prior that the media turned their attention to the Gosselin family of multiples. The TLC stars announced their divorce on June 22, 2009. Both had accused one another of infidelity -- Kate with her bodyguard, and Jon with various women. The episode of "Jon and Kate Plus 8" announcing their separation became the most watched episode of the series, with 10.6 million viewers.
From that moment on, they were everywhere, from the covers of tabloids to on-camera interviews to Kate co-hosting "The View." Every week for the last four months, their faces have been plastered on blogs and celebrity weeklies spewing every detail of their sordid lives. From affairs and finances to poor parenting and partying in Miami, their very public split has once again drawn us in like a train wreck we just can't help but gawk at. And suddenly, as fast as Octomom came, she was gone. No one cared about the human incubator known as Nadya -- the world was more concerned with Kate's haircut and Jon's endless string of women. Which begs the question: who will be next?
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Read more: http://www.momlogic.com/2009/10/does_america_only_have_room_for_one_octo-family_gosselin_octomom.php#ixzz0U0oXWL2i
