It's not uncommon for many of us to think about the supposed details of the lives of the rich and famous. We speculate about everything from their skin care routines and their favorite ways to celebrate, to what their day to day existences are like and their romantic partners. Along with wondering who's dating whom, though, we also frequently think about whether or not many of these people will procreate. This is particularly prevalent when thinking about female celebs, but it's also something that people think about with regards to women they know personally. Well, Home Town star Erin Napier believes it's "weird" to talk about any woman's reproductive situation.
In case you're wondering why such an issue has even been brought up by a home renovation expert and HGTV star, it's because Erin Napier has dealt with such public speculation herself. Just last fall, Napier, who is the mother to 3-year-old daughter Helen, had to come out and shut down pregnancy rumors after she posted a photo to social media that made a lot of folks assume she was pregnant. You know, because women never like to just wear loose-fitting clothes for comfort when not with child.
Erin Napier recently told People that she thinks such conversations are baffling, and noted:
I think it's really weird and unnecessary. People saying things like, 'You need to give Helen a sibling,' or 'She doesn't need to be an only child.' I have a lot of dear people close to me who aren't able to have children and want to desperately. When things like that are said, it cuts deep. It's not necessarily a problem for us, but I want to be a voice for the people that I love.
You know what? She's not wrong. Pretty much anyone who's been single for any length of time knows what it's like to constantly get questions from family or even friends about why they haven't gotten married or "settled down" yet (or done so again, if there was a long term romance in your past). And, such talk is exacerbated for women, especially when it comes to them having kids. Folks are just crazy over the idea that women should be getting pregnant / giving birth as much as possible, and Erin Napier knows firsthand how intrusive those (often unsolicited) comments can be.
Generally, people are probably not trying to make the woman in question feel bad, but it's been such an accepted thing to question and / or discuss a woman's reproductive desires / choices, that few of us truly consider how personal those decisions are, not to mention what might have led to them. And, none of those things are actually anyone's business but the woman in question and whomever she's in a relationship with.
While Napier's Home Town co-star and husband, Ben, said that they felt pressure from the people around them before having Helen, Erin Napier had another take on their lives before their little girl came along, adding:
I felt pressure from the clock more so than anything else. But I want to change the narrative. It's a delicate conversation and people need to be more careful talking about it.
Too true. What if the woman with whom you've randomly decided to suggest, to her face, that she needs to have more kids, didn't like being pregnant? What if she'd like to have more kids, but doctors have told her it's nearly impossible? You don't know what someone's parenthood / non-parenthood journey has been like, so, as Erin Napier says, it's best to tread lightly, particularly if the woman herself hasn't brought it up.
You can get plenty of design-related pearls of wisdom from Erin (and Ben) Napier when Home Town Season 5 airs every Sunday on HGTV, at 8 p.m. EST. But, for more to watch in the coming weeks, check out our guide to 2021 premieres!
