Overview

Historically, adoption has been portrayed negatively in the media.  Stories rarely focus on the positive aspects of adoption, instead reinforcing stigma and stereotypes about the process and outcomes of adoption.  Negative and in particular, inaccurate, portrayals of adoption can have hurtful implications.

Two studies published 10 years apart illustrate the ways that the media has historically and even still today created an impression of adoption as problematic.  Kline, Chatterjee, & Karel (2009) wrote:

"Adoptees as defective or unhealthy were depicted more in negative news event stories, birth parents appeared less overall, and adoptive parents were most likely to have healthy depictions in positively oriented adoption experience, big family, and reunion stories. Although three quarters of the stories used primary adoption participants as news sources, one-third of the negative event stories did not contain healthy depictions of adoption participants."

In their review, Morton and Shelton (2019) described how terms such as “broken”, “wrenching”, and “deeper heartbreak” were used to capture the attention of readers and reinforce adoption stigmas, while excluding the humanity of adoption.

Using the phrase, “You were adopted!” as an insult is one example of how messages about adoption can reinforce the stigma associated with adoption, and the idea that adoptees do not belong or are in some way “less than” those who did not come to their families through adoption.

Read one of the two articles below.  After reviewing the article, consider the reflection questions that follow.

▶       https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/07/youre-adopted-insult/594667/

▶       http://www.thelostdaughters.com/2013/01/you-are-adopted-funny-joke-or-hurtful.html

Reflection Questions

▶       What are your reactions to the experiences described in the article you read?

▶       Have you ever heard adoption used as an insult?  What was the situation?  What do you remember about the reactions of the people involved?

▶       What might you do in the future if you hear adoption being used as an insult?

▶       While watching TV, reading the newspaper, or using social media, try to notice the references that are made about adoption.  Are you noticing references that seem accurate or that are reinforcing negativity and stigmas about adoption?

Movie Recommendations

Below are some recommended movies associated with adoption that may be of interest*.

Instant Family (2018)

A couple find themselves in over their heads when they foster three children.

Closure (2013)

A trans-racial adoptee finds her birth mother, and meets the rest of a family who did not know she existed, including her birth father. A story about identity, the complexities of trans-racial adoption, and most importantly, closure.

Lion (2016)

A five-year-old Indian boy is adopted by an Australian couple after getting lost hundreds of kilometers from home. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.

*Descriptions from IMDb found here: https://www.imdb.com/

The Center for Adoption Support and Education maintains a list of movies for children and adults about adoption.  Access the list here:  https://adoptionsupport.org/education-resources/for-parents-families/free-resources-links/1559-2/