The Pregnant is Everyone’s – Gabriela Araújo

The Pregnant is Everyone’s is an illustrated book that reflects the weight of social and cultural pressure on pregnant women. The narrative tells the story of a woman named Catarina who became pregnant and, in an ironic tone, contrasts the text and the illustration, exposing some stigmas around this theme – the myths, invasion of personal space, anxiety, and the exclusion of the father from this universe are some of the points. At the end of the book there is also a small reflection on the illustrator’s own experience and on the need to create this book so that this theme can be highlighted, discussed and, at the limit, help other pregnant women to deal with pregnancy and social pressures from a lighter and more conscious point of view.

Gabriela Araújo is an illustrator and animator from Porto. Dividing her time between social entrepreneurship and illustration, her work is a mix of what she feels like doing and what is important to talk about. In 2021, she was one of the winners of the EGEAC “Sardinhas” contest and the “Poster Mostra” competition. She also won the illustration contest “Inspira x Ó Galeria”. In addition, she received an honorable mention in the 2021 Pingo Doce Children’s Literature Award. In 2022, she continued to participate in group and individual exhibitions, also launching the independent book The Pregnant is Everyone’s. At the end of the day, she believes the answer to happiness is a good laugh.