Love & Desire Through Ancient Artifacts

Is this woman overweight or she beautiful? Today, one might argue that she is overweight and facing serious health risks some including back problems, but in ancient times this woman was considered beautiful. A women of full breasts and large hips shows that she is fertile and capable of producing many children. Dr. Richard Freund was enthusiastic throughout his presentation and I found understanding into how archaeology is so intriguing. Archaeologists find artifacts that relate to all aspects of our life and each artifact has a unique story like the one above. It is believed that women would hold on to this little figurines for luck and hope to be able to reproduce. While listening to Dr. Freund I started to think about our previous classes in love and desire and why we haven't talk more about fertility when its the basic foundation to what we discuss. If we were not born, we would not love or desire anyone or anything so I feel it is important to think about why we produce and why some of us don't or are not interested to reproduce. Speaking as an American, the typical and sometimes stereotypical dream for Americans is to grow up, get an education, get married and have children. But why? Why is fertility so important and why now do people rush to have a child if not many? Children are a trophy in some people's eyes; a possession or something to brag about, in others a reward for doing well, while others a child is a mistake. According to Guttmacher.org, a 2006 survey said that of every 1000 women in CT 52 have unintended pregnancies. Just from those numbers it  is expressed that numerous children are unplanned. Many people however, have children to show them off. I sometimes feel that this thought comes along with the idea that "my child is better than yours." What is unfortunate to me though is that some people are not fertile and can not reproduce. Those woman, in my opinion, are the one's most interested in having children and most disappointed when they can't. Do we reproduce because we love the other? Or do we reproduce because we feel its our obligation as women and we were giving this system we must utilize it? This is something I would like to talk more about in class and be able to discuss what my peers might think as well as the authors of what we have read thus far might think. In my opinion, fertility is a huge part of love and desire and there are so many questions to be answered, I just don't know where to start!