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Jade Goody was publicly diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2008, and prior to her death in 2009 she remained a permanent presence in the celebrity and tabloid press. And although popular commentary refers to the ‘Jade Effect’ whereby young women, who otherwise would not have gone for testing, are seeking out cervical screening programs after the death of Jade Goody, it is important that we understand the ways in which tabloid readers engage with celebrity news stories. With this in mind this article draws on focus group discussions with young female OK! readers to explore the ways in which they make use of, find comfort in, or take umbrage at the news coverage of celebrity illness, concluding that readers were at best frustrated and at worst angered by a lack of authenticity and candid imagery, which is surprising given the ‘airbrushed’ and ‘orchestrated’ nature of their chosen publication.

Representations of motherhood dominate the television landscape in a variety of popular genre texts, and as such it is important that we consider the ways in which these women are being constructed and circulated on the small screen. Indeed, although much work has been done to investigate the depiction of women on television, little research exists to account for the portrayal of mothering, motherhood, and the maternal role. With this in mind, this article introduces extant literature concerning the representation of motherhood in the media and then examines ways in which this research might be understood in relation to the depiction of mothers in soap opera, situation comedy, teen drama, dramedy and reality television. It considers the ways in which popular television texts form a consensus as they negotiate the idealized image of the ‘good’ mother in favour of a more attainable depiction of ‘good enough’ mothering which stands apart from the romanticized image of the ideal mother that dominates the broader entertainment arena.

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