A woman has praised Disney’s Encanto for its representation of motherhood, as she noted that the film’s character Pepa had her son Antonio when she was 45.
Morgan, who goes by the username @morgan_celeste_ on TikTok, discussed the film’s depiction of motherhood in a video posted earlier this year, in which she asked why no one was talking about Pepa being an older mother.
In the Disney film, Pepa is the 50-year-old aunt of main character Mirabel who can control the weather with her emotions and has three children, daughter Dolores, 22, and sons Camilo, 15, and Antonio, five, with husband Félix.
“Why isn’t anyone talking about the fact that Pepa had Antonio when she was 45? Like, that’s amazing representation. Everyone thinks that if you don’t have a baby by the time you’re in your 30s it’s over, but it’s not!” Morgan said. “You can have a kid at 45! No problem.”
In the caption of the video, Morgan acknowledged that if she got pregnant now, “it would be considered a geriatric pregnancy”.
In a follow-up video, Morgan explained that the reason she was so “excited” by the film’s representation of motherhood is because it “represents our family”.
“Not only are my wife and I having kids now, and we’re going to have kids through our 40s, but my sister-in-law was born when my mother-in-law was 45,” Morgan said. “So it literally represents our family.”
Morgan’s original video has since been viewed more than 1.7m times, with viewers agreeing with her praise for the film in the comments, while many shared the ages their own parents and family members were when they had children.
“It’s amazing. The first time I’ve seen representation of my family (mom had me at 46),” one person commented, prompting Morgan to reply: “Right?!!? It’s so cool.”
Another said: “My mama had me at 41!!! Love this,” while someone else added: “I’ve been thinking about it, just not talking about it, and I love this representation so much.”
The average age of first-time mothers in the US has risen in recent years, with a 2020 study finding that the age had increased from 21 to 26. In 2018, data released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also found that births among women ages 40 to 44 have been steadily rising since the 1980s.
The Independent has contacted Morgan for comment.
