It seems like a lot of work to be this crazy
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Have you heard about this blogger pregnancy hoax? I’m assuming it’s recent because I just saw it on Comcast’s news page and there’s a 19-hour-old story about it on Google wherein the blogger apologizes.
The basic run down is that she said she was pregnant with a terminally ill baby and chose to carry out the pregnancy which earned adulation from the public in general and the pro-lifers in particular.
So she named the baby April Rose and reported that she gave birth at home on June 14 and the baby died hours later.
Here’s where the really crazy part comes in. Seems a bunch of her readers recognized the photos of said baby to be that of a lifelike doll made by Salt Lake City-based Bountiful Baby.
What the eff, man? This is just screaming for a side note.
I have to admit the made up baby is impressive. The hair looks real to me and before I saw the latex/plastic doll I did believe that was a real baby.
In the split second before the next image scrolled up (these images are screen shots from the news clip) I assumed that was a photo of a real baby sleeping.
And then the dun-dun-dun moment — the latex/plastic doll. Girlfriend has some hella make up skills. I would imagine, when she was knee deep in the hoax, she didn’t feel like she could enlist the help of a trusted friend to make up the doll.
So how did she know what sort of make up to use and how did she affix the hair?
I’m just saying I’m impressed with the final results. I’m also amazed that someone had an eagle eye and was able to match up the fake baby with the doll. Never underestimate the power of observation.
So according to the article, she felt the net closing in and immediately deleted her Blogspot, Twitter, and Facebook accounts.
That seems like a lot of work to me. She did sort of explain why she did it — she’s struggling with life right now and said she has “more than once lost a baby.”
I can understand that she was using the blog to work through some issues. Blogging, as you know, is a great way to reach out and meet new people. Frequently it’s a way to find other people experiencing similar struggles. The level of trust is higher, I think, because we don’t have to speak face-to-face.
But I don’t understand why someone would go to such lengths to perpetuate a lie. She said there was no financial motive or gain (raises eyebrows). She did have an advertising deal in the works, but it fell through so the jury’s out on that one.
In the news clip there was speculation that her ego got the best of her. She began to receive thousands of hits which then became hundreds of thousands of hits as well as a public outpouring of support.
I can understand that once the wave began she was firmly perched upon the surf board riding high. But it still seems like a lot of stress to me perpetuating such a huge hoax. I mean if she had been successful what was going to happen after the faux baby died?
Was she just going to continue to write for therapy and money? It doesn’t seem like a lucrative gig.
I mean if I were that hard up for money and adoration I’d just work at Taco Bell and pretend I was royalty at home.
hmm. I’ve seen advertisements for the “fake babies”, but they all already had their hair and pretty little cupid lips etc… Could that second shot be of an “unfinished baby”?
And, yeah. I can’t figure and answer for WHY, either.
Well there you go. I always take everything at face value (no pun intended).
That second picture probably is an unfinished baby in the works. I guess we have enough of those weird semi-unfinished baby dolls at our house without hair and a bit of paint on the eyes and lips that I thought the baby came that way.
Although it did look strangely unfinished now that you mention it. Dammit, I liked it better when I thought she was a makeup artist.
Naive anyone? Yes, that would be me and yes, I would have believed her story without question if I had been reading all along.
So now that’s bringing up an equally weird question. Who’s buying these realistic baby dolls? I would imagine they are very expensive — pricey enough to not want to let your kid bang it up.
Which means… (shudders) maybe adults are buying these things. Yuck.
Okay the crazy factor has just gone up exponentially. These are doll parts that you put together yourself. AUUUGGHHH!
You know who’s buying these fake babies, it’s single women who want a kid, but don’t want to have one that grows up.
And crazy people.
Ummm. Not me, though.
I remember an article about these dolls a few years ago. I think that the main buyers were women whose children were grown and wanted a “baby” around. There were also some women who never had kids that got them too. I don’t get it why someone would want one of these.
@Les and Buf Whoa. Clearly there’s a market out there for everyone no matter what your
fetishinterest. Even the way off-center folks.I wonder if sales are going well. They must be if these companies are still in business. Yuck.
Hey! I should try that. Tell everyone that, even though I’m male, I’m pregnant. Show some “actual photos” of said pregnancy. Discuss how said baby will come out. Ouch. Try to get some reality show going. Sweet.
Now that would have worked really well Steve, except you just gave your idea away here in the VIP Lounge. Hey! Do you want me to delete it and then you can embark on your get rich quick scheme :)
I’ll do that for you. But I draw the line at buying the supplies for you.
Well, never underestimate the stupidity of people. I mean, there are still some down there that believe they found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. ‘Course, most of them watch Fox…which is where my show would be. So, even if you don’t delete it and someone else tries it, there’s always room for one more “true” and “fair and balanced” reality show :)
Is that cynicism I hear, Steve? I bet Shepard Smith would get behind your show.
And you get Fox News up there in Canuckia? Wow.
Words cannot even begin to describe how creeped out I feel after reading about this!
Amen sister. It’s really something I would have never thought of myself. Who would, really?
Where we last lived I got tangled up with a seriously crazy lady when I naively volunteered for something at church.
What I found is that REAL crazy is indeed a LOT of work. But apparently it’s doing something for the perpetrator that is more satisfying than regular life.
I saw this story yesterday and it made me really sad for this lady. I wonder if she saw it as performance art or something, helping a cause she believed in and helping other moms who’d lost babies grieve. Or if she just desperately needs some counseling.
The article did hint that she sort of thought she was providing a service to other grieving mothers. I also think, like you said, the pay off — national attention and adulation — was a hugely motivating factor.
She does seem like she needs some sort of professional help.
Oh you’re missing a whole sub-culture with those fake babies. There are women that buy these dolls and treat them as if they were real! They go on shopping sprees for them in which they spend far more money than I’ve spent on my two (real live) girls, they give them baths, they parade them around in prams, they take them shopping with them. It’s really odd. I saw a show about it on BBC America. I guess it fills a hole from when the kids grow up, or for women that can’t have kids. But it is… interesting.
I’m not surprised she made all this up. CG, some people want that 15 minutes of fame, no matter how they get it. You’d rather work at Taco Bell and pretend to be royalty at home because you don’t want to be the center of anyone’s attention. Me, I think I’d do things your way.
I saw the same thing on Dr. Phil. This woman said she knew they weren’t real, but I wasn’t quite convinced.
@blue Nutso. I love my kids, but if I never had any I’m positive I would never own one of those things much less dress it up and take it out in public.
(sits in stunned silence) People take those things out in public?
@Liz Man, that’s a Dr. Phil show I want to see.
i was really disturbed by this. she was a “christian” blogger and some of the heavies in the christian blogging community sent money, donated things, and were very involved with the story. being betrayed on a level like that is just – i don’t know – hard to wrap your head around.
I also read that. It’s interesting that we hold folks who declare a religious motivation to a higher level, although I do the very same thing. I do wonder if the person who acts like that feels any remorse from using such a strong platform.
I wonder if they truly believe they are doing God’s work or if they know deep down they are pulling the wool over another person’s eyes.
Yes, it’s a creepy thing to do. But I can’t imagine blogging about being pregnant with a dying baby, mostly because I would have to write such truly depressing and sad entries, it would take over my entire life. She must really be severely depressed… even stats like that that wouldn’t help!
I thought the same thing. Apparently she was channeling her own experience as she said she had gone through this very same thing a few years earlier. It still seems, if she wanted to do some therapeutic blogging that she could have been honest about it.
Meaning, she could have explained that it was something that happened to her previously and these are the issues she’s currently working on.
Oh, geez, CG, I thought this post was about abortion and that’s just too heavy. Epitome of my button. Anyway…
She needs serious help. Seriously. It seems she never got any after her miscarriages, and all those people supporting keeping her dead fetus? Effing weirdos. Can someone try to preserve this woman’s sanity? And where is her actual, ya know, live breathing family??
I guess this is a good example of everyone has a story. I wonder too about the rest of the story. How did she support herself? Does she have a husband or boyfriend or a roommate who sees her on the computer blogging?
Does that person know what she’s doing? Did she have to hide the baby from that person? It’s all very weird. I guess that’s part of why it’s news.
I skimmed the article from the Christian Post… is anyone else bothered by this line:
“And although she is a Christian, Beushausen confessed that she is a “weak,” “messed up” and “struggling” one who has dealt with a lot of pain.”
…Because being a Christian (or any religious person, for that matter) is going to take away mental illness in the first place?
I would feel bad for this girl… except the story still has a lot of holes. I’m reserving judgment.
I can tell you from personal experience that many times I feel if I had a stronger sense of faith in God I could handle my depression without outside intervention. However, I have never felt the need to act out in such a disturbed way.
But I can see how a person might feel that all things are possible with God and enough faith and belief can help you cope. It’s a fine line, but again this chick seems to have taken it a bit farther than I can justify.
Crazy is as crazy does. When I was 19 I worked at the mall and took a bus there. On one interesting trip, I sat near a woman who held a clearly fake doll and rocked it in her arms and cooed to it. It’s very hard to ignore that once you see it. But then I turned my attention to the guy who got on at the next stop. A guy carrying a chain saw. Yeah, that was a fun bus day.
That is wild, Kathy. However, it brings up an interesting thought.
If a child did that it wouldn’t be noteworthy. But clearly the child has limited capacity by virtue of be a child. Also I wonder if you met that woman in a professional setting minus the doll, would she seem normal?
She seems extreme and I’m guessing she would not have appeared normal sans the doll. It’s still wild.
And the dude with the chain saw. Whoa.
I wonder if she was ignored a lot as a child? Either way, you’ve either got to be pretty messed up or emotionally stunted to pull a trick like this.
Yeah, it always seems to come back to childhood, doesn’t it? Just saw a documentary on a guy who killed five people and said his alter ego did it. Then he further explained that his dad beat him while he was growing up.
If that were the basis for crazy I’d also be in the belfry with the bats.
That’s terribly sad. I don’t feel like she intended to be malicious. She’s just a very lost and needy soul. What a shame.
And it does take a whole lot of work to lie, doesn’t it? That’s why I never lie any more. I can’t imagine living out an elaborate deception when it requires so much effort just to remember a white lie you told. Damn.
I hear that regarding lying.
I’ve read enough murder mysteries that I’ve learned that if you’re going to lie, you need to keep it basic minus details. Giving tons of details seems to be where you get tripped up and a tip off that you are lying in the first place.
I’d have a hard time lying, too. Lots of room for error.
That story is so weird I don’t even know what to say…
Umm, yeah. It’s weird how you think you’ve seen a lot of weird stuff and that there can’t be that much strangeness left in the world. And then you read something like that.
Although I’m sure she’s not the first woman to lie about a pregnancy, just maybe the first to blog about it.
ABC 20/20 did a story about these babies. To read it, Google “ABC 20 20 reborn baby dolls”. There are people that pay big bucks for baby reborns. There is an artist in the UK that sculpts the dolls and does the faces and adds the hair.
Check out the photo of a “Reborn” on the first page of the website. It looks real, doesn’t it? If you click on the Gallery 1, 2, 3 some of them don’t look quite as real, but still, it’s amazing.
Edited: when I convert it to a link with the text it’s able to wrap around the box. I don’t know why that is, but it is.
That baby on the front does look crazily real. Yuuu—uuck! Did you see the baby monkey in the gallery. I didn’t realize there were levels of gross to these fake babies, but there you go.
It seems like the links are okay if you know how to add it to the words. I know, that’s the technical definition. I don’t know how to do it off hand but WordPress does it for me in my editor. And when these comment boxes are wide like this it doesn’t seem to throw it off. It’s when the boxes get super skinny.
But thanks for thinking of me :)
Somebody needs some attention — in that weird Munchhausen kinda way. Doesn’t surprise me though — I mean who do you believe anymore??
Maybe you don’t really wear Chuck Taylors. Maybe I don’t really have a pond. Maybe JD isn’t really doing all those things. Maybe Daisy isn’t really writing a blog. Hmmmmm. Kinda makes you think, doesn’t it??
Oh, I know someone who sculpts those stupid dolls for collectors and Marie Osmond. You may not think they look lifelike until you catch a glimpse of her creations through the window–lying there on the table. EEEk! Looks like a baby then.
Lin you cut me. You cut me deep right there when you suggested maybe I am not being truthful about my low tops.
I know, you’re speculating.
That’s interesting that you know a sculptor who makes those dolls. Is she into them too, or is it just a freaky job that puts bread on the table?
Why wouldn’t she just abort the pregnancy and why would she be hailed as a heroine for carrying it ? In India, she would be called crazy. Why is abortion such a horrid word in USA ? I can’t figure that one out.
In Hinduism we believe that life begins at conception, same as Catholics. The Hindu mythology is full of anecdotes of gods and humans having awareness while still being an embryo. But the pressure of poverty, over population and common sense has just deleted this thought process. There is no stigma attached to an abortion, and definitely none to one of a terminally ill foetus.
At the end of the day, it still is about choice and the quality of life of a woman who is living, rather than one which is about to come.
I don’t know — it’s that whole life begins at conception.
I’m surprised, though, if you believe that embryos have awareness it seems that Hindus would be totally against abortion as the embryo/fetus would feel the abortion.
Definitely a dicey topic.
i agree w/kathy. crazy is as crazy does. i don’t mind crazy, but hope i’m never that far gone, to pretend i’m pregnant with a terminally ill baby and then freaking blog about it. i don’t so. WTH.
the baby doesn’t look real to me at all. i’m sure that’s because i have seen it, not on tv, but in the sunday newspaper, in the middle, where they stuff the coupons and other advertisements.
that’s one sick lady. i’m also very leery of people who give birth at home.
I’ve seen those advertisements, too. I guess it’s the circumstances — when I see it in the paper I know it’s fake. But when it was presented in that story as real I bought it hook, line and sinker.
Yes I am gullible.
And I would be/was way too freaked out to consider having any of my children at home. That’s nuts in my opinion.
Poor woman, she must have some serious issues. I would be so frightened to do something like that, thinking sod’s law would punish me with a real-life dead baby. Doesn’t bear thinking about.
This chick needs to be a makeup artist.