What was supposed to be the happiest of announcements for actress Lily Collins and her husband Charlie McDowell was quickly tainted last week, after she was subjected to global backlash for welcoming her newborn daughter via surrogate.
But why has such a move seemingly rubbed so many people up the wrong way? And what does the criticism imply about the views of 21st century women on motherhood?
Lily Collins makes her happy announcement
Emily In Paris actress Lily took to Instagram last week (31 Jan) to reveal that she and her screenwriter hubby - who've been married since September 2021 - had welcomed a new addition to their family.
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Sharing a photo of a newborn baby girl sleeping beside a blanket embroidered with her name Tove Jane, the 35-year-old wrote in the caption: "Words will never express our endless gratitude for our incredible surrogate and everyone who helped us along the way.
"We love you to the moon and back again…".
Many fans were initially surprised by the news, being that they had no idea the movie star had been preparing for motherhood behind the scenes.
Others, however, immediately took to the comments, accusing Lily and Charlie of using their 'privilege' as a means of welcoming a child.
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The couple were accused as contributing to an 'unethical trend' which has seemingly seen an increasing amount of 'rich people' using another individual's womb as a means of homing their child.
"I will never forgive y’all for normalising commercial surrogacy btw," one outraged former fan hit out on Twitter (as per Metro). As another complained: "Screaming as usual from the rooftops MAKE SURROGACY ILLEGAL!!! This is the new trend for celebrities and it’s DISGUSTING."
Charlie defends their decision
Lily's writer and director husband Charlie subsequently took to the comments of the post, directly addressing the mass of criticism that had been left on their happy announcement.
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"Thank you for all the kind messages and love," he began. "We are overjoyed and very grateful. In regards to the unkind messages about surrogacy and our path to having a baby -- it's ok to not be an expert on surrogacy."
Charlie went on: "It's ok to not know why someone might need a surrogate to have a child. It's ok to not know the motivations of a surrogate regardless of what you assume.
"And it's ok to spend less time spewing hateful words into the world, especially in regards to a beautiful baby girl who has brought a lot of love into people's lives."
He concluded his message by penning, 'That's all for now because she just pooped and I need to change her diaper', which Lily later replied to with a string of white love-heart emojis.
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Why is surrogacy such a touchy subject?
Spectators of the debate between the Collins-McDowell family and their critics have been left wondering what aspect of the story has triggered such passionate responses.
Many believe it is due to the apparent financial divide between the world's most affluent individuals, and 'normal' women, who can't afford to splash five figures on IVF or similar fertility treatments.
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According to The Fertility Centre in Las Vegas, in the US, the average cost of surrogacy is between $110,000 to $170,000 (around £80,000 and £100,000) - a figure out of touch for the vast majority of female citizens.
In the UK, meanwhile, whilst the number of single women undergoing fertility treatment is said to be massively on the rise, the price of a vial of donated sperm currently stands at around £1,630 - as per Create Fertility.
And the NHS website explains that IFV can cost up to a staggering £5,000 per cycle.
These figures are being seen by many medics as likely reason why birthrates across the world are at an all time low, and could serve as a reason why people have seemingly become so heated over recent headlines.
As we say, however, many fans of Lily Collins are attempting to reiterate that not all of these heartbreaking stats should not be pinned on one particular celebrity couple.
As Charlie says, you can never know what health battles people are going through behind the scenes.
In her 2017 memoir, Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me, Lily revealed she'd endured a bout of bulimia in her teenage years, the physical repercussions of which left her in fear that motherhood wouldn't be an option.
Explaining that the condition impacted her menstrual cycle, she wrote: "I was terrified I had ruined my chances of having kids."
Could this have played a part in their decision to undergo surrogacy? Maybe it's not something her fans need to know.
Topics: Celebrity, US News, Pregnancy, Parenting, Life, Real Life, True Life, Lily Collins
Rhianna Benson