Cornelia Dahlgren

[scientia]

Sorry for the double post, but her latest Insta is about struggling with trust and includes the hashtag “possible autism” so I wonder if she is struggling with processing emotions lately to the extent that she might be exploring a diagnosis for herself? (I really am a bit hesitant to explore that line of speculation, and she puts a ton of hashtags on her posts and I don’t always know the intent behind them obviously.) I know so many women, though, who were really rocked emotionally by motherhood (postpartum depression, anxiety, mood swings, etc) and experienced pretty profound re-evaluations of all aspects of their professional and personal lives. I honestly keep expecting her to announce they are moving to Sweden.

True! And I know that because of the pandemic she was separated from her family in Sweden for a long time. First time motherhood + forced separation due to a pandemic must be hard for sure

[shan]

I don’t personally follow her on any social media platforms, the nft stuff I only saw because people were rightfully concerned and talking about it on twitter. Of course, I hope she’s doing ok and coping with parenthood alright. From her replacement tweet it sounds like Freya still isn’t sleeping through the night which isn’t super common at this age so I can imagine almost a year of limited sleep takes it’s toll on anyone. I hope she’s getting all the support she needs. Without speculating too much, if she is seeking diagnostic testing for autism, I also hope she’s in a place mentally to handle that right now. A lovely lady I used to work with was diagnosed with autism as an adult and she really struggled for quite a while with the diagnosis despite going into it thinking it would be a relief to know for sure. Obviously, this is entirely dependent on the person but I do hope she’s not putting too much on her plate if she’s already not having an easy time of it.

That said, having a rough time doesn’t entirely excuse promoting something morally questionable, especially when you’ve claimed to put in the time to research the morally questionable thing. Part and parcel of having influence on the internet is being criticised when using your influence for something objectionable, and she chose just about the most divisive topic she possibly could have.

[alittledizzy]

Cornelia kept engaging with people but I think the "discourse" died down as people got more distracted with the Hometown Showdown trailer. Just for posterity, here are some of her justifications/replies.

[Levitating]

I don't follow many life style influencer
is it normal for them to share so intimate difficult moments like the ones cornelia is sharing in her latest stories? it makes it look like she's going through (post partum?) depression
it genuinely feels like i'm seeing something she would share w an intimate friend

[Megancita75]

It does seem like she is going through a tough time, and that becoming a parent has really made her want to reevaluate some things in her life. I feel like the middle-of-the-night post Cornelia made recently is just the impulse to reach out when one is stretched thin; I honestly thought it was a healthy sign. Like, she's not trying to hide that she's struggling, and I think for many people it's an added stressor when you try to pretend to yourself and others that everything is going ok. As for whether it's normal for influencers to post things like that, I think there's no right answer to that. Plenty of other people I follow on Instagram post very personal things when they are going through struggles, others do not, and others do it variably.

I watch Rose and Rosie and listen to their podcast and while their son is about six months younger than Freja, Rosie in particular seems to have been really hard hit by postpartum anxiety and the challenges of sleep deprivation and of being the parent who is breast-feeding. Some of what Cornelia has shared reminds me some of R&R and the things they are very openly discussing. And it also reminds me of some friends and family who had kids and then experienced very real mental health issues in the year or so after the birth. There is a lot (A LOT) of pressure to be a perfect, organized, unselfish, and fully content person after motherhood and it's bullshit.

I feel for Cornelia, maybe because I'm close to her in age. Becoming a mom for anyone is going to be an identity shift, and then figuring out how to be a mom and an artist and accepting your imperfections as a mother and a partner and asking for help when that might be difficult to do is a process.

I've enjoyed her last few Insta stories, particularly the one where she was out and about on her own in IOM, just taking some time for herself. That's important.

[alittledizzy]

I stopped posting about M&C on here because I started feeling a little guilty about it. I do genuinely want the best for Martyn and Cornelia both (especially Cornelia) and for the most part appreciate her presence on social media. She shared a lot of their Florida trip and it was heartwarming seeing Freja living her best life on the beach, and Cornelia getting to enjoy the environment. Having a baby itself seems like a very isolating thing, but doing it in a pandemic when you're literally isolated? Yeah, I definitely feel for Corn.

(But man are they still into NFTs. They are... definitely drinking that kool aid. Card carrying cult members. Yep.)

[obvsly]

Just saw cornelia posting this on her instagram story. It's about her pregnancy loss. She didn't give any details on it. I think this is the first time we heard about it? (I'm not following her twitter anymore so don't know if she's ever talked about it there.) I'm really so sorry for her. I'll put it under spoiler as it might be triggering for some.