<i>“My Body as an Egg Vending Machine”:</i> (En)Countering Master Narratives in Egg Provider Blogs

Using Hilde Lindemann’s notion of identity as narratively constructed, this study examines egg providers’ blogs to explore how they make sense of their experiences within a marketized fertility system. A systematic search (2021–23) identified twenty-three blogs, subsequently analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis and interdisciplinary collaborative auditing. The authors found that the bloggers often conformed to the dominant altruistic master narrative, but they also revealed concerns about exploitation and feelings of being treated as “egg machines,” and they created counternarratives. Finally, the authors discuss how the dominance of altruistic framings can contribute to epistemic injustice, constraining how egg providers articulate and have their experiences socially recognized.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics
Published
2026-07-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3138/ijfab-2025-0029
Primary Topic
Reproductive Health and Technologies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

“My Body as an Egg Vending Machine”: (En)Countering Master Narratives in Egg Provider Blogs

L Jacxsens, Michiel De Proost, Veerle Provoost
International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics
Reproductive Health and Technologies
article

“My Body as an Egg Vending Machine”: (En)Countering Master Narratives in Egg Provider Blogs

L Jacxsens, Michiel De Proost, Veerle Provoost
article en

Abstract

Using Hilde Lindemann’s notion of identity as narratively constructed, this study examines egg providers’ blogs to explore how they make sense of their experiences within a marketized fertility system. A systematic search (2021–23) identified twenty-three blogs, subsequently analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis and interdisciplinary collaborative auditing. The authors found that the bloggers often conformed to the dominant altruistic master narrative, but they also revealed concerns about exploitation and feelings of being treated as “egg machines,” and they created counternarratives. Finally, the authors discuss how the dominance of altruistic framings can contribute to epistemic injustice, constraining how egg providers articulate and have their experiences socially recognized.

International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics
Openalex Percentile: Top 7%
Reproductive Health and Technologies
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