Mommy Wars

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have it all” became some sort of new motto in motherhood thus creating this whole division of “good” mother and “bad” mothers. Experts in popular media and academic scholars view this as the “Mommy Wars” between two camps, with the "stay-at-home" ("good") mother picking against the "working" ("bad") mother (Douglas, 2000; Hays, 1996; Johnston & Swanson, 2004). Steiner (2006) backs up this view that:
“Working moms often feel guilty about not being there when a child has a hard day or a question about a tough topic. And stay-at-home moms fret about sacrificing the financial independence, intellectual stimulation, and recognition a job can provide.”
This debate has been ongoing where mothers are constantly being judged under media’s microscopic lenses on their decisions to either stay at home or go to work. The whole idea of mothers only staying at home and nurturing their children is seen as a good mother whereas going to work and only doing “half of a job on mothering” is seen as negative in society despite the fact, media failed to …show more content…

The study by Johnston and Swanson (2004) shows the working mother is often depicted as a woman concerned more with her own personal success (e.g. having a good figure and career- orientated) and attainment of material objects (e.g., new car, big house, expensive clothes) than the success of her own children which is what they found out in these celeb magazines. The magazines have become a tool for guidance on how to be a good mother. The celebrity mom profiles that cover magazines reinforce the ideology that consumer goods lead to a happier and more fulfilling experience as a mother. With all the latest toys and gadgets that will supposedly help with their child’s development and what more does a mother want? They have encouraged self-loathing, rather than

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