Mother’s Day is upon us (at least in the United States), and with that comes the outward celebration of mothers everywhere. This week, I am examining one specific narrative we often see around this time – and that is what I call The Super Mom Trope. Essentially, this narrative celebrates the superhuman capabilities of moms, something that when done is broad strokes is actually quite problematic.
In this episode, I am covering four reasons this “moms are superheroes” rhetoric can be harmful to individual mothers and society as a whole:
- It failed to recognize the human-ness of mothers, and the care we all need
- It assumes that moms are responsible for it all, perpetuating stereotypical gender and parental norms
- It keeps moms from asking for help because they feel like they shouldn’t struggle and should be able to handle it all on their own
- It celebrates and romanticizes sacrifice
Happy Mother’s Day, Mama. You are worthy of celebrating – not only now, but always.