Hip Mothers Need Only To Shop

Ok. I’m not a mom. But while I don’t know the feeling of having a child running around my legs, I do know that “letting myself” go would be an unfair accusation – however this article points out a step-by-step guide to making sure that post-labor mommies are looking good…and by that I mean wearing hot camo pants.

There are so many things wrong with this list.

First off, it speaks only to those who can afford to shop, shop, shop, and even makes light of REAL life families who struggle everyday to put food on the table, “Even if you're on a tight budget, our tips can help you feel your best even on the days you have run out of diapers, can't find your car keys (again) and have just discovered you've been walking around for hours with spit-up on your shoulder (again!).”

Yeah because their suggestions are so much more important than paying the heating bill:

1. They suggest getting big Angelina Jolie-type glasses to hide the puffy, black circles under the eyes of moms. Um. That’s called sleep deprivation, and what we should be suggesting is more resource allocation from the powers-that-be, so that mothers don’t have to work two jobs, plus maintain the family and home.
2. They suggest subscribing to a newspaper so that they can have “good conversation skills,” something the authors’ feel their “husbands will appreciate.” Hmm. How about the conversations one can have at work, during business meetings, etc? Oh yeah. That’s right. Women are supposed to stay home. Silly me. I forgot.

And the over-arching heteronormativity of this article is just flat-out gross. All references to a partner in the home center around a husband. This means that a). the woman is in a heterosexual relationship, and b). that she has committed to the “morally correct” choice of taking religious and legal vows.

Thus, this article does not speak to those who are in long-term relationships with someone they choose not to marry, or someone the powers-that-be have decided for them that they cannot marry (i.e. lesbian mothers). This article does not address women who like being single, but are also mothers.

Apparently “being hip” is the only way to maintain self-respect, so I guess these writers don’t mind letting all other situations fall to the wayside.