Her glossy hair swinging, face dewy, clothes free from vomit, the perfect mother enters the room.
Inside her stylish mama bag is another beautiful outfit just in case, sitting alongside handcrafted wooden toys and nutritious homemade snacks. She’s always kind and gentle to her child, whilst still finding time for plenty of self care - that hair cut didn’t happen by itself!
Her small mama business on the side is going effortlessly well, allowing her to contribute financially as well as washing, drying, folding and ironing all the laundry, cooking all meals from scratch, attending to her children’s every need and completing a workout every day - those Lulu’s are on for a reason!
Once home, her child will be engaged in mentally stimulating craft activities sourced from Pinterest whilst the mother organises another beautifully curated shelf in her already gorgeous home.
Sound familiar??
Weirdly, it kind of does, despite the fact this mother does not exist. She is a figment of societal imagination, built from years of conditioning, from social media images and anecdotes from other mothers.
The perfect mother not only does not exist, but cannot exist. It is physically impossible to be all the things she is.
So why are we trying so hard to be her? Why are you constantly measuring to her standards and finding yourself falling short? Because it’s conditioned into us. Because it keeps mothers trying and trying and trying harder. Often to be the thing patriarchal structures need us to be - shiny glossy creatures who look good, pick up all the housework without complaint, and raise the next generation to follow in the same footsteps.
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*The Perfect Mother Myth is a concept created by Dr Sophie Brock
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