The Ideology of Motherhood - Dissertation Example

? DISSERTATION FOR AN M.A. IN JOURNALISM, MASS MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION ON THE IDEOLOGY OF MOTHERHOOD AS PRESENTED IN DISTRIBUTED IMAGING SPACES SUCH AS INSTAGRAM. Name of institution: Name of student: Course name: Date due: Table of content These chapters are adopted from a study, presented as a dissertation for an MA in Journalism, mass media and Communication on the ideology of motherhood as presented in distributed imaging spaces such as instagram. Contents Contents 2 Section II: The theoretical concept of “workface” 3 Section III: The code of romance 4 Section IV: The code of personal/domestic life 6 Section V: The code of fashion and beauty 8 Section VI: The revolution of the ideology of motherhood 10 Section VII: Conclusion 11 Bibliography 12 Section I: Introduction The use of popular social networks sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have increasingly become one of the most fundamental methods of communicating to a large number of people. This is because more and more people share their life events on the social networks regardless of the events being sad or happy, says (Kivran-Swaine et al, 2013:1-5). Through one’s social media account most people are able to follow one’s transition through the years from one’s teenaged life to adulthood. Motherhood is only the kinship relation between an offspring and the mother. It is also one of the most life altering events that can be experienced and is often represented in the social networks. Most social media users usually cover their social pages with pictures of their experiences of pregnancy, and motherhood accompanied by status updated of about their daily events as mothers. Kivran-Swaine goes on to say that the ways in which motherhood is represented and enacted on the social networks is usually very broad, and does not effectively account for the complex content in which motherhood is understood and performed using new communications technologies. Most information presented on the social networks about motherhood usually give the idea that motherhood is full of happy moments; where the mothers are always smiling holding their bundles of joy and updating how happy and blessed they feel to be mothers. The ideology of motherhood in the social media is often one-sided. Section II: The theoretical concept of “workface” Kivran-Swaine comes up with a theoretical concept of ‘facework’ that she uses to analyze the ideology of motherhood in the social media. Facework functions as a critical mode of self presentation and self expression on the social media where mothers create their own “mommy face”, a social space where they can showcase their motherhood achievements and their various standards of motherhood with the rest of the world. There are a number of mothers who have shown a good use of their facework, whose social media activities have incorporated their experiences as mothers that are if they have not completely changed to motherhood experiences only. A good example of new mothers who have incorporated their motherhood experiences into their ‘facework’ is Shakira and Beyonce; who are both famous musicians. Since the birth of her son Sharika has shared pictures of her son on Facebook and Instagram accompanied with status updates on the same. Beyonce has done the same too, where pictures on her taking time off work to be with her daughter have been seen on her social media. Through their social media pages, one sees that the two celebrity women are working mothers, who balance both their careers and their duties as mothers to their children. A lot of celebrity women have embraced their motherhood experiences, and this act is not only seen in celebrity mothers but women throughout the social media. Women nowadays go to great lengths to have their pregnancy pictures taken professionally. More and more women are appearing in pregnancy and motherhood magazines that ever before. Mother, just like other women, are active on the social media sharing their motherhood experiences, uploading pictures of their babies and giving advice to new mothers on various challenges they may be having thus keeping their faceworks busy and active. Some mothers have even gone ahead to have blogs based on their daily activities as mothers. Section III: The code of romance (McRobbie Angela, 1978:13) has listed some codes that she uses to analyze the ideology of teenage girls in “Jackie”. Some of her codes do apply to the ideology of motherhood and these include; the code of romance, the code of personal/domestic life and the code of fashion and beauty. The code of romance is not only essential to teenage girls but women of all ages. (McLeod, 2013:3) says that because they were able to bear children in the past, women were seen as possessing a biological power worthy of both admiration and fear. This ability led to a scrutiny and study of the female reproductive system by scientists who sought to understand how the female body works. This interest in the female reproductive processes led to an increase of medical knowledge on pregnancy and childbirth that challenged older methods of midwifery and birth control. It would be wrong to say that mothers do not need romance in their lives; because it is through romance that they met, they met their husbands and baby daddies in the first place. Most women have shared pictures of themselves with the men they are currently dating on the social media. A good number of these couples end up settling down and experiencing parenthood together. A good example of such couples who have dated, and continue to show a great romantic connection in their lives is Mariah Carey, and her husband Nick Cannon. The two have often shared pictures of themselves vacationing, having a good time, and sharing pictures of themselves and their children. Another couple that trends on the same direction is Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. These two have continued to show their love for one another even after the birth of their children. These represent the many women who still have romance in their lives even after the birth of their children. Most pictures on the social media for mothers and their babies are often tagged to their husbands or their babies’ fathers. This is proof enough that the code of romance does apply to women of all ages and most especially to mothers. Section IV: The code of personal/domestic life The code of personal/domestic life varies from woman to woman, but most mothers have an almost similar domestic life since motherhood is not so very different. (Milwaukee, 2012:3-8) Says that the internet is a significant venue for mothers as they seek to disentangle the complexities of understanding their identity and role since the internet discussions have become a way for mothers to participate in the ongoing discussions about their identities, in the contemporary society. This is a crucial discussion because it is a topic that is so personal and close to the hearts of several mothers, whose success as individuals is often measured via the success of their children. Most mothers will say or feel that they have succeeded in life if their children turn out alright. This is because to most mothers their lives revolve around their children, and they do their best to see that they are okay. There are blogs, and other social platforms that were made by mothers for mothers where mothers can meet and talk about issues affecting them, and the participation of mothers on these discussions becomes a means by which mothers are actively formulating a personal understanding of their identities as well as other peoples’ understanding of their identity. The Active or passive participation public forums give a large number of mothers a “safe” space to clarify their identities together. There has been a lot of debate in the previous centuries about the place of a woman, and now mothers are coming out in a large number to claim their respective position in contemporary society. Jamie Lynne Grumet is a mother and a blogger of a popular blog to many mothers who writes the blog ‘I am not the babysitter’. In her blog, Grumet writes about her experiences as a mother. Grumet’s case is a bit more interesting because, one of her two sons is biological and the other is adopted from Ethiopia. Her blog was inspired because she is chronically mistaken to be her children’s babysitter; while the babysitter is mistaken to be the boys’ mother. Grumet’s blog talks about various aspects of parenting like attachment parenting and homeschooling, but she also touches on important social issues like clean water in Ethiopia and same-sex marriage. Grumet also appeared in a controversial Time Magazine cover breastfeeding her three year old son. Marcie, a stay at home mother are another writer who writes about raising her three children. Marcie’s blog is known as “Obviously Marvelous” where she creates public challenges for her and her family, then updates her blog when they complete these challenges. She also writes on useful product reviews, recipes and safety tips. Other blogs run by mothers include “Jolly Mom” by Piera Jolly and “Screen Play” by Jeena Lee to mention but a few. The code of domestic/personal life shows women to be all rounded beings, where they manage their houses, their jobs and raise their children. This is the typical motherhood lifestyle, but mothers have made their life style enviable. Pictures and status update on the social media show women doing a good job multitasking and even having extra time to share their motherhood experiences. It is essential for mothers to have recognition and their role in society acknowledge. The social media have played a significant role in making certain that mothers have a voice. Through these internet activities, it is evident that women have embraced motherhood to a point of wanting to pass on what they have learned and share their motherhood experiences with the world. The mother’s role has been advanced to teacher, listener, adviser, and friend and this have been made possible or rather it has been enhanced by the social media. Most career women carry on with their carriers even after they have become mothers. And these women become a source of inspiration to other working mothers and working women who aspire to be mothers. Nicole Corning is one such woman who runs a blog by the name “The Working Mommy’s Manual” where she inspires other working mothers like herself. Women have managed to incorporate their personal live with their careers and children into a perfect mix. Section V: The code of fashion and beauty The code of fashion and beauty is one of the most eminent codes in motherhood. More women than ever before are taking the time to come up with a fashionable collection during their pregnancy. Pregnant women have for a long time been left out in terms of fashion, but today, designers are making suitable clothes for pregnant women. One such designer is Allison Cooper who is a designer, entrepreneur as well as mother. Allison has a blog by the name “Project Motherhood: Diary of a New York City Mama”. In the blog, Allison talks about what mothers should wear, and she says that it is important to for mothers to confirm that they have the perfect dress handy for all holiday party invitations that usually pile up during the holiday season since the parties are usually a mix of kid friendly events and mommy and daddy nights out. Alison also says that what one chooses to wear should be conducive to the “mommy lifestyle” that is functional, flattering and sexy. A lot of women have uploaded pictures of themselves during pregnancy while wearing fashionable clothes, and they had triggered a lot of positive discussion in their taste in fashion during a time when most women previously did not put much effort into fashion and beauty. Kate Middleton has more than once been named the best dressed pregnant woman by various social media and magazines; as pictures of her went viral on the social media during her pregnancy. Kate Middleton never left anything to chance during her pregnancy as she always wore the best pregnancy outfits that money can buy. Kate has kept the fashion fire burning even after her pregnancy. She is one of the best dressed women in the world right now. The list of the best dressed mothers is a long one, and it will continue growing as more women enter into motherhood. Some of these women include Michelle Obama, Jennifer Lawrence, Solange Knowles and Kim Kardashian are some of the mothers who are constantly staring up reactions from the social media when they dress up. To top this up, Kerry Washington and actress has been named as the world’s best dressed woman of 2013 by People’s Magazine, and this is particularly good because she is pregnant. The code of fashion and beauty goes hand in hand with how one feels from the inside. Most women nowadays aim to lose their baby weight as soon as possible after childbirth. This is because the extra weight does change the general appearance of a woman. Women who take long to lose the extra weight develop a self conscious attitude. They do not feel great about themselves. The social media make a lot of fuss when a well know celebrity mother loses her baby weight in just a matter of weeks. Pictures of the post birth celebrity mother are posted on social networks to show how great the new mother looks. Majority of women aspires to lose their baby weight and get their physique as fast as these celebrity women. A lot of counsel has been given to pregnant women of how to exercise, eat, dress, what beauty products to use among other things such that it is impossible to know the effective and ineffective methods. When it comes to fashion and beauty, motherhood has been elevated to a very high level/standard to a point where most common mothers cannot reach. This is because the fashionable dresses made for pregnant women are usually so expensive for most women to afford. This also applies to some of the products that are recommended for pregnant women. Fashion and beauty for motherhood has seen that most women are taking better care of their physical appearances by losing the extra weight gained during pregnancy faster, and dressing more fashionably though not very expensively since most cannot afford designer clothes. Mothers are also embracing the idea of wearing makeup to polish up their outfits. Fashion and beauty products have been made according to the age; where there is those clothing and makeup that are appropriate for mothers and the social media keeps women in general informed on who wears what. Section VI: The revolution of the ideology of motherhood Motherhood has not always been highly placed in the society as (Francus, 2013:22) says that motherhood is characterized by multiple discourses – biological, psychological, social, economical and legal, but in the 18th Century Britain, the representation and assessment of motherhood was most strongly shaped by domesticity. The 18 Century British community insisted upon domesticity as the most correct venue for the fulfillment of women’s duties to God and herself. Conduct manuals, educational tracts, and political tracts prescribed the image of the domestic woman particularly as a wife, and mother: caring for her children, supervising the servants and deferring to the husband. According to (Rothman, 2000:16) Motherhood during this time was under the ideology of patriarchy. The term is mostly used to refer to any system of male superiority and female inferiority which was the case in the 18th Century society. Over the Centuries, women have fought to liberate themselves from such ideologies that limited their worth and function to the domestic scene. Today more women than ever before are entering into the world of business, technology, and education among others. The pioneer women have encouraged other women to do the same; because they had proved to the world that the place of a woman mother or not was not just at home. This essay has discussed some ideologies of motherhood, and it is evident that women are not in the same place they were in the 18th Century and later years. According to (Savage, 2002:12) women are not only involved in matters of the house but other issues in a society where even the stay at home mothers have professionalized motherhood and society has acknowledged their role and part in society. Section VII: Conclusion In conclusion, the social media has made it possible for these mothers to highlight their life experiences and motherhood experiences by using the social platforms. By doing so, mothers have gained audiences that relate to their stories and are able to share useful information with their audiences. The various imaging spaces have made it easy for mothers to tell their stories with pictures and short status updates; which is a convenient method for most mothers. However, some have gone ahead to have blogs and even write books on motherhood. In as much as the social media cannot give a full account of the lives of mothers, the internet active mothers usually focus their motherhood experiences based on the good and the bad and most of them often let their audiences know how they dealt with the bad experiences for example, when their baby got sick. Mothers get their own society on the social media where they exchange ideas, give and get advice and find people who understand one’s problems and worries. The social network clearly presents motherhood as a life changing, fun and informative process. Bibliography Books FRANCUS, M. (2013). Monstrous motherhood: eighteenth century culture and the ideology of domesticity. Baltimore, John Hopkins University Press. KIVRAN-SWAINE FUNDA, GILBERT ANNE & MCCOLLOUGH KATHLEEN. (2013). Motherhood and social network sites: a critical research approach. Retrieved from http://www.motherhoodandhci.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/kivran-swaine.pdf MCLEOD JULIA. (2013). Mothers in the romantic periods: duty and danger. Romantic politics. Retrieved from http://www.web.utk.edu/geraed/romanticpolitics/motherhood.html MCROBBIE AGELA. (1978). Jackie: an ideology of adolescent femininity. Retrieved from http://www.epapers.bham.ac.uk.1808/1/sop53.pdf PEOPLE MAGAZINE. (2013). 2013 best dressed. Retrieved from http://www.peoplestylewatch.com/people/stylewatch/mediapackage/0/20417681/html ROTHMAN, B. K. (2000). Recreating motherhood. New Brunswick, NJ, Rutgers University Press. SAVAGE, J. (2002). Professionalizing motherhood: encouraging, educating, and equipping mothers at home. Grand Rapids, Mich, Zondervan WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE. (2012). Mother: a textual analysis of contemporary mothering identities in popular discourse. Retrieved from http://www.epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1139&context=theses­_open List of magazines Fit Pregnancy Magazine. Super group the Jonas Brothers’ Kevin and Danielle Jonas on becoming parents. Retrieved from http://www.magazine-agent.com/fit-Pregnancy/Magazine The People Magazine. People’s Best Dressed Woman of 2013 is… Kerry Washington. Retrieved from http://www.peoplestylewatch.com/people/stylewatch/package/article/0,,20417681­2073637400.html Vanity Fair’s Best Dressed List 2013 stars Kerry Washington & Kate Middleton, Notch. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/31/vanity-fair-best-dressed-list­_n_3682048.html Read More