The term “Yummy Mummy” has become quite well-accepted in common “parental talk”. What used to refer to sugared cereal is now used to label a mother who portrays herself as glamorous and fairly unaffected by the birth of her children.
The Georgia Straight has an interesting article on how this term is becoming contentious and divisive in the parenting circles.
The Birth Lounge, which held an alternative baby fair at Britannia Community Centre on March 10, promotes the idea that the transition to motherhood is a major one: bodies change, focus changes, work changes, and relationships change. For a mom’s life even to slightly resemble her former world, it takes lots of money–enough for a nanny, a diaper service, a maid service, and the “right” baby wardrobe and accessories. The term yummy mummy has serious class overtones, they agreed.
In fact, they think that yummy mummies are a myth. No matter what a mom looks like on the outside, you never know what’s going on beneath her mascara–or tank top.
I’ve long felt that this term was becoming somewhat dismissive and … … pejorative, to borrow the phrase from the article. It’s nice to see local community discussion about it. And frankly, this article is an excellent one.
Parting words:
Yummy mummy, Williams said, challenges the yuckiness of motherhood in the same way that the perky 1940s housewife challenged her grandmother and the supermom challenged her. Like those stereotypes, the yummy mummy is totally unrealistic for today’s women anxious to appear to have it all.
P.S. Anyone interested in sending our ladies to see Mom’s the Word 2: Unhinged. We missed the original Mom’s the Word, but this one looks like it could be useful in a decade or so…
I always thought Yummy Mummy was just an attractive woman who happened to be a mom. Just good ol’ fashioned objectification of women.