Motherhood Portrayal
When I think of different motherhood portrayals, all I have to do is think of different forms of media. One example I would like to talk about would be the show, The Real Housewives of Orange County. I think that this show really shows a different type of mother. For one, all of the families that are on the show are very, very wealthy. They live in the best part of town and have absolutely anything they could ever want or need at their fingertips. Having money, they all want to look their best, which means paying for liposuction, injections, breast implants, botox, you name it. To me the portrayal of mothers that they are showing is absurd. These women are not your average women or mothers. All of the kids are pretty much spoiled rotten, which reflects back on their parenting. And when it comes to race, class, and sexuality, they are all Caucasian, straight or married and of a high class. Did I mention that most of them are blonde??
Some of these mothers have jobs outside of the family. Most of them are in real estate, so they can work as hard as they want to or as little as possible. Most of them probably do not even need to work, but having a job makes them look more “independent.”
I think a big reason this show is so popular is because the women are playing off of The Desperate Housewives sitcom. They are showing America that they are the real deal. They are also all very good looking and love to have a good time. I had to laugh to myself when watching one of the episodes when Laurie, one of the mothers, meets and ends up falling in love with George. Well, he just happens to be a millionaire. Surprise, surprise. Of course she fell in love with him, she was just about to loose everything she had ever owned, and then she met George and wanted the millionaire lifestyle back again.
To me, these women and mothers are not realistic. They are not your average typical mothers who cook and clean and take care of the children. They have ‘people’ who do that for them. It is interesting to watch though. It is crazy just to see how they live and how different their lives are.