Inspired by an excerpt of Amy Poehler's book, "Yes, Please", about "women-on-women crime" and driven by out insatiable curiosity to study human behavior, we've decided to dig into the subject of modern-day parenthood.

1. 1
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MOM CRIMES

2. INSPIRED BY AN EXCERPT OF AMY POEHLER’S BOOK “YES PLEASE”, ABOUT “WOMEN-ON-WOMEN
CRIME” AND DRIVEN BY OUR INSATIABLE CURIOSITY TO STUDY HUMAN BEHAVIOR, WE’VE DECIDED TO
DIG INTO THE SUBJECT OF MODERN-DAY PARENTHOOD.
WE’VE BEEN STUDYING THE SUBJECT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR THROUGH CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH AND
CONDUCTED A PANEL DISCUSSION TO BRING SOME OF OUR HYPOTHESES TO LIFE.
WHAT RESULTED WAS A CANDID DISCUSSION ABOUT NEGOTIATING THE ROLE OF ‘MOM’...
2
Amy Denby
Author
of
“Dear
Babies,
Crazy
Life,
Simply
Explained”
Elissa Spencer
Special
Education
Teacher
at
PS321
Jessica Shevitz Rauch
Freelance
Writer

3. 3
MODERN DAY MOTHERS ARE NAVIGATING A
CULTURE OF POLARITY
These
women
observe
a
culture
of
extremes
in
point
of
view
and
behaviors
around
parenting
today.
It
just
seems
like
there
has
to
be
a
‘versus’
between
us.
Jessica
I
7ind
the
more
polarizing
the
piece
I
pitch
to
editors,
the
more
likely
it
will
get
picked
up.
‘Why
having
twins
is
easier
than
one’
or
‘Why
it’s
better
to
have
a
boy
than
a
girl.’
Amy
In
the
digital
age,
there
is
so
much
information
to
process,
that
this
black
and
white
view
seems
to
rise
to
the
surface.
vs.
Helicopter Parent
Attachment Parenting
Stay-at-Home Moms
‘No Rescue’ Parents
Free Range Parents
Working Moms

4. 4
THERE ARE POWERFUL EXTERNAL DRIVERS IN THIS
CULTURE OF POLARITY
Generations
ago,
women
were
homemakers
like
Donna
Reed.
Then
came
the
working
mother
in
her
white
sneakers;
now,
it’s
nebulous:
you
can
work,
you
can
work
3
days,
you
can
this,
you
can
that...
there
are
so
many
choices.
Jessica
For
better
or
worse,
the
fact
is
that
social
media
provides
direct
access
to
the
lives
of
other
people
and
the
ability
to
compare
yourself
to
them.
In
a
modern
culture
that
generally
accepts
and
supports
women
who
make
these
various
choices,
there
is
still
a
lot
of
judgment
that
“feels
very
intense
and
real.”
FREEDOM OF CHOICE ACCESS TO COMPARISON
Our
parents
didn’t
have
as
many
people
to
compare
themselves
to;
they
had
their
neighbors
or
friends.
Now
you
go
online,
and
you
see
Giselle
with
her
perfect
body,
doing
a
headstand
on
the
beach
next
to
her
2
kids.
Amy

5. 5
AS WELL AS INTERNAL DRIVERS:
THE IDENTITY STRUGGLE PLAYS A BIG ROLE
Your
life
is
changing.
You
de7initely
go
through
a
time
when
your
identity
changes.
Jessica
‘Mom’
is
a
really
intense
title.
It
can
conjure
up
this
image
of
a
Kathy
cartoon,
but
it’s
also
this
enormous
responsibility.
Amy
“I’m
a
stay
at
home
Mom...
but
I
used
to
write
for
Seventeen
magazine!”
Amy
Being
a
mom
is
only
one
part
of
who
women
are,
even
though
it
often
times
feels
like
it
consumes
their
identity.
They’re
introducing
themselves
when
they’re
out
to
dinner
and
Ninding
that
they
have
to
explain
themselves
with
a
qualiNier:
-­‐ I
live
in
the
suburbs,
but
I
used
to
live
in
the
city
-­‐ I’m
home
with
my
kids,
but
I
used
to
write
for
a
magazine

6. 6
AND THIS SAID, ‘WOMEN-ON-WOMEN CRIME,’ OR
‘MOM CRIMES’ ARE OFTEN THE RESULT
‘Mom
crimes’
aren’t
seen
as
malicious
attacks
on
other
moms.
It’s
simply
an
understanding
that
everyone
is
negotiating
their
choices
and
can’t
stop
comparing...
...And
everyone
has
all
of
these
choices,
but
why
can’t
we
be
okay
with
one
another’s
choices?
I
think
it
goes
back
to
our
own
insecurity.
Jessica
It’s
like
in
high
school.
We
form
these
cliques...
They’re
great
and
supportive,
but
we
also
make
ourselves
easy
targets.
Amy
Mom
crimes
are
also
seen
to
be
less
about
how
someone
feels
about
another
woman’s
choices
and
more
about
a
particular
personal
insecurity
or
the
need
for
validation
of
one’s
own
personal
choices.
JUSTIFYING ONE’S OWN INSECURITIES CAN BECOME A VICIOUS CYCLE
“You work 5 days a week? I don’t
know how you do it being away from
your kids so much?”

7. 7
‘MOMS’ ARE AN EASY TARGET
The
universal
truths
that
surround
the
parenthood
role
make
‘Mom’
an
easy
target
for
brands.
These
women
feel
that
the
‘Mom’
label,
when
applied
by
brands,
feels
like
it
is
diminishing
the
other
aspects
of
her
life.
Or
just
generally
“pisses
us
off”.
Moms
need
a
rebrand...
I
should
be
able
to
say
I’m
a
mom
and
for
it
to
be
cool.
You
get
this
title
of
‘mom’
that’s
all
encompassing:
‘Moms
Weekend,
Moms
Night
Out,
Moms
Getting
Wild...’
It’s
still
me
-­‐
I’ve
always
liked
to
have
a
glass
of
wine
with
my
friends.
Amy

8. 8
AND ‘MOM’ GENERALIZATIONS CAN BE
A SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY
It’s
undeniable
that
becoming
a
mother
is
a
vulnerable
time
and
that
what
a
woman
sees,
what
she
experiences
and
how
she’s
perceived
can
shape
a
woman’s
identity
and
perception
of
self.
There
is
something
about
being
seen
as
one
way
and
how
it
changes
your
perception
of
yourself.
Elissa
As
a
result,
generalizations
can
sometimes
become
something
women
internalize
for
themselves.

9. 9
WHAT DOES THIS
MEAN FOR BRANDS
MARKETING TO
MOMS?

10. 10
DON’T MAKE ‘MOM’ A LABEL
On
the
playground,
I’m
7ine
with
being
Josie’s
mom.
That
feels
right.
But
when
a
brand
calls
me
‘Mom’
-­‐
Ew...
I
don’t
mind
that
these
products
are
targeting
moms;
it’s
the
insinuation
that
it’s
all
on
you.
And
that’s
dif7icult
to
swallow
as
women
are
negotiating
their
choices.
Elissa
DEAR
BRAND:
“Me
being
a
mom
has
nothing
to
do
with
our
relationship...”
Elissa
These
women
feel
like
brands
are
often
speaking
to
the
lowest
common
denominator
when
they’re
targeting
‘mom.’
While
these
women
talk
about
the
amazing
experience
of
having
children,
the
‘Mom’
generalization
isn’t
the
persona
to
which
they
aspire.
Putting
her
in
this
box
is
the
exact
thing
she’s
working
to
avoid
as
she
tries
to
maintain
her
identity
and
navigate
the
modern
reality
of
parenthood.

11. 11
P.S. I
just
wish
brands
would
show
me
something
my
friends
without
kids
won’t
roll
their
eyes
at...
Elissa
thank you. happy mother’s day.
cara@thesoundhq.com

12. RESOURCES

13. RESOURCES - Images
COVER https://typicaltracy.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/vintage-laundrytwo.jpg
SLIDE 1 http://www.uft.org/news-stories/special-education-reform-concerns-uft-members
SLIDE 3
http://api.ning.com/files/uJ5YXrME*U-MynPW-z2i*IKJpz6sazgVnC-rN*FZ6Krejunibof-UjWo8dsr35Ebwh4ptkvLQ5ZJdvrAUpYg1bx3lrhzF0L9/
woman_reading_newspaper.jpg
SLIDE 4 https://definingwonderland.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/tv-housewives.jpg
SLIDE 4 http://img1.nymag.com/imgs/fashion/daily/2014/11/21/21-working-girl-melanie-griffith.w750.h560.2x.jpg
SLIDE 4 http://www.hypepotamus.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/question-mark-chalk-board-woman-thinking-hplead.jpg
SLIDE 4 http://www.celebritybabyscoop.com/files/2014/03/AG024803_21-960x1351.jpg
SLIDE 4 http://www.celebritybabyscoop.com/files/2012/11/FFN_JolieAngelina_KidsSet1_FF7_031112_8860241-960x1320.jpg
SLIDE 5
http://www.usmagazine.com/uploads/assets/articles/77315-bethany-mota-youtube-my-own-boss/1410370315_seventeen-you-tube-issue-
bethany-mota-zoom.jpg
SLIDE 6 http://s57.photobucket.com/user/lizcoolmompicks/media/CMT_13/ScreenShot2013-05-10at73515AM_zpsa637b2d5.png.html
SLIDE 7
http://i.huffpost.com/gen/2474512/images/o-WOMAN-WALKING-ON-A-SIDEWALK-facebook.jpg
http://www.hot1005.com/upload/Jock%20Pages/Corey%20Alt%20Posts/kick-me1-1024x672.jpg
SLIDE 8 http://www.bluntmoms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/mcx-tina-fey-moments-snl-mom-jeans-xln.jpg
SLIDE 9 http://happybirthdaypage.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/happy-birthday-mom-21.jpg
SLIDE 10 http://sixtyn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/photodune-216208-angry-and-frustrated-woman-screaming-m.jpg
SLIDE 11 http://s19.postimg.org/5xhrkywwz/mum_and_kid.jpg
https://amydenby.wordpress.com/
https://twitter.com/jessburbia