Today I woke up in my Mummy bed and stretched a big Mummy stretch. Then I popped on my Mummy slippers and my Mummy dressing gown. And I Mummy walked in to the kitchen to grab myself a Mummy coffee while Mummingly giving my children their breakfast. Then I Mummingly threw away all the breakfast they did not eat.
I thought to my Mummy self: “Mmmmm, I might sit down at my Mummy laptop and write myself a Mummy blog post about boobs and other such Mummy things”. So I did.
And then, I thought to my Mummy self: “Why are bloggers, who are fathers, not called Daddy Bloggers? And why are businessmen, who are fathers, not written about in newspapers as CEO Mr Smith, father to three children…”
I wondered out loud in my Mummy head voice: “Why are women always labeled based on their marital or parental basis: Mrs, Miss, Ms, Mumpreneur and Mummy Blogger?”
And then I drank my Mummy coffee, took a Mummy shit and went out for a piece of Mummy cake.
I am not a Mummy Blogger. I am a blogger.
What are your thoughts on the need for society to always put women in a box?
After I wrote this post the gorgeous Glowless wrote one about the same issue. We came to different conclusions. You should go read hers. The debate continues.
bigwords x
Hi, I'm Bianca Wordley, I write about life.
LOLness! My thoughts exactly! I cannot add enough exclamation marks to tell you how much and how often I’ve been saying that. I hope the world hears this – again and again, and finally takes heed.
I thought this too! I don’t read any blogs by male’s but surely there are men who write blog post about their kids & are not labelled as ” daddy bloggers”? And really why do bloggers have to be labelled?
For a start, I hate being called mummy. I have nothing to add. You are spot on. x
I don’t mind personally. I know what kind of writer I am and what I blog about.
Mummy blogger is such a broad term; like freelance writer. You can’t define what the blogger writes about just from one term.
If people are foolish enough to think that, then I’m not sure they’ve read widely enough.
I do gear my blog about being a mother. But I don’t blog about 10 steps to getting a toddler to eat vegies, or toilet training or how to get a baby to sleep. There is a place for these blogs, absolutely but I’m trying to illustrate that mummy blogger is a broad term.
I look at the world I live in through my eyes as a mother. The past, the present, the future. The news, the philosophy, where parenting fits in our social landscape. That’s just me.
Because for me the world look different when I became a mother so I’m just exploring that.
I hear what you are saying about how mainstream media has pigeon holed mummy bloggers and it’s wrong to do so.
But the beauty of blogging is there are no rules. You set your own rules to be whoever you want to be.
More power to all of us.
Love & stuff
Mrs M
I love this. I’m ok with being called a mummy blogger, but that doesn’t mean I don’t agree with everything you’ve written.
and you’re hilarious. as always
I could bang on about Patriarchal hierarchies within the media and the continued stereotyping of women or I could just add this link and wander off to play in the mud 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=S5pM1fW6hNs
The link doesn’t work. bugger. I have shared it on twitter.
The title ‘mummy blogger’ must be peeing a lot of people off at the moment – I wrote about this only yesterday http://fbiedermann.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/not-just-another-mummy-blogger.html.
But being that I’ve just realised you’re an Adelaide writer maybe you read the same article I read.
I honestly hadn’t ever considered it from the point of view of putting women in a box.
I really, don’t care to be honest. I write about all kinds of stuff including being a mum. What people want to call me is up to them.
I’m with Naomi – there’s something about the word ‘mummy’ that makes me feel a bit icky…but, that said, I think we always tend to categorise people (both men and women) and slap a label on them – like soccer mums or metrosexuals or ‘working families’ – maybe it makes our ridiculously complex world easier to navigate? That’s not to say I like the labels, or that I use them, I’m just not sure it’s reserved especially for those of us with lady parts?
ps. I wonder what they call female bloggers who are not mums? ‘Non-mummy bloggers’ perhaps? Would that make me a ‘doxie blogger’? Or perhaps a ‘part-time step-mummy blogger’ (doesn’t quite have the same ring to it…)?
Just don’t call me Shirley x
I agree…..and yet all over your blog mentions the “mummy” word – “I blog at Kleenex Mums” being one. To escape the box, suggest not presenting yourself as such?
Here here!! wtf with the female labels!!
Here’s the thing, I am a Mum. I do write about my children. And it is not something I will ever apologise for or stop doing. I also write about body image, social affairs, sex, discrimination and a whole range of other issues. My point is I am not a fan of the Mummy Blogger tag. I am not anti people choosing it for themself. I just don’t like it. I also don’t like the way it is being used to degrade and belittle women who blog. And for that reason I prefer to call myself a blogger, because that’s what I do – I blog. Thanks for your comment though, you do have a valid point.
Not bothered either way. Sure beats being the chick who would give you a pash for a cigarette behind the bike sheds, which I may or may not have been my pigeonhole for a couple of years.
I agree society feels the need to stereotype. Does it bother me? Not so much.
I don’t mind being put in a box, but I will be damned if I will let some other bastard close the lid!
I get annoyed by how ‘limiting’ the mummy blogger label seems to be. But I get most annoyed when I hear social media and communications ‘experts’ use it in a dismissive manner when I know that some of these bloggers (who are also mummies) could give these ‘experts’ a run for their charged-by-the-hour money. By the way – your mummy shit smells like roses. You rock. xo
Therein lies the truth. Have just ‘re-branded’ the blog as sick to death of the ‘mummy blogger’ tag and all that goes with it (not least the idiotic PR approaches and numpty Twitter followers who seem to think I spend my days changing nappies, fretting about formula, or wanting to test the latest prams and kiddie gadgets).
Pigeon-holing at its very worst.LCM x
Oh my god YES. Goes double for being labelled a “mumpreneur”
I’m not bothered by labels, what matters to me is what I think. I think I rock (you do too)
I fucking love this!
I’m a mother, but it doesn’t mean that I do everything as a mother. I am ME first. I write a blog, and it’s about whatever the fuck I choose. It’s a blog about ME.
I’m not sure what type of blogger I am so I’m not partial to the label either. Not even my kids call me Mummy anymore so why should anyone else? Also get pissed off at the media reporting that “Marketing Manager and mother of three” for example but do not generally mention how many children a male might have. Unless they are a victim of crime of course.
I love this post. It’s so true, women can’t just be CEO’s or writers. They have to be associated with a wife or mother role. I think it’s because a lot of people still don’t feel comfortable with a woman just being a successful woman, they have to pigeonhole them into a role that they feel comfortable with.
Men are also put in a box….either successful family provider or Bum.
Cranky Old Man
Very well said, B.
I’ve never been a fan of labels full stop. Don’t have a problem if people want to call me a mummy blogger, but have never called myself one. I’m a blogger that happens to be a mum.
Love ya work as always. xox
The need to constantly label women according to their status as a wife or mother drives me INSANE. INSANE. If men were treated the same way I probably wouldn’t mind so much but it implies we are nothing without a ring on our finger and a child propped on hip and hanging off boob.
I deliberately didn’t fill in the marital status box on a form once (it was unnecessary) and the palaver it caused. Not worth the fight in the end but I was trying to prove a point.
HAHA. Bianca, I think we should get Mummy married.
Love this, I might have done a similar post in pictorials 😉 I don’t begrudge others who use the term but for me personally I don’t like it. I think it’s used by certain factions in the media, and subsequently in everyday life, to belittle women. There are labels for everything but women are still paid less, represented less in media and I could go on and on but I’ll stop here.
Why are fathers not called ‘working dads’. That has always made me cranky. x
Agreed! Great post, I feel bad about hating the word mummy blogger, but I do.
I
Hi guys,
Great blog! I am an Adelaide Entrepreneur, in a nut shell I teach the art of Magic online. I was wondering if you guys would be interested in writing a piece about us on your blog at all? We are trying to get some local support to help us build our brand a little more. Our website is http://www.encyclopediaofmagic.com.au
Hope to hear from you 🙂
Vinh (a local Adelaidian!)
Haha! Get me a mummy tissue! I just mummy snorted all over my mummy keyboard!
I agree 100%.btw, love the word “Mummingly”.
I’m thinking we could go even further with this. How about “mummishly” and “mumsily” and “mummosingly”. Not sure what they mean, but that’s never stopped me with normal English words.
I love this post! I agree – I’m sick of women being put in boxes like the ones you describe. I have also been wondering why the hell so many bloggers are being labelled “Mummy Bloggers”. Is it just because they blog and they have children? It’s ridiculous! It makes me rather cross!
Brilliantly said! Yes hate the mummy blogger term, and the need to pigeon hole Women! Men/fathers definitely don’t get this! x
I think it’s sad when a woman’s life is defined by her role as a mother. ‘Mummy’ is so temporary. Kids grow up, thank fully! While being a mum is the most important role in my life, I never let my identity be wrapped up in it. Which has become so important now that my kids are adults. I’m still me.
I posted about this a couple of posts ago over at http://www.insane-jane.com and I couldn’t agree more. As I mentioned in my post, I read somewhere that women who blog, whether they have kids or not, are often called mummy bloggers, while men, fathers or not, are called ‘social commentators’. I’ve since upgraded myself to social commentator, that is, without having a sex change!
It doesnt really bother me. (Unless it’s used offensively if course. )
But I can totally see why it does bother some people. Xx