why would anyone want to be a mother?

mother. when i think of the word mother, undoubtedly, i think of my mom. she is by no means a typical mother, but maybe she is. maybe she is just different from the images of mothers that we see in media. i started thinking about this upon seeing the two movies, juno and knocked up.

there has always been stereotypical images of mothers in media. but i do feel like in someof the newer movies, this image has changed. we've always had the images of mother as the sacred being, the heart to the family. it seems increasingly that the image of mother is becoming associated with being domineering, selfless, and well, bitchy.

here in this clip from juno, i think it shows this image. the mother (or hopeful mother) played by jennifer garner shows a woman who puts motherhood above all other desires. perhaps the image of motherhood is best demonstrated when posited next to our images of fatherhood. it appears as if the father is the one who sacrifices the most to become the husband and father. he has his own room for his guitar and music. he has submerged his identity to be part of this family. he has a good sense of humor. but what about her? it is as if being a wife and mother is what she always wanted.

when i watched this movie, i thought about how i identified more with the father character. he just seemed cooler. he liked good music. he had interests outside of the household.





and it happened again when i watched knocked up. the difference between the women and men was a more narrow margin, but i still felt that the images of the men were characterized in a "fun" way. they were the ones giving up more. the women were just asking them to do this. but you don't get the distinct impression that the women had to give up as much. thankfully toward the end of the movie, there is a scene where the mother and father (leslie mann and paul rudd) have a discussion that highlights the fact that she would like time on her own and that she sacrificed to be part of this family.




i just wonder where the images are of mothers who like good music, have hip movie posters hanging on the walls, and have a room full of their old stuff. the more i see these images, i wonder why anyone would want to be a mother?