A compilation from several sites:
Posted By Carmen D. All About Race. Even after reading each of the blog posts referenced by Albert Mohler, I am still shaking my head and frankly a little ticked off. Here’s my problem. Some articles written by self-described feminists are suggesting that our future First Lady should have some kind of greater duty to uphold a stereotypical definition of feminism than to make sure the bodies, souls and spirits of her daughters are tended to with utmost maternal attention. Here’s an example of the kind of thing I’m talking about, from Rebecca Traister’s ‘The Momification of Michelle Obama’:
In one of the smartest pieces that has been written about the next first lady, Geraldine Brooks’ profile of her in the October issue of More magazine, Brooks writes that while you can see Michelle’s life as the quintessential modern woman’s success story, the trajectory can also be read as a “depressingly retrograde narrative of stifling gender roles and frustrating trade-offs.” In serious ways, Brooks writes, “it is her husband’s career, his choices — choices she has not always applauded — that have shaped her life in the last decade.”
(via)
When the topic switched to the "preferred role" women would like to see Michelle Obama take in the White House, 49 percent wanted to see her tackle a few issues (33 percent suggested an education agenda; 22 percent pointed to work/life balance). Devoting herself to the responsibilities of wife and mother was the preference of 38 percent. The majority of Republican women (53 percent) favored Michelle Obama prioritizing her duties as wife and mother compared to 41 percent of Independent voters and 25 percent of Democratic women. (via)
It was common for black women to leave their own children at home to fend for themselves and go to work for low wages as domestics in the homes of well-off white families. As African-Americans have gotten more opportunities, a college degree has been a ticket to the career ladder. Period. Devoting full time to motherhood is considered a waste of education by many in the black community.
Middle-class white women, on the other hand, were expected to stay home with their children. They fought their way into the workforce in large numbers relatively recently. The feminist and civil rights movements opened the working world to all women, but culturally, black women still were discouraged from being the primary caretakers of their own children.
Michelle Obama is bucking that mind-set in deciding to take time off from her career to focus on getting her children acclimated to life in the White House. Her own mom stayed home with her children, but this was unusual enough that few African-Americans have such a family memory. (via)
Some really interesting takes on the motherhood role when occupied by women of color, particularly Black/African-American women....
HOW DO YOU FEEL?
What do you think of these expectations, particularly the breakdown of percentages favoring that MO play her rightful role as mother? /span>
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they have def played up her mommy image. but i don't think you should imply that there's an alterior method.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, I don't think I understand your question.
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