ONE BAD MOTHER

An investigation into the bad-mother/good-mother binary and the way it shapes a mother’s place in society today.

Having reported on both popular culture and deeper sociopolitical shifts for outlets such as New York and Rolling Stone, Dickson weaves together her observations to dive deep into a variety of “bad mother” tropes. From stage mothers and unapologetically sexual clichés to ambitious career women, the author’s subjects demonstrate how the “expansiveness” of the bad mom label, applied across political and cultural spectrums, renders every mother subject to judgment, thus reinforcing the broader disempowerment of all women. Dickson’s hope is to spur some measure of empathy, maybe even solidarity, in the reader to counter the systemic forces that erect these mothers as villains. To make her point, she turns to (sometimes mediocre) cult classics and revisits some of her own previous reporting, draping her research in a healthy dose of bewildered snark and a hint of amusement with herself. While frequently entertaining, these witty jabs and asides sometimes dilute the potency of her fury and distract from its gravitas. Dickson is (rightly) quick to acknowledge the privilege of her race and class, keenly noting how the obsession with and variability of the repercussions of being labeled as a “bad mom” differ across races and economic classes. The author flirts with—but dutifully avoids—offering a clear and authoritative definition of a good mom. Instead, she keeps her focus on the “insanely rigorous standards surrounding motherhood” that have persisted even as women have pursued and found a measure of freedom, success, and support in other domains. She thus suggests a new narrative of female empowerment in a world where social media and sensational media coverage further entrench expectations that mothers be relentlessly selfless, materially unrewarded, and eternally disconnected.

A humorous and potent takedown of the criticism awaiting mothers at—and between—every extreme.