From the frazzled executive missing school plays to the cold-hearted boss lady, Hollywood loves its working mom stereotypes. Join us as we break down four persistent tropes that shape our cultural expectations: The Harried Career Woman, The Villainous Boss Mom, The Supermom, and The Martyr Mom. How fair are these portrayals, and what do they say about our society's view of motherhood?
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00:00I made it. I never made it.
00:03Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:05And today, we're looking at how Hollywood has portrayed working mothers,
00:09the stereotypes, the truth behind them,
00:11and how these on-screen moms shape and reflect our real-world expectations.
00:17From the frazzled executive who's always missing school plays,
00:21to the single mom who can't catch a break,
00:23we're breaking down four of the most common tropes,
00:26asking how fair they really are,
00:28and exploring how both pop culture mirrors and molds our views of the modern working mom.
00:34Oh, and if you don't have that Harry Potter book by then,
00:38don't even bother coming back.
00:40Think about your own mom. Maybe you're a working mom yourself.
00:44Nothing works around here except for me.
00:47I've been running this hotel for 15 years and I have never had a day off.
00:51Oh my God! Sorry!
00:53If you were a character in a movie or TV show,
00:56how would they describe you in a few words?
00:58The harried career woman who misses the science fair for a client pitch?
01:03The villainous boss mom?
01:04Think the Miranda Priestleys of the world.
01:07The super mom juggling emails with one hand and frosting cupcakes with the other?
01:12That's right! You know, you don't have to be a super woman!
01:15Or the martyr mom who's constantly putting everyone else first.
01:19Maybe you identify with pieces of all of them.
01:21Maybe it depends on the day.
01:23Or maybe you're thinking, really? Is that all we get?
01:26Stick with us as we break down the working mom stereotypes Hollywood can't seem to quit.
01:31Oh my God!
01:33I can have everything I want! Thank you!
01:35The harried career woman.
01:37Meet the time-crunched executive.
01:40You know, the one trying to run from one event to another in corporate heels,
01:44is constantly checking her emails, and is often late to every play, pageant, and science fair.
01:50You gonna come to the science fair today?
01:52Sorry, honey.
01:54She can't.
01:54She has to go to work.
01:56Yeah.
01:56She's running on coffee, guilt, and whatever's left of last night's Pinot.
02:00This is the multitasking queen, juggling client calls and carpools, board meetings, and bake sales.
02:07Usually dropping one and blaming herself for both.
02:11She shows up in Sex and the City's Miranda Hobbs, balancing law and motherhood until she realizes her baby's more bonded with Magda than her.
02:19We both know that this isn't working, and as much as I would like it to, it's not just gonna magically change.
02:26What are you saying?
02:27I can't keep working like this. I'm going to have to cut way back to 50 hours a week.
02:3855 tops.
02:39Or Kate Reddy in I Don't Know How She Does It, who does whatever it takes to avoid the scornful eye of the other parents.
02:46Should she drop the ball even once?
02:49She's always thinking ahead and dodging judgment like it's part of her workout routine.
02:54The other basic rule of juggling is that what goes up must come down.
03:05Meanwhile, it almost feels like Lynette from Desperate Housewives gets punished the second she starts prioritizing work again.
03:12When Lynette went back to work, she was aware her new job would be demanding.
03:18What she hadn't anticipated was the night shift.
03:24There are also those like Amy from Bad Moms who burn out trying to be perfect and decide to burn the rulebook instead.
03:31Screw it. Let's be Bad Moms.
03:34Oh, I'm in.
03:35Fight?
03:36Oh my gosh. Okay, this is exciting. I'm in.
03:38Yes, to Bad Moms.
03:40Bad Moms.
03:41The message is clear.
03:43If you're not 100% present 100% of the time, you've failed.
03:49It's a stereotype shaped by society's unrealistic expectations and one that reinforces them.
03:55It ignores the triple shift so many moms pull.
03:58Working a 9 to 5, managing the home, and carrying the emotional load for everyone in it.
04:04Let's not forget there's no clocking out time in motherhood.
04:07And hey, world, it usually takes two people to make a baby, and yet we're not really seeing this trope extend to fathers.
04:15Well, not anywhere nearly as often.
04:17I've cooked dinner, corrected homework, I'm making the lunches for tomorrow, I talk a first-year resident through a really tough intubation in Espanol, and you are trying to get credit for, oh, look at this.
04:28These portrayals reflect real pressure, but they rarely show the mother as a whole, just hurried, harried, and never quite enough.
04:38At least once a day, I feel like the worst mom in the world.
04:41And I cry in my heart.
04:43Then I shuttle the kids to piano lessons, and soccer games, and dance classes, and doctor's appointments before my daily trip to the grocery store.
04:53This chick seems like she's got it all figured out.
04:55The Villainous Boss Mom
04:57Like the harried mom, the villainous boss mom has society whispering behind her back, but for a different reason.
05:04Charlotte, it's so nice you could finally get away from work to spend the holidays with us.
05:08Well, it is Christmas after all, the season of love and joy.
05:12I don't care, Jonathan.
05:13We've got to crush the competition, and we've got to crush them now.
05:16She's not being judged for failing to have it all.
05:19She's being judged for boldly choosing not to even try.
05:23She's not scrambling between soccer practice and spreadsheets.
05:26She's climbing the corporate ladder in stilettos and stepping over society's expectations on the way up.
05:32And that makes people deeply uncomfortable, because heaven forbid a woman chooses boardrooms over baby bottles.
05:39Take Miranda Priestley in The Devil Wears Prada.
05:42Girls need new surfboards or boogie boards or something for spring break.
05:47The twins also need flip-flops.
05:50She commands Runway Magazine with a withering glance and the emotional warmth of a glacier.
05:55People quake in their Chanel boots just hearing her heels click down the hallway.
05:59But even Miranda makes a small maternal gesture, pulling strings to get her twins a coveted early edition of Harry Potter.
06:07We have all the published Harry Potter books.
06:09Twins want to know what happens next.
06:12You want the unpublished manuscript?
06:15Well, we know everyone in publishing.
06:17It shouldn't be a problem, should it?
06:19And you can do anything, right?
06:21Still, it reads less like a loving mother and more like damage control for her absence.
06:26And, of course, her ambition comes at a price.
06:29Her marriage collapses, she's branded cold and joyless, and we're left to assume that no woman can chase power without also chasing away love.
06:38So I don't need to fetch Stephen from the airport tomorrow?
06:42Well, if you speak to him and he decides to rethink the divorce, then yes, fetch away.
06:47And Miranda's far from alone.
06:50Nicole from The White Lotus is often condemned for her lifestyle, especially by her husband, who is intimidated by her success.
06:57Jules from The Intern is basically told she has to pick a side.
07:02Mark Zuckerberg never brought in a CEO, and he was a teenager.
07:05So what's the takeaway?
07:07The villainous boss mom sends a loud, clear message.
07:10Pick a lane and stay there.
07:12These characters are punished for stepping outside the lines, stripped of softness,
07:16and villainized simply for refusing to center their lives around traditional motherhood.
07:21Their sin isn't being bad moms.
07:24It's being women who want something else.
07:26I've been trying, Catherine.
07:28I've been trying to talk to you this whole day.
07:29About what?
07:30About everything.
07:31I didn't even know that you had a new roommate.
07:35What's his ass head to tell me?
07:36I know.
07:37And Gary told you.
07:38All you have to do, mom, is ask.
07:40Seriously.
07:41The super mom.
07:43We guess, and yes, we're rolling our eyes as we say this.
07:46For every villain, there has to be a hero.
07:49Enter the super mom.
07:50Your mom can do anything.
07:52She's super mom.
07:54She doesn't just juggle work and family.
07:56She does it in heels, with a homemade lasagna cooling on the counter and a spreadsheet of
08:01extracurriculars color-coded by child.
08:04Whether motherhood was initially part of the plan or not, she'll stretch even further to
08:08make it all work.
08:09Managing a couple of kids isn't all that different from leading a team at work, just
08:14with a few more sticky fingers and tantrums.
08:17Whatever you do, try to remember when you're on the stand.
08:19And don't say, mom, this is great.
08:22But it is.
08:24I mean, how often do you get to have your own mother represent you in court?
08:27Well, hopefully not that often.
08:28She runs on caffeine, calendar alerts, and sheer willpower.
08:32One minute, she's leading a presentation with C-suite execs.
08:36The next, she's constructing a Pinterest-worthy bake sale table like it's her side hustle.
08:41She's the kind who somehow remembers to pack allergy-free snacks, plan birthday parties with
08:47hand-sewn goodie bags, and still look like she's had a full night's sleep.
08:51In some cases, she might literally be saving humanity by day and still make it home for bath
08:57and bedtime.
09:09The supermom is shiny, efficient, and relentlessly competent.
09:13She's aspirational by design.
09:15The gold standard, the blueprint, the one who gets it all done and makes it look easy.
09:21But behind that cape is a message that cuts deep.
09:23If you can't keep up, maybe you're just not cut out for this.
09:27Vulnerability doesn't get much screen time.
09:30And if she stumbles, it's framed as a dramatic beat.
09:33A brief detour before she powers through with a fresh blowout and a bigger to-do list.
09:38We could make Pawnee our home base.
09:40Kids could go to school in Pawnee, and it would be a huge career move for you.
09:44The pros of me running for governor are the same thing.
09:47It's the same list.
09:48The supermom trope often reflects and reinforces societal expectations that women should be able
09:53to do it all.
09:54While it can be empowering to see strong, capable women, it can also create pressure and guilt
10:00for real mothers who can't live up to these fictional standards.
10:04And while she might look like she's crushing it, chances are the only time she stops moving
10:09is when she's sobbing into a Tupperware of perfectly frosted cupcakes at 1am.
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10:36The Martyr Mom
10:39Ah, the Martyr Mom.
10:41She's the emotional backbone, holding it all together with a threadbare smile and a mile-long
10:46to-do list.
10:47I work all night, I work all day to pay the bills I have to pay.
10:52I ain't even sad.
10:55And still there never seems to be a single penny left for me.
10:59She never puts herself first.
11:01Not because she doesn't want to, but because she feels like she can't.
11:05Her identity is wrapped up in being needed.
11:08If something's falling apart, she'll fix it.
11:10If someone drops the ball, she'll catch it.
11:13Her appearance usually says it all.
11:15No time for manicures or blowouts.
11:17No luxury handbag in sight.
11:20To really drive the point home, she's often portrayed as a single mom too.
11:24I mean, the dynamos, raising a kid and running a business all on your own.
11:30Well, honey, I didn't have a choice.
11:33I couldn't go home.
11:34She's become a staple in film and TV, the embodiment of sacrifice.
11:39The audience is meant to admire her strength, but her exhaustion is rarely acknowledged as a
11:44problem.
11:45Instead, it's treated like proof of her devotion.
11:48I've been here 10 years, right?
11:50Have I ever called in sick or missed a shift?
11:54Once.
11:55I've worked Christmas Eve and Thanksgiving.
11:58Her suffering becomes the standard for good motherhood.
12:01This trope sends a message that real moms give until they're empty, that personal needs
12:06don't matter, and that strength means never asking for help.
12:11The martyr mom doesn't just run on fumes.
12:13She's expected to smile through it.
12:15Her self-neglect is framed as a badge of honor.
12:18The character often finds resolution only when someone else finally acknowledges her worth.
12:23But that validation doesn't undo the damage of years spent erasing herself.
12:28Lupita, after you went to bed last night, none of us could sleep.
12:33We realized we were being selfish.
12:35You didn't fail, mom.
12:37You just can't do it alone.
12:38This version of motherhood might be familiar, but it shouldn't be the default.
12:42It's a fast track to burnout.
12:44Together, the super mom and the martyr mom paint two sides of the same impossible coin.
12:50One's flawless under pressure, the other is crumbling for the cause.
12:54Where's the fire?
12:55No way.
12:55I just got sent on an errand and I'm already running late, so do me if I ever get these
12:58pressed for me, all right?
12:58Sure, in my spare time.
12:59By the way, 11 o'clock, two poodles right in your cart.
13:02Two what?
13:02Can't be late for time.
13:03One conquers her to-do list in heels, the other powers through in a bathrobe.
13:08But both are expected to keep going without pause, praise, or even a decent nap.
13:13These characters may look different on screen, but they push the same message.
13:17A good mom is one who gives everything, expects nothing, and never lets it show.
13:22Let's call a spade a spade.
13:24It's unrealistic and unsustainable.
13:26I was making your keen sis about me.
13:30I guess I wanted people to show up and say, look at the amazing single mom pulling it all
13:35together by herself.
13:36Maybe it's time for some new moms on screen.
13:39Give us moms who forget picture day, burn the pancakes, and still get bedtime cuddles.
13:44Moms with messy buns, louder opinions, and zero interest in pretending they've got it all
13:49figured out.
13:50Honestly, Malcolm, where'd you get the idea that a job is supposed to be fun?
13:54That's not what I'm talking about!
13:55The truth is, work is hard and miserable, and nobody likes doing it.
13:59The kind who love their kids like crazy, but also love sleeping in, being left alone,
14:04and getting promoted.
14:05No more martyrs.
14:07No more superheroes.
14:08Just women who are flawed, funny, tired, resilient, and doing their best without needing
14:13a cape or a crisis to prove it.
14:15I think as a parent, the best thing you can do is, uh, just don't try to fix it.
14:21Just be there for her.
14:22Just let her know you love her.
14:24That's good.
14:26What do you find to be the most relatable and unrelatable aspects of working mothers
14:31on screen?
14:32Give us a description of the kind of mother you want to see more of in the comments.
14:36We'll do the whole thing.
14:37The ceremony, the stupid waltz.
14:39We're gonna show them what single mothers can pull off.
14:41We'll do that and we'll do that.
14:43Let's see.
14:44We'll do that again.
14:44Let's get started.
14:45Let's get started.
14:46We'll do it again.