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Library's collection Library's IT development CancelThis study aims to redefine motherhood in Sophie Kinsella?s Shopaholic
and Baby, Emily Giffin?s Baby Proof, and Stephanie Calman?s The
Confessions of a Bad Mother. I choose to discuss mom lit because in mom
lit, the protagonists tell their honest experiences, emotions and thoughts
about motherhood, which often quite the contrary with the society?s
discourse of motherhood. The unromantic side of motherhood the women
encounter prompts a question whether the meaning of motherhood is
similar and applicable for all women. For this reason, I am keen on
discussing how the society discourse about motherhood is contradictory
with the female characters in the novels? views and experiences on
motherhood. The way the society views motherhood will show the
ideology of motherhood, whereas, the way the women in the story view
motherhood will show that in practice, women/mothers does not always
experience the same ideals. The purpose of the analysis is to open more
understanding on the difference in viewing and practicing motherhood.
Consequently, feminist theories and concepts are needed to analyze what
the standard motherhood is, including the oppression of women?s nature
and the qualities of a mother. Moreover, the theories are also applied to
understand the fear and anxieties, alienation and peculiarity, and also
inadequacy and guilt the women may experience in their encounters with
motherhood. The analysis shows that there are differences between the
expectations of motherhood from the society and the real experiences of
the women. The difference between the society and her discourse of
motherhood makes a woman undergoes feelings which are kept under
because her own discourse is marginalized. In the end, it can be concluded
that in the mommy lit, the women reveals that motherhood confers two
different sides of meaning.