Let's Discuss: Mom of Boys or #BoyMom?
Where's the line between stereotype and toxicity?
Recently, a mom of boys wrote the post above, and it went viral. Some said it was satire, pointing out the problems with emotionally enmeshed “boy moms.” Others maintain it never claims to be satire and that the photos Jenny Mollen posted on Instagram (of herself tussling with/embracing her 12yo son) were inappropriate. On Threads, a few users threatened to report Mollen to CPS.
What do you think? Is Jenny Mollen using cringe humor and absurdity to highlight some real feelings mixed with a larger societal problem? And what is it about self-proclaimed “boy moms” that so quickly ventures into uncomfortable territory? Where do we draw the line between goofy jokes and being creepy about children?
P.S. Lindsay Fickas wrote about one particular aspect of being a mom of boys (not a #boymom) earlier this year, and you might find it interesting in light of this topic.
Yeah, as someone with three boys including an 11-year-old, I cannot imagine posting these images. It especially gets dicey when you consider how well-known the kids’ parents are. Maybe it is satire, but posts like this as well as pictures will have consequences in their lives.
As someone who often writes satire and humor, this piece didn't sit right with me. Admittedly, I came upon it *after* seeing the controversy on Threads, so I was biased against it already, whereas a friend of mine read it only in the context of standalone satire and found it funny! The reader's lens definitely makes a difference here. That being said, the dead mom joke really felt like a bridge too far for me. Maybe I'm a prude, but even as a joke that sentence made my shoulders clench.