Do India’s ‘funny’ Mother’s Day gifts subvert ‘supermum’ trope or reinforce gender roles?
- Acknowledging and portraying exasperation, anger of mothers are initial steps to change stereotypes of ‘selfless’ mums who are ‘devoted to families’
- India needs social and collective care so that mothers can be freed to focus on responsibilities, interests outside the home and family, says an Indian writer
Picture this: an Indian woman warns her son that she will complain about his misbehaviour to his father. With a rolling pin in her hand, she berates him for being glued to his mobile phone all day. She also cajoles her son to eat whatever has been cooked and to not make unfair demands.
These items, which put a funny spin on the anger and exasperation of mothers, appear to challenge the perception in India of mothers as figures who epitomise sacrifice.
Acknowledging such realities are initial steps to shifting the stereotypes of mothers being “selfless” and “devoted to families”, gender studies experts say.
“Mothers can get angry and frustrated while doing their chores all day,” said Sucharita Sarkar, associate professor of English at Mumbai-based DTSS College of Commerce.
“The new variety of merchandise is welcoming humour to depict the exhaustion of mothers. It takes away the mask of motherhood by telling people how mothers feel, and starts an uncomfortable conversation on their many emotions,” said Sarkar, who studied mothering narratives in contemporary India.
Such items feature the common refrains of Indian mothers. For instance, a coffee mug features a woman saying in Hindi, “you will understand when you have your own kids”. On another cup, a mother is portrayed yelling, presumably at a child still asleep, “useless fellow, get out of bed!”.
Rolling pins and broomsticks, household items that Indian mothers typically point at misbehaving children, also feature on the merchandise.
