How Working Moms are Portrayed

Last night I caught a preview of a new show on NBC, "The Lipstick Jungle." Another series based on a book by Candace Bushnell of "Sex and the City" fame, the story follows the lives of three women in New York. Brooke Sheilds plays the role of the working mom, as a busy movie executive with two young children. I didn't watch the show as I generally try to avoid TV, but the story of Brooke's character has me a bit intrigued. The preview clips I did catch show her struggling to be a mom while keeping up with her 'extreme' job. One scene has her narrating her day, talking about dropping her son off at school and then coming home at night after he is already in bed. Another scene shows her providing advice to her daughter who responds that she can't just pick and choose when she is going to be a good mom.

Again, I did not watch the show, but I wonder if this show will truly portray the struggles of a working mom, or if it will overdramatize the stress providing an unrealistic picture that might influence the impression young women have of managing work and family. I know, it is just a TV show and shouldn't really matter.

But, images of women on TV do influence society's general perceptions of moms. For a more detailed discussion on culture's influence on us, check out "The Mommy Myth" by Susan Douglas and Meredith Michaels. Great book, and it makes you think about how you've come to have unrealistic expectations for yourself based on what you learn in the world around you.