Superwomans Kryptonite 1

Superwomans Kryptonite

Art History 4/10/13

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The supermom or superwoman is defined as a woman who leads a successful full-time career whilst simultaneously performing the traditional duties of child-rearing and housekeeping. It is a striving for perfection that causing undue stress on millions of mother around the world. It results in many health issues and threatens the mental well being of women every day. The image of the superwoman constructed by societal pressures and perpetuated by mass media, with the use of celebrities, has created generations of stressed and depressed mothers around the world. The superwoman term is thought to have been coined by author Marjorie Hansen Shaevitz who wrote the book The Superwoman Syndrome in 1984. Sometimes referred to as the Superwoman Syndrome the image is thought to have been started in the 1970s as a product of both Second-Wave Feminist sensibilities about the, we can do it all, capabilities of women and social pressures mandating strong, empowered women be good mothers. (D'Amore) Perhaps also influenced by television moms like Carol Brady, who did have Alice and did not work until later in the series but never the less did raise six children while somehow managing to keep it all together. Women then and even now strive to be her, minus the housekeeper many today cannot afford. While the supermom image has existed for more than forty years with little change, the pressures to reach the elusive perfection that is the supermom have been greatly increased. It is no wonder why, with celebrity moms being offered up, by mass media, as the pinnacle every working mom should strive for. Celebrities like Gwen Stefani and Alicia Keys take care of their children and their household, while making platinum records, performing three hundred concerts a year, and keeping the perfect body. And no newspaper reports much about the numerous housekeepers, nannies,

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nutritionist, and work out gurus they employ. Movies like Sarah Jessica Parkers I Dont Know How She Does It in which she plays working mother who somehow manages to make her hectic work and family schedule work. (McGrath) The title alone provides a lure for women, who would not want to do the seemingly impossible and come out looking charmingly frazzled like Mrs. Parker. As such working moms today have this visage of what they have to be, because if Alicia, Gwen, and Sarah can do it then why cant they. In Alicia Keys video for her song Superwoman she portrays what she describes as real life superwomen. One a single mother in college and the other a married working mother. In the video both women display a devotion to their family and their work. She sings, I wear it on my shouldersGotta find the strength in meCause I am a Superwoman. (Keys) It is a good example of how society has begun to question the superwoman/supermom image. This is a new take on the classic image. Instead of displaying perfection she instead highlights the difficulties many working mothers face. The single mother struggling to pay for college and take care of her children. And the working mother who struggles to balance her work and motherhood. This video and the song bring to light the reality that the sought after ideal of the supermom leaves many women overburdened by work. Trying to do everything for everyone all the time is tiring. Many women buckle under the strain or choose other ways of dealing with the stress. For instance, a certain drug named Adderall has become the American Supermoms drug of choice. (Warner) Adderall is a drug given to children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is commonly known that the medication is used to calm the child down. It is also known that when used by a person without ADHD it

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has the opposite effect. Thus offering the extra energy that overextended mothers need. The internet is overloaded with questions by overworked mothers asking of ways to get their doctor to prescribe the drug. There are even books written about lying to ones doctor in order to get the drug. What many do not know is that the drug is highly addictive, even one pill is often enough to trigger an addiction. In a news report by ABC News it is stated that between 2002 and 2010, there has been a 750 percent increase in Adderall prescriptions for women between 26 and 39. (Harris) The problem is clearly getting out of control. The drug is not just addictive, if not properly prescribed it can cause heart attack, stroke, seizures and in some cases death. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse almost 6 percent of American women, about 7.5 million women, report using prescription drugs for energy boosts. (Substance Abuse Evaluated Among Women With Children)The pressure the superwoman image places on women has had very negative effects on the health of thousands of women in America. In addition there is a more harm done emotionally to supermom wannabes. Working women who try to be supermoms are more often more depressed than those that do not try. Because the supermoms image is such an unattainable perfection that women who strive for it inevitably fail. Thus creating disappointment in themselves, later leading to depression. The mother may feel like a failure without realizing that it is just too hard to do the impossible. The supermom image is ensuring that one is everything to everyone at all times it belies the unavoidable compromise of certain aspects of approaches to ones parenting and career. It is simply setting the mothers up to fail. Stress is also a big negative effect. The constant balancing of schedules and trying ro remember countless errands. As we know too much stress is unhealthy, resulting in

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high blood pressure, migraines, and many other physical problems. A recent study of stress and coping patterns for women between the ages of 25 and 34 showed that one third of them used food consumption as a coping mechanism for their problems. Many of women suffer from working mothers guilt. Guilt that they are not the supermom they wanted to be. Guilt that they have to compromise and guilt that they work. Whether through financial necessity or just the desire to work, the working women feels immense mothers guilt because of the moments they miss in their childs life. In another of Alicia Keys videos Girl on Fire This video was released three years after her Superwomen and almost seems to contradict the earlier video. Despite the fact that she appears to be a single mother who works and takes care of her children she does so while in four inch heels singing about how on fire she is. It could be said that again was showing the stresses working mothers face. Her character was moving throughout the whole video never taking a moment to rest for herself. This is a good example of mass medias perpetuation of sometimes contradictory messages, that have a lasting effect on those that see them. The superwoman image has been around for over forty years. Leaving in its wake millions of stressed, tired, addicted, and depressed working mothers. It is high time for society to fully acknowledge negative effects it has on our women. We need to take a step back and take a look at what got us here. The superwoman image is about ensuring perfection and since it does not exist it is simply setting oneself up to fail. A silver lining is that nowadays men are taking on a greater role in the home, sometimes even replacing the woman as the primary child care provider. Thus relieving some of the stress that many woman face. However what of the single mother? Also many

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women still feel the need to be superwomen despite their husbands more active role. It is important for women everywhere to become more educated about the danger they place themselves in by striving for perfection.

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Bibliography
Abruzzese, Michele and Catherine Chambliss. "Adult Daughters of Working Mothers: Supermom Juniors?" 23 March 1993. www.eric.ed.gov. 10 March 2013. D'Amore, Laura Mattoon. "The Accidental Supermom: Superheroines and Maternal Performativity." Journal of Popular Culture (2012): 1226-1248. Document. Graham, Tim. "What's Next for Michelle Obama, Our 'Superwoman' and 'Incredibly Popular' First Lady?" 6 December 2012. newsbusters.org. 7 March 2013. Harris, Dan. Supermom's Secret Addiction: Stepping Out of Adderall's Shadow. 26 June 2012. 30 March 2013. I Don't Know How She Does It. Dir. Douglas McGrath. Perf. Sarah Jessica Parker. 2011. Keys, Alicia. "Superwoman." As I Am. 2007. Shaevitz, Marjorie Hansen. The Superwoman Syndrome. Warner Books, 1984. Substance Abuse Evaluated Among Women With Children. 01 December 2010. 30 March 2013. Thomas, Marian. Balancing Career and Family: Balancing Career and Family: Overcoming the Superwoman Syndrome : A National Seminars Publications Desktop Handbook. 1991. Wallace, Michele. Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman. 1979. Warner, Judith. Perfect Madness : Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety. 2006. West, Laurel Parker. "Soccer Moms, Welfare Queens, Waitress Moms, and Super Moms: Myths of Motherhood in State Media Coverage of Child Care." April 2002. www.marial.emory.edu. 10 March 2013. Woods, Harriett. Stepping Up to Power: The Political Journey of American Women . Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1999.