Momfluencer

Momfluencer, also called a 'mom influencer',[1] is a term used to describe a female parent who shares the early moments of motherhood on social media, often utilizing sites such as Instagram. The term 'dadfluencer' has also appeared in use, but is less common.[2]

The term carries with it possible connotations of stress or obligation, felt by the new mother, in terms of the new mother feeling the need to take a high volume of pictures of a new child and share these pictures on such social media sites. Some momfluencers claim to use the new motherhood position in tandem with social media as a means to earn additional income,[3] while others assert that, "...the influencer scene fully believes that nobody is actually making any money..."[2]

Meaning and use

The term is a portmanteau of the words Mom and Influencer. A 'momfluencer' may refer to a new mother that may have "...social media followings in the tens of thousands or even millions..." where the new mother may share, "...tips and inspiration to their fellow moms..." about various duties of a new mother that might consist of installing a car seat or other such activities.[4] Some mothers associated with minority racial or ethnic groups are alleged to be paid less than their peers in racial and ethnic majority groups, in part due to, "...limited financial transparency."[5]

Criticism

Some have criticized "mom influencer" culture[6] for being overly focused on materialistic pursuits, or in building a form of rat race between competing parents to one-up others in terms of whom might be artificially deemed the best mother according to some external sources such as fans, followers, or the public generally.[7] Sara Petersen writing for Time magazine in April 2023 asserts:

Viewing beautifully shot and lit photos of a momfluencer’s bespoke laundry room in her Nantucket mansion through the informed lens of entertainment can be fun and soothing. But we can’t all afford Nantucket mansions, and the more we believe (or fool ourselves into believing) that aspirational wicker hampers can make our experiences of motherhood any less frustrating, exhausting, or confounding, the less mental space we have to focus on the broken systems and institutions making motherhood so hard for so many of us.[7]

See also

References
  1. America, Good Morning. "Mom influencer opens up about why she erased her kids' faces from social media". Good Morning America. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  2. "What It's Like to Make a Living as a Momfluencer". Parents. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  3. Withington, Robert (August 3, 1929). ""Portmanteau" and pseudo- "Portmanteau" words". Notes and Queries. CLVII (aug03): 77–78. doi:10.1093/nq/clvii.aug03.77. ISSN 1471-6941.
  4. Grose, Jessica (November 22, 2022). "Opinion | Why Are Momfluencers So Good at Worming Their Way Into Your Brain?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  5. "19 Black Motherhood Bloggers to Follow on Instagram". Parents. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  6. "Momfluencer Content Enrages Me. Why Can't I Look Away?". Harper's BAZAAR. January 28, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  7. "Why Moms on Instagram Love Minimalism". Time. April 18, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
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