In this episode, Dr. Ciera Kirkpatrick shares her research on The Idealization of Motherhood in the Media. Dr. Kirkpatrick dives into social media and the negative outcomes it has on the well-being of mothers. Her study reveals that mothers can experience increased levels of envy and anxiety when viewing social media posts that idealize motherhood. Dr. Kirkpatrick also shares her experience as a first-time mother and how difficult the role of motherhood can be.

Notes:

https://www.babycenter.com/mobile-apps

The Mommy Myth: The Idealization of Motherhood and How It Has Undermined All Women by Susan J. Douglas & Meredith W. Michaels (2005) Free Press.



References:

Kirkpatrick, C. & Lee, S. (2022). Comparisons to picture-picture motherhood: How Instagram’s idealized portrayals of motherhood affect new mothers’ well-being. Computers in Human Behavior,137, 107417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107417
https://journalism.unl.edu/kirkpatrick-ciera

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Afterparty Review by Sascha Ende
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/2962-afterparty-review
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license