“Nobody talks about the scary side of being a mother”: testimony on Facebook as rupture of idealized performances of motherhood

Abstract

Discussion concerning motherhood have gained visibility on Facebook. This paper brings an exploratory analysis of a post by Júlia Rocha, a mother, doctor and singer. The main objectives are to: 1) investigate what kinds of discourses have emerged within this “phenomenon”, and how they try to problematize values which are connected to motherhood; and 2) understand the “place” from which these narratives are produced. For this purpose, the paper relies on the theoretical prepositions of Moore, Babour and Lee, Rago, Miller, among other authors. By revealing details and feelings of the maternal routine that, according to the author herself, are hidden by other mothers, the post builds itself up as “authentic”, as well as a report with which other mothers can relate to. Therefore, it constitutes a testimony that raises ruptures of idealized performances of motherhood, linked to aspects such as the care for the children, the mother herself and her marriage.

Keywords: Motherhood. Performance rupture. Facebook.