It’s come to my attention that some of my fellow bloggers who also happen to be moms really do not enjoy being called “Mommy Bloggers” one bit. They think the word Mommy is insulting when it comes from someone who did not spring from their very own ladygarden.
Or uterus, as I had an emergency C-section, no one has sprung from my ladygarden at all, really. Last time I checked.
It apparently bothers people in the blogging community so much so that the web series talk show I begin shooting this week is getting a title change, initially it was gonna be titled Mommy Bloggers and now I think the word Mother is more likely to be part of the show title. Which is just fine by me…how about Mutha Fugger Bloggers?
The controversy is interesting to moi because I definitely consider myself a feminist, but since I have a 5 year old kid who calls me Mommy every day, I don’t mind the title myself, even though I don’t only blog about toys, diapers and laundry. Or like, poo.
It’s actually the great joy of my life to be called Mommy by my precious kid. I guess I think of the term Mommy Bloggers to simply be a way for advertisers to relate to us as a whole, meaning that we are a powerful audience because mom’s buy shizz. A lot of shizz for the hizzle, I know I do…
Some weeks, I only blog about my kid maybe once or twice and my other blogs can vary widely in topics, although they usually relate to me being a woman in some way. Or just a silly weirdo with an undiagnosed mental illness, probably.
Some mom bloggers have said they’d prefer to be called a “Lifestyle Blogger” a “Social Media Mom” or a “Social Media Influencer,” the last one sounds pretty stuffy and braggy to me, even if it is true. Lifestyle blogger sounds like I’m trying to influence other people to aspire to or follow my lifestyle, as in Martha Stewart style, so that doesn’t fit me, either.
On Friday night I went to a two hour course on launching start-up websites and I was surprised that after two years online, I felt like I knew more about beginning and growing a website than many of the people there. I guess that made me feel good, but it also made me feel like I wasted 25 dollars on a class when I could’ve taught them a few tips myself.
We women mother bloggers are wicked smahhhht and we know what we’re doing by the very nature of well, doing it every day. That knowledge just sorta seeps in by ass-mosis.
I’m many things, while I do think being Bexon’s Mom is the most important one because he needs me and of course, love– I’m also a screen and TV writer who’s currently finishing a novel, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a grown woman with complex life experiences and interests, struggles and triumphs.
Maybe when my son is older and no longer calls me Mommy, I might take offense at the term then and perhaps it’s a good idea to make a preemptive strike by eschewing the term early on.
I guess no one calls the President a “Daddy President.” He’s just the President, even if he has children.
What do you think, is the term Mommy Bloggers insulting when coming from a human you didn’t adopt or bring into this world from your very own socially influential bod? What I love most about blogging, and it is a labor of love for me, is getting to express my voice and especially the connection I feel with you.
You help save my life every day and that’s the truth.
Love,
~ Heidi
I can’t really weigh in on this without any sort of authority seeing as I’ve not popped out crotchfruit of my own, thus am ineligible to be a part of the “mommy blogger” genre in the first place but I don’t know… It seems silly.
I do think that just because someone’s a mom and a blogger doesn’t necessarily make them a “mommy blogger” I know a lot of bloggers who are mom’s who primarily write about fashion or food or whatever and only tangentially mention their kids, and I guess if I was one of those ladies I could see myself getting a little annoyed with getting lumped in to the same genre with someone who mostly blogs about their kids, but I don’t know if I’d be so annoyed I’d be offended.
That said, I do remember thinking the first time you mentioned this Mommy Bloggers show, “They named the show that?!” because I’m of the opinion that Mommy Bloggers is the least inspired title EVAR. I’m certain they can come up with something more compelling than that.
http://authenticexperience.org
Crotchfruit! That’s a new word for me. I think they want a fairly simple title so it’s searchable for SEO but, yeah, we will probably still end up with a title along the lines of The Mother Bloggers or something, which I’m fine with.
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Oh, thank you! It’s a WordPress template Theme, I wanted it to be clean looking with a white background. I worked with a web tutor who helped me set it up, Jonathon Cadena.
Hmmm… I also don’t have kids so I can’t comment from personal experience. I guess “mommy blogger” could sound a bit condescending…What about like “Parent Bloggers”? Does that still accurately describe the genre without the “tone,” so to speak?
http://www.mayorgia.blogspot.com
Yeah, that’s not bad. I guess when my little guy is older I will hopefully still be blogging, but maybe less about him so I don’t embarrass him! Then maybe just blogger/writer/nutcase will do
I guess I can see how some women may take offense to “mommy blogger”. I don’t know that I’d particularly want to be called a “daddy blogger”. Honestly, I’d be happy just to be good enough at it to be called a “blogger”.
Regardless, I’ll call you whatever you wish.
–Johann
http://spfldilstayhomedad.wordpress.com
Lovely, thank you.
How about “Parental Unit” blogger?
SNL! yeah I’m dating myself! (Coneheads in the 70′s for those way too young to get the reference… )
Family Blogger? Family Life Blogger?
It doesn’t matter to me as long as parents don’t take it or themselves all so seriously. I don’t read those bloggers for very long. Laugh, lighten up, it’s all good. Might as well see the funny side of family, it goes by so fast anyhow…. I remember the times we laughed ourselves silly way more than the serious stuff.
Thanks for keeping your sense of humor, Heidi!
Dorothy,
I do remember the Coneheads! Family Life Blogger is not bad at all. I just think of myself as a little bit (or a lot) odd, so I don’t think anyone wants to follow what I’m doing, ha, except that I am always striving to do better and learn more. I can’t believe how fast it’s going! Silly is where it’s at. Thank you.
Crotchfruit! *snort* I love the slang I pick up from you and now I have more from your other supporters! Anyway, I am also of the fruitless and the blogless group but I can understand why some people would lurv that name and some would hate it. If you were all primarily known for blogging about being moms and dealing with mom situations, then it has kind of a warm, fuzzy feeling (mom was always “mom” to me so I think happy things when I see that word) but if you are primarily women bloggers that also sometimes blog about their families, it should be more of that tone or I think it is a misnomer. (I apologize for the run-on sentence.) How about Bloggers with Ladygardens or Ladygarden Bloggers (although that might imply that you blog about your ladygardens all. the. time.)