Mommy Dearest

Vogue Italia has sparked a bit of controversy with it's "Vagaries of Fashion" spread. The editorial, starring Anja Rubik and some baby, tells the story of a mother seemingly so self-absorbed in her own vanity that she competely neglects her child. Anja is coiffed and dressed in rich bitch mode, accessorizing her Valentino and Atelier Versace couture with not-so maternal symbols like cigarettes and martini glasses.



Is Vogue guilty of glamorizing neglectful mothering, or is this a social critique? Claire from Sociological Images successfully notes:

The message that motherhood might produce boredom, irritation, irreverence, and drive one to consume massive quantities of alcohol is one that I find refreshing, rather than appalling. Although this spread glamorizes the condition of being trapped within the confines of domesticity, can we not also interpret it as depicting the failure of domesticity and motherhood as a norm? And isn't the critique of a norm a productive act?