The Mommy Wine Culture Needs to Stop
Mommy Wine Culture Sucks
I used to think all the mommy wine/drinking jokes were funny -- until I became a bad statistic. Just another drunk mom…Mom having to have her mommy juice has become so normalized that there are entire websites dedicated supporting this behavior. These sites sell all kinds of products featuring drinking phrases and quotes; tshirts, coffee mugs (to put your wine in of course), wall art… basically anything that can be printed, painted, or stenciled on, and mothers flock to it like crack.
I used to think it was funny but it’s not. It’s toxic and can lead moms down a terrible path of destruction. Unfortunately, our current society thinks moms can’t be strong without booze and social media has taken promoting the culture to a whole new level. Alcohol manufacturers are zeroing in on, and heavily targeting moms, suggesting that somehow we NEED alcohol to “deal” with our children. These companies dedicate full budgets to researching mother’s habits and then they:
Buy email lists so they can send you promotions on all the latest “no-hangover” wines
Buy ad space on social media because it’s yet another outlet we use to escape our kids, to give ourselves a break
Enlist social media influencer moms to promote their products because of course, if other moms are laughing it up AND promoting drinking, it must be acceptable.
Think I’m exaggerating? Take another look at the ads that interrupt your scroll. Click on one and then watch as the ads spread like wildfire.
Other ways in which the mommy wine culture has infiltrated our lives -- drinking at children’s birthday parties. I remember the first time being offered a cocktail at a birthday party. It was a party for a 4 year old and as we entered the space the parents were there with a bottle of vodka and a giant bottle of wine. You literally could not get into the party without taking a glass! Well, I could have said no but back then I thought it was the best thing ever…
How about drinking at a 10AM soccer game or baseball game on a Saturday? I remember all too well the moms with their coffee mugs, not filled with coffee but with mimosa’s, screwdrivers, and even red wine! And it was all totally acceptable.
So the question begs, what is happening in the world that this behavior has become normal? The pandemic absolutely made it worse (moms with young kids increased drinking by 323% after the start of pandemic* - WOW), but even with increased drinking habits during quarantine, the mommy memes and behavior began well before that. Is it because of social media where we see the perfect little families making stressed out moms depressed about their ill-behaved children, and not-so-tidy, non-organic homes? Or maybe it goes back to the fact that many families don’t live close to one another so there is less support? Whatever the CAUSE, we need to look for a SOLUTION to better support mothers, and certainly not ostracize them when they develop a serious drinking problem.
Thoughts? I would love to hear from you so this isn’t just me rambling and talking to myself!
xoxo,
Heather
*Online NY POST ARTICLE, 8/21/22