Alexandra Brown on Rewriting the Myth of the Working Supermom

Amanda Cosindas | Nov. 15 2021

There it is. It’s what many of us moms feel, but don’t always know how to put it into words — “the myth of the working supermom.” As we slowly inch our way out of the cloud of the pandemic, the hours spent shifting between mother, teacher, worker, partner, house cleaner, chef, and everything in between, it doesn’t necessarily feel like there is any relief or end in sight.
 
But what is becoming clear is that something needs to change. Us moms have been believing (or trying to) for so long that we can do it all. Over and over again. But can we? Really, can we actually “do it all” and what does “doing it all” even mean anyway?
 
In her story, “Rewriting the Myth of the Working Supermom,” Alexandra Brown makes us all feel seen and heard by poetically and powerfully outlining the unrealistic societal pressures on working moms that we, for some reason, continue to pile onto ourselves under the guise of having some sort of exponent ability to ignore any kind self-care or realism around how much we actually can accomplish.
 
So, if your internal narrative includes a lot of what you “should” be doing, if you feel like you too are just pushing a “proverbial boulder up a hill” (or maybe you know someone who is), I invite you to join us in reading Alexandra’s story for Adweek as a first step in redefining a new reality for working moms in the agency world.

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