Another Unfit Mother

3rd Feb

I rarely have an opinion regarding the rigmarole that is the life of Katie Price – neither did I think I would ever defend her.

But today’s news coverage of Miss Price and her three year old daughter has left me with a bad taste in my mouth – and not because I agree with the sentiment of the articles.

The story: Three-year-old Tiaamii is pictured with her mum – coming out of a hair salon with – WAIT FOR IT - straight hair! (FYI - usually the child’s hair is curly)

And this is meant to provoke a reaction of outrage in us all. Social services should be called, Price is an unfit mother, the child hasn’t got a chance in life….yadda yadda yadda…

In my opinion, this story is grim. But for a different reason entirely.

With a little perspective - we should all be intelligent enough to realise that Miss Price no doubt went to get her own hair done – and that she took her daughter along with her – and that while she was having her hair straightened – and perhaps as a game – somebody did the child’s hair too.

And maybe the former glamour model was just heading home – not, as the reporting would lead us to believe - on her way out to parade the child around for the benefit of child molesters – or worse still, the papparazi.

For me, the reporting of this story is a sad indicament of the way the media delight in labelling women as bad mothers.

Whether its tales of "dole-scum" benefit cheat mums – or the latest “research on the negative impact of working mums” – or the portrayal of “bad mothers” in the public eye. (Kate McCann, Kerry Katona, Katie Price, Britney, Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss to name a few) – mums are constantly being lambasted – told they’re not good enough – made to feel inadequate.

So Katie Price took her daughter to the hair salon, spent some quality time with her, got her hair straightened. Does this justify such harsh criticism?

And where, I wonder, are all the news stories about rubbish dads? Because there are a hell of a lot more of those out there. And that’s a fact.

By Harriet Crosse

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Big Al
February 3rd, 2011 - 14:05

I wish my mum had straightened my hair more as a child… Instead she let me go out with frizz. Frizz! In every school picture I have frizz. I have never forgiven her. I HEART KATIE.
Marsh
March 7th, 2011 - 11:51

From the Daily Mail

“Nearly 20 million Britons are not speaking to members of their family after bitter bust-ups – and the majority hold their mothers responsible, a study has found.”

This story was created for one of your clients (20th Century Fox) and using data derived from one of your surveys (conducted via OnePoll).

Also, here from your own website:

“Mums are happy to welcome their sons back into the family home - but will do their best to avoid having their daughter come home, it emerged yesterday (Sun).

A study found mums regularly greet their boys with open arms if they fall on hard times because they are more likely to pay rent, pitch in with the housework and take her advice.

By contrast daughters were branded ‘lazy’ and far less likely to contribute around the house, according to the poll of 3,000 parents.”
(http://www.72point.com/coverage/mothers-happy-to-welcome-back-sons)

It seems the reporting on women as bad mothers is endemic, even within your own agency?