The Mask of Motherhood
Through my experience of becoming a mother (expecting my second), and through being connected to other mothers, a hidden mask has become evident. It is the mask of motherhood that seems to exist in order not to admit to occasional struggle, not to appear as a failure and to simply be seen by others as a “super mum”.
But postnatal depression, the trauma of childbirth, the change in
body shape, sleep deprivation, the guilt of using childcare, juggling between motherhood and career, the identity crisis a new mother might experience and the isolation and entrapment a new mother might feel in her own home (emotionally as well as intellectually) are very real issues, which I feel need not be taboo.
The Russian nesting doll traditionally stands for motherhood and fertility. I use the doll as a tool to illustrate this flowery mask of motherhood and symbolize an often-experienced identity crisis.
www.maryimages.com
info@maryimages.com
