Insta mums

[Harrielady]

What the actual fuck?! I have just joined mumsnet and can say I will be leaving it after the negativity I've experienced. I joined expecting women helping women.
Women encouraging other women. Whether that's with their children, their marriage or their careers?! 'Insta mums' are mums who have decided a career in instagramming! And why the fuck not?! Before you ask no I am not an insta mum. Not that I wouldn't want to be - I just can't be bothered to tidy. But they do! They make their homes beautiful and enjoy decorating and showing their efforts off. Other women are inspired and they can bring many other women joy and happiness. Who are you bringing joy and happiness too? Going into the internet and plastering negative energy and bitter comments is not helpful, not nice and not at all fucking productive! You bitch about these women spending their days cleaning and shopping and not 'caring for thier kids' but how are you fucking idiots any better?!? Your too busy slagging off other hard working women to get your kicks. It's sad. Pathetic and downright bullying.
Something's that have been posted have hurt 'insta mums' and have caused upset - what have they actually done to you?? You are no better than the disgusting internet trolls who target celebrities or others who are slightly better looking or better off than yourselves. Get a grip.

Not a personal one at all. I’m on the Internet. But yes, he takes Mae in to school and I do pick-up. His flex request was approved mid-last year and he now has Friday’s off and leaves early/ works from home to pick-up Mae if ever needed when I’m working. The aim was always for one of us to do school pick-up depending on whose channel did best. I did best. So get to pick her up daily. My youngest won’t take a bottle sonshes with me 24-7 👍🏻. I’m off here now before my family edge away.

@PavlovaPrincess I think it’s more a case that I work with brands that are general household items maybe. I don’t know how long this Instagram realm will last but my focus with brands is simply that they are accessible (Cushelle toilet roll) or I use them already (Batiste hair products). Definitely don’t expect people to love all I do. Answering @lookingforthecorkscrew I don’t think anyone is saying this is a perfect option. As I said on a previous thread it’s the less shitty option for us. My previous job as a copywriter was inflexible and by the time I paid nursery fees I was paying to go to work. I wanted to continue writing and saw an opportunity to do that flexibly here; freelance commissions webt down with all magazine closures so that wasn’t an option.. I don’t know what field you are in and how you make it work but I hear from so many people who can’t do what you suggest. The aim is to do this with my mum and not the kids eventually. Anyhow this is probably resembling white noise now.

Now mod is getting paid to eat breakfast. Things are kicking off underneath her latest paid sponsorship post...

Yeeesh, some horrid stuff about her midwifery being posted there. I can't understand why people can't just say they find her ads distasteful and leave it at that.

I’m glad people are realising how ridiculous they are. Didn’t see the midwife stuff...I find it hiliarious that they campaign to eat together is based on the kids eating out of empty bowls! 😂😂.

What happens when the toddler moppets grow up? Neither of mine (9 and 11) consent to me putting any pics of them on social media - not that I did much anyway.

When ' toddlermoppets' grow up they sue.
I wonder if these parents save the money they've got their children to unknowingly earn for them, for the children involved ,or just enjoy using their earnings for even more stuff!
It's all very seedy. Blatantly child exploitation.
Any parent who posts pictures of their children online when they are too young to consent, deserve their asses sued, when they grow up and realise how they've been used.

@Babaloo88
Not entirely sure what I’ve deserved to read another horrible comment as such? I work 1 day as a midwife 3 writing my books. So 4, I work 4 days but I think your comment has highlighted the fact that if any Instagram makes you feel inadequate or less of a mother/wife/woman then don’t follow them. I unfollow lots of accounts that give me negative vibes

Unfortunately for you and your family, when you put yourself into the public eye, you will be scrutinised. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. The fact you need to come onto a public forum to justify yourself, you obviously feel insecure about it.

Yes, you and the other instamums make mums feel unempowered. Even though you have all convinced yourself you empower women. You really don’t. You make mums feel inadequate with all your gift items and free holidays. There are mothers who struggle to make ends meet who would love to have a free holiday but unfortunately for them- they are not white middle class skinny Mum.

Well to be fair she's not a 'skinny mum' at all baba

But yes, I'm thinking some mums out there do feel inadequate and inferior against these accounts ....I don't think the instamafia actually care though

I don't feel Un-empowered by MOD at all, I have twins the same age as hers and her account often makes me feel normal going through the different stages with two it's nice to see someone else going through the same.

@obi
Thank you twins are bloody hard work!

@babaloo88
Not at all. Opinions I don’t mind I genuinely don’t, but it’s when you’re throwing untrue facts around ‘working 1 nearly day a week’ that’s not true.

Okay, sorry you work 4 days a week? My apologies.

Works sooooo hard that hey, lets put it out there we like gin.... bang on about it lots ( hint,hint) and we will get gifted some.... worked with the other freebies

There's a pattern....bang on/ gifts arrive

It's no coincidence

The freebie-bragging is so grim. And the gushing Instagram stories about them. Just drink your free gin and go away, the rest of us will pay for ours like the plebs we are.

With regards to kids, yes I do think getting older and realise you are all over the internet is somewhat unnerving but maybe it's different to people growing up used to It? My eldest 2 I don't put on social media at all as they hate it.

Plus I think the world is a creepy place. People like instamums are not like a listers with wonderful security. I would just feel unnerved and anxious putting myself out there to all those people. So to me, it's an idea of a nightmare.

I don't mind the odd add but yes I hate it when people TRY and get an ad.

Parttimeworkingmummy features her teens on there. She's the only instamum I follow really. She's quite down to earth, her home and her life aren't picture perfect and she promotes an important cause rather than products for money.

I suppose it's a bit of a catch 22 being an instamum though. You start out gathering followers because they relate to you as an ordinary mum. Then because you have so many followers you get offered paid promotions and lose that authenticity that gained you the followers in the first place.

Most instamums will say that they're there because they have a PASSION or a MESSAGE that they want to get across.

It's bullshit.

They want to make money and get free stuff. 'To pay the bills' many will say, but most live WAY beyond the average U.K. household income.

Have you seen the Mother Pukka/Next campaign? All white panel. All white nominees. Mother Pukka now saying she disagrees with it only after there is massive backlash.
The thing with MP is she quite often plays dumb after the event and tries to dress it up as "I'm so stupid!!!" when she is clearly a savvy businesswoman and knows EXACTLY what she is doing. Interesting that she has spoken out against Next and said she wasnt paid to be on the panel - would she have spoken out if she was? I doubt it!
And we ALL have mortgages to pay and kids to feed, she's not the only one! We don't all resort to selling our souls.

My favourite thing is when they post about bargains they found in Aldi, when their homes look like showrooms - all painted in Farrow and Ball and with Jo Malone candles.

You're so down with us, Instamums, we get it.

sidalee7 exactly that

@Sidalee7 @VileyRose I am a businesswoman, absolutely. I am trying to forge a career in a new realm that works around my family and have never shied away from saying that. I have specific skills that lend themselves to me being in/writing for the media. As magazines folded and my work dried up, I saw it as an opportunity. And in doing that so publicly, without a company or team behind me, I make mistakes. Huge clangers for 150,000 to see. I am not “acting stupid”, I’m simply trying to own mistakes when they arise. I was strongly advised to let Hello and Next answer the furore, which would not have opened it up to my audience, further highlighting my massive fuck up. I get that you might find me grating, that #ad #gift #sellingfamilyontheinternet frustrates, angers even. I get that white middle class privilege being spritzed across the Internet is hard to palate. I get it. But I really am trying my best with the cards in front of me. It might not be your version of best, but it is mine. Always happy to take feedback on what you would prefer not to see and any transparency issues you’ve come across.

Help me out with something, right?

When you, an Insta mum, get sent something for free and you give them a little plug, it's an AD. Don't say "It's not an ad, it was a gift"

If you're receiving goods instead of money for said plug, it's still a bloody ad. Because you wouldn't be plugging it if it wasn't sent you to gratis!

One particular A list mum does and it really pisses me off. Just OWN what you're doing, OK? I like her, but I like her a bit less every time she does it. It all started when she had a hissy fit about her "no ad" policy and how annoyed she was that she couldn't accept free shit. Well, that's all changed now.