Help end medical misogyny. Sign our petition.

Help end medical misogyny.
Sign our petition.

Sign the petition

Please or to access all these features

Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Earth Mother: A definition.

135 replies

spidermama · 22/07/2005 20:08

I've been Mumsnetting for 2/3 weeks but so far I've only seen 'Earth Mother' being used as a derogatory term.

It's used to imply a smug, self-satisfied woman who judges others.

However, according to Collins English Dictionary an earth mother is ....

  1. a female Goddess considered as the source of fertility and life.
  2. the Earth, personified .... or ....
  3. a fecund or sensual woman.

Mmm Hmmmm!
I can understand it's not everyone's cup of tea but I, for one, unashamedly aspire to be an earth mother.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
spidermama · 27/07/2005 14:18

I'd like to add the following ...

Able to keep a straight face in a sweat lodge.
Knows the value of raw foods.
In touch with spirit.
Is generally supportive of other women.
Is familiar with natural healing methods.
Doesn't wear make-up or deoderant.
Environmentally aware.
Favours a centre parting.
Specialises in flavour-free food.

I'm half-way to earth motherdom.

OP posts:
moondog · 27/07/2005 17:31

rofl indeed! Triceratops,weeping at the thought of Fran's nipples and fiddly folk music.

I have to duck out of the inedible food thing. I am a great cook (although have to concede spidermama that after a day or two of trying to convince myself,came to the conclusion that millet is f*ing vile!

moondog · 27/07/2005 17:32

An EM would never buy a travel system.

Bulky complicated sling a must!

SenoraPostrophe · 27/07/2005 17:40

a brazilian is called an "English" in Spain.

anyway that's another em point for me

I also forgot:

grows own veg.
keeps chickens.
doesn't spend all her time on mumsnet.

SenoraPostrophe · 27/07/2005 17:41

actually maybe it's not a brazilian that's an "English", maybe that's a bikini line wax. This all goes to show how much i care about it anyway.

moondog · 27/07/2005 17:43

That's funny Senora!

EMs would be expected to have some sort of faded and dusty ethnic mobile/windchime/wallhanging somewhere in their house.

bijou · 27/07/2005 21:39

And a hammock.

Big loose dresses and no telly.
Lots of oats and soy milk for breaky.
No sugar in the house. Only honey and blackstrap molasses.

Magscat · 27/07/2005 21:46

I went to a museum with a friend the other day. Between us we had 3 boys aged 4 to 6 and my baby daughter.

On the way out we looked at the museum's 'Visitors' Comments' book and someone had written (about 5 minutes earlier) 'nice museum apart from the Earth Mothers and their brats'.

We were the only women with kids in there. Neither of us were wearing 'hippy' clothes (I have a few but was wearing jeans that day) and we weren't going round talking about lentil stew or mooncups or anything and no-one could have seen dd's cotton nappies. I didn't even need to b/f her while we were there.

So what was it about us that made someone call us 'Earth Mother' ?

We thought it was funny - agree it's a daft thing to say when you want to be negative about someone.

alexsmum · 27/07/2005 23:22

got a friend who makes fruit tea and sweetens it with honey , chills it and gives it to her kids instead of normal juice. that's quite earth mothery!
if bikini waxes are a defining part of earth motherdom- then i'm on the way! never had one done -too scared ....prefer au naturel!

mizmiz · 27/07/2005 23:33

rofl magscat!!!!

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread