Representations of Motherhood as Reflected in the Profiles of Celebrity Mothers on the Social Network Instagram in Israel

This study examines the representations of motherhood emerging from the Instagram profile pages of Israeli celebrity mothers. Two main ideologies regarding motherhood are discussed in the context of these representations. The first, the ‘Intensive Motherhood ideology’, emphasizes the separation between the public and private spheres in which the mother operates. According to this ideology, mothers should devote all their resources to raising their children while neglecting their personal needs.

The second ideology, the ‘New Motherhood’ developed in response to the intensive motherhood ideology. This ideology posits an ideal of perfect motherhood that includes a system of values, norms, and practices. It praises and glorifies the role of motherhood, but in practice promotes expectations and standards of perfect motherhood that are unattainable for most mothers. The literature review indicates that representations of motherhood in the media reproduce, construct, and reinforce the ‘New Motherhood’ ideology, which can negatively impact mothers who are exposed to it. Frequent exposure of mothers to content that reinforces the ideals of intensive motherhood and new motherhood can lead to feelings of frustration and self-blame due to the gap between the experience of motherhood and the expectations and social norms set by this ideal. Mothers in Israel may be even more affected by exposure to these ideals due to the strong emphasis on family ethos, the constant focus on demography, the high fertility rate, and other conservative cultural, religious, and historical reasons (Goldin, 2006).

Given the limited research literature on representations of motherhood in the media in Israel, and specifically in the celebrity mother's profile on social media, we chose to focus on representations of motherhood by celebrities on social media, focusing on the Instagram network.

The aim of the study was to reveal and analyse the ways in which the aforementioned ideologies are presented in the publications of celebrity mothers. The research questions were: 1) What representations of motherhood are represented in the profile of the Israeli celebrity mother on Instagram? 2) What ideologies regarding motherhood are expressed in the publications of Israeli celebrities? 3) What challenges and conflicts do mothers present and how do they cope with them?

The study was conducted using a qualitative approach that allows for a holistic exploration of the perceived reality, while exposing multiple voices, complexities, and contradictions. Data collection, analysis, and discussion were based on feminist theory and the social construction theory and theories of representation which view media representation as a product of complex processes of symbolic work based on a specific ideology.

The publications we chose to research met the following criteria: relevance to the research topic, active and updated pages, and characterized by a wealth of information, with the highest number of followers. The publications were collected from 15 Instagram pages belonging to Israeli celebrity mothers who have given birth in the last three years and were sampled using purposive sampling. They included written content, images, and videos published between 2020-2022. The items were analysed using two analysis methods: feminist-critical discourse analysis and netnography.

The analysis of the findings revealed four central themes that emerged from the representations of motherhood on the celebrity profile pages, each of which was divided into sub-themes: 1. Shaping the maternal identity 2. Motherhood work 3. The maternal body and 4. Cracks in the new motherhood ideal. Based on the themes, a unique model for analyzing representations of motherhood was constructed based on the social construction theory and the concept of symbolic reality, which was adapted to the representations found on the celebrity profile pages.

The findings of the study showed that the 'reality' presented by celebrities regarding the new motherhood ideology ranged between two poles: one-dimensional 'Symbolic Reality' and complex 'Symbolic Reality.' For the most part, the way celebrities represented their motherhood reflected a one-dimensional symbolic reality through which a maternal digital identity is presented that reinforces and substantiates the values and norms of the new motherhood ideology. Alongside these, there were also representations that reflected a more complex symbolic reality, one that gave expression to a wide range of emotions, perceptions, and practices regarding motherhood. Through these representations, a maternal digital identity was presented that reflects the complexity of the lives of celebrities as mothers and expresses an alternative maternal model that undermines the values and norms promoted by the new motherhood ideology.

On the theoretical level, the study shows that the symbolic reality reflected through the publications of celebrities is a mirror to the representation of motherhood in relation to the new motherhood ideology. On the practical level, the study provides a foundation for a broader and better understanding of the content in online social media that many new mothers are exposed to, which has the potential to significantly impact the process of mothers learning their social role, and in general, in shaping their desired role and character according to the guiding values in Israeli society.