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Home , Ann Romney, Hilary Rosen, Housewife, Jeana Keough, The Real Housewives, Working parent

This Month’s Features

Letter From the Editor 2 Interview with James Rohl, 8 Stay-at- Dad

Desperate For Some 5 Real Wives’ Lives

The New Supermom When Mommies and 7 11 Tweets Collide

1 Letter from the Editor

“natural” place. Our articles will address a cial position of women have made it possible for number of issues that today face: women to choose alternative routes than familial happiness, representation in the media, life. or cleaning does not define being a and even political rhetoric surrounding their ; instead it is about doing what is best occupation. Gender roles and social stigma still for you, or your family, or both. So why is this surround and influence what it means to be a not seen as valuable work? Feminists have made housewife. Our writers challenged themselves the argument that women should be paid for the to think outside the box, and we hope you are housework. Others disagree. One economist, up to the challenge too. Dougas. W Allen, argues the traditional approach We found ourselves asking about the to discussing the value of housework is flawed. As summer finds its way back into our wayst tha are represented in the media. In his journal article, “A Better Method for As- lives, so too does the overbearing heat, sounds From The Real Housewives of Orange County sessing the Value of “Housewife” Service,” Allen of children on summer-break, and the ringing to kitchen appliance TV advertisements, we arguest tha to compare housework with that of ice cream trucks. Our lives become packed foundt tha our view of mothers in the media contribute to the market is to “miss the point of into longer days of humidity and sun-screened is limited. As Mothers’ Day comes and go, we .” He continues, “Marriage, as an insti- sweat.e W here at FEMZINE have been hard reflected on why it is so problematic to view tution, is designed to produce aset of goods that at work producing an issue that will hopefully mothers in such a constricting way. Our articles the market does not produce.” We cannot think provide you with relief from the responsibili- willh touc upon our own mothers too. We view of work in the home in the same way we think of ties of , family, and whatever else it is that ours as much more than -rearing work in the workplace because marriage/part- occupies your day-to-day living. This issue is all individuals: they are our superheroes, our thera- nershipse ar a separate institution altogether, about housewives, and our aim this issue is to pists, our teachers. We hope you come to think that produces a separate set of “goods.” challenge you. We want to challenge how you of your mothers in many different ways too. I recently stumbled upon a blog think about housewives. We want to challenge What makes this issue so special is called “Off Beat Mama” where a contributor you to rethink what a good housewife does. We how close to home it will hit for many of you. named Narasha Pinterics blogged about be- want to challenge you to think about who can Whether you are male or female, child-rearing ing a “feminist housewife.” Pinterics rejects the be a housewife. This issue’s theme is all about and managing a family is one of the hardest word housewife or homemaker altogether, even the joys and downfalls of being a housewife (or journeys you will undertake in your life. From though she is a stay at home mom. Pinterics maybe even a househusband). balancing a career to balancing time, raising a hass a master in Gender Studies and does not The topic of housewives is oftentimes family and being a mother or requires identify with these terms because “[they] are so left out of feminist discourse because the oc- persistence and patience. Our issue and articles loaded with patriarchal bullshit that I can barely cupation is dismissed as being anti-feminist. We emphasize the important of choice and flexibil- utter them in any seriousness, much less use want to break this . Talk about house- ity.ty Wha ma work as a family structure for one them to describe myself or what I do.” We here wives. While they might not contribute to our familyy ma not work for another. Our identifica- at FEMZINE want to challenge the notion that capitalist economy in a traditional way, house- tion as feminists should force us to think outside the word housewife implies an occupation that wives provide valuable and irreplaceable work. of the traditional roles that women have his- is not serious. We want to reject the notion that Many of you will be or are housewives. Many torically been boxed into. in The being a housewife is not a serious because it of e you ar tired of the portrayal of housewives Feminine Mystique first described the trouble is our “natural” role to be a caretaker. Describe in the media. Many of you consider yourselves that educated women faced when they were yourselfy an label you’d like. Homemaker. Stay supermoms without ever stepping foot into a forced to be stay at home mothers. Constrained at home mom. Stay at home dad. Housewife. kitchen.et W a FEMZINE are too. Our mission to a routine life, Friedan articulated what many Caretaker. Whatever you call yourself, do it with ist to suppor your individual mission: whether women thought but couldn’t say. And we want a t power tha rejects the stereotype. Do it with your task is shuffling kids around to school and to continue in this tradition: our articles are re- the power knowing that you are doing what is from sports games, or shuffling papers at the of- flective of the continued struggle to give women best for yourself, for your family, for your chil- fice. more choices so they can attain fulfillment and dren. As Freidan writes, “It is no longer possible We began our issue by asking our- happiness. toet ignor tha voice, to dismiss the desperation selves:t Wha does it mean to be a housewife? Friedan quotes a New York Times arti- ofy so man American women” (165). Consider Our introspection and research revealed that clet tha describes the problem of unhappy wom- this your call to power. while feminists have made progress for women, en:y the were “deeply frustrated at times by the our ideas about what makes a good mother lack of privacy, the physical burden, the routine Sincerely, and wife remains suspended in time. This issue of , family life the confinement of it” (Kolmar & hopes to make progress on how we view house- Bartkowski, 165). Fortunately, strides in the so- wives and to challenge ideas about a ’s Tram Ha 2 Tram Ha

Desperate for Some Real Wives’ Lives A Commentary on Voyeurism in “Real Housewives”

By Maddie Goldman mates have no social limitations. In an episode of thaty not onl does it encourage the fame of its Real Housewives of , two of the cast- participants, but reveals the utter fascination of Childish quips. Nudity and debauchery. Cat mates, Teresa Guidice and Danielle Staub, while America’s viewers with the lives of wealthy peo- fights on Fifth Avenue. Reality TV’s play on hu- at dinner were engaged in a heated discussion ple, whether as an outlet for humor, voyeurism, mor reaches a new level with the Real House- that eventually lead to Danielle telling Teresa or national reverent. wives, a series of separate shows that take place off for her ignorance by yelling, “Pay attention! How does Real Housewives stray from depict- in different wealthy communities across the Puh-lease!” Teresa then responded in fit of rage ing housewife expectations that have stemmed country. The shows delve into the lives of several that went as far as flipping a table at Danielle, all from ages of patriarchal influence and gender affluent women and their and friends. the while spitting out swears and insults. Looks norms? Is there value to be seen in the indepen- Beyond the extravagance and glamour however, like someone needs to up her Xanax medica- dent, frivolous lives of these women? And how thew sho has ironic fallacies that renders it un- tion. Or perhaps in Real Housewives of Orange does Real Housewives captivate viewers with its able to portray the “reality” of suburbia behind County when one housewife, Tamra Barney, aura of mockery and parody? The conception of closed doors. hosted a party and invited another cast-mate, housewife, developed in the early and mid-20th The title of the show alone is enough to stir a , whom she knew disparaged her century, hinted themes of “conformity, banal- chuckle. The majority of the characters do ev- name to the media. During the party the two ity, and stifling domesticity” (Chocano 1). Early erything but housework. The show depicts get into a frenzied fight that resulted in a letter feminist documents such as those written by women in wealthy, suburban and urban environ- from Tamra’s attorney being thrown in Jeana’s Mary Wollstonecraft in the 1700s, discusses the ments, with an agenda that is so superficial that face and champagne being tossed everywhere. unspoken tyranny of men over women within you begin to wonder if they even have a house Research has revealed that there is a secretive the . Wollstonecraft writes that wom- ore kids to tak care of at the end of the day. They drive to watch reality TV that “best separate[s] ene “ar rendered weak and luxurious by the re- spend their days shopping and pampering them- the regular viewers of from laxing pleasures that wealth procures… they are selves, going out to brunch and drinking expen- everyone else” (Reiss and Wiltz 1): it is the cre- made slaves to their persons, and must render sive bottles of champagne. Some of the women ation of an accessible portal into a world of fame them alluring that man may lend them his reason onw the sho are not even married. Thus, both and recognition, despite the fact that, in many to guide their tottery steps aright” (Kolmar and the words “house” and “wife” are entirely dele- shows’ cases, it may be for the wrong reasons. Bartkowski 63). Not much has changed from gitimized within the title. Let alone the word Steven Reiss, a professor at Ohio State Univer- the housewife back then to the housewife now. “real”, when the lives of these rich women are sity, e stated “w think we are important if others Showsh suc as Real Housewives have manipulat- anything but representative of suburban house- pay attention to us and unimportant if ignored” ed this societal association into the lavish lives of wives trying to survive in the unstable economy. (1). In the case of Real Housewives, viewers these women. The term “housewife” is now “just But perhaps all of these ironies are all part of the enthusiastically watch the documented lives of as likely to evoke extravagance, indulgence and producers plan. these “normal” women; women that they may freedom as it is domestic servitude” (Chocano The women cast in Real Housewives can hardly aspire, to be or they may be able to picture re- 1). Real Housewives has taken this new meaning call themselves grown women. Stuck in the ju- placing in the next season. The sheer size of the ofm the ter and manipulated the role into an “oc- venile stage of drama and immaturity, the cast- audience of reality TV viewers is so immense cupation” of luxury and independence, straying 4 far away from the realities of being an everyday homemaker. These women have been casted for their utter incompetence and lack of maturity because the producers desire to cast women who do not fit into society’s molded, housewife norm. The characters and their flashy lives get a rise out of viewers, which is what the producers want. However, possibly the most valuable qual- ity of Real Housewives is that while the lives of these women can be humiliating to other wom- en, it can also be agreed that through watching the banality of their arguing and competition, thew sho reminds us women of the competition we once (and still do) face between one another as housewives. Whereas Real Housewives enter- tains us with the “friendly” rivalry between the women over , houses, cars, wealth, and functional or dysfunctional families, our history still mocks us for our participation in the com- petition present within our own lives. Whether it is through the purchasing Good Housekeep- ing or Martha Stewart Living Magazine, hosting luncheons or book group gatherings, house- wivese ar all competing with each other to cre- ate and maintain the ideal, comfortable life to be envied and resented. Perhaps it is not the lives of these women that we should be laughing at, but our own. q The Real Housewives of Orange County, Tamra and Jaena argue at a dinner party.

the real housewives?

Teresa from Real Housewives of New Jersey flips a table at Danielle over dinner.

5 The New Supermom 164). “It can be less painful for a woman not to and family or parenting, the comparison favored hear the strange, dissatisfied voice stirring with- part-time work over full-time or not working” in her,” wrote Friedan. “It is no longer possible (APA). toet ignor tha voice, to dismiss the desperation Buehler, although concluding that the best situ- ofy so man women” (Friedan, 165). After the ation for mothers was to work part-time, also release of the book, ideas about women’s role foundt tha “in many cases the well-being of in the house began to change. Women began to moms working part-time was no different from work, and it became more accepted. moms working full time.” The study does not The media has been slow to respond to this shift, address the happiness of mothers when other ass Ripa’ advertisement, and many others like it optionse ar considered, such as: woman works show. However in 2010, a woman named Kath- part-time and man works full time; woman erine Wintsch started a think tank called the works part-time and man works part-time; Mom Complex to try and change that. The goal woman works full time and man works part- of the Mom Complex is to represent mothers time; and woman works full time and man stays more realistically in advertisements. The think home. Even though part-time and full-time tankt is par of The Martin Agency, a prominent working mothers did not have a significant dis- advertising agency. Wintsch found that many parity in happiness, the researchers in the study By Charlotte Allyn women, including herself, felt misunderstood still concluded that a mother would rather be and misrepresented by advertisements. In an home for some hours of the day in order to have A supermom is a woman who is successfully em- interview with Forbes Magazine, Wintsch noted less conflict between work life and home life. ployed, raises her children and still has time to that the idea of “supermom” was quickly fading The Mom Complex, as well as other advertise- do all of the housework in her home. Not only in , real life but persisted in advertising. Wintsch ments,e ar working to portray moms more re- does a supermom represent a modern, work- believest tha there is an evolution happening in alistically on television, but are they considering ing woman, but she still hasn’t given up the how women want to be seen and portrayed as every type of mom? The researchers still assume very traditional ideals of motherhood: cook- mothers (Goudreau). These moms do not want thats mother must have a central role in house- ing,, cleaning and the one in charge of domestic to be idolized in spotless kitchens, they wish to work and child rearing to be happy, even when tasks. Television advertisements show women be portrayed realistically. The Mom Complex the results conclude that full-time mothers can whoe ar supermoms. In an advertisement for has made progress working to portray mothers be as happy. While the Mom Complex tries to Electrolux appliances, Kelly Ripa, a TV actress, more realistically in advertisements for large represent “supermoms” in a more realistic light, is shown running out of her job at the televi- companies such as Walmart. theye ar not addressing every type of woman. A sion studio and going home to cook dinner not The Mom Complex was created to “supermom” is a mother who does what is best only for her kids but also for a dinner party for showt tha women are happier when they find for her family. And sometimes what is best for her friends. She works, cooks, cleans, and keeps fulfillment from other areas in their lives be- her family, and her own happiness, would be to everyone happy. And Ripa appears incredibly sides their spotless kitchens. A recent study, work full-time. She can also work part-time, content managing her job and household duties. published in 2011 in the Journal of Family Psy- likey m mother when we were growing up. It But why, after years of women fighting for more chology, found that mothers with jobs are hap- is an injustice to supermoms everywhere that egalitarian household roles, is Ripa (and other pier than women who are stay-at-home moms have a different family structure to assume that women on television) still represented in a lim- (Buehler and Obrien, 904). The study, called portraying women in advertisements as “less ited way? “Mothers’ Part-Time : Associa- perfect” is enough. Supermoms are everywhere. I consider my own mother a super- tions With Mother and Family Well-Being,” by The evolution of representation needs to be mom. She was a supermom not because she did Cheryl Buehler and Marion O’Brien, found continued. q everything, but because she did what was best thats mother who worked part-time were not for our family. And what was best for our family only happier than stay at home mothers but also was for both her and my father to work, and to reported more involvement in their children’s work together take care of us. In Kelly Ripa’s lives and home life than mothers who worked Electrolux advertisement, her was no- full. time The study began in 1991 and included where to be seen. In my family, my dad would be interviews of 1,364 mothers. These interviews as present around the Electrolux as my mom. began right after the birth of their child. Fol- Thet idea tha women could only find happiness low-up interviews and observations of happi- through housework was first challenged in the ness and well-being were conducted in a time early 1960s in Betty Friedan’s book The Femi- spane of mor than 10 years, and then analyzed. nine Mystique. Called “The Problem that has No The American Psychological Association, which Name,” Friedan identified an uneasiness and un- sponsors the journal, reported that Buehler not- happiness in housewives across America, many ed “In all cases with significant differences in ma- who felt a sense of incompleteness (Friedan, ternal well-being, such as conflict between work 6 Sweeter Than Sweet Frozen Pies

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answer some of my questions about his experi- after moving back to Portland and becoming a encesy as a sta at home dad, and his experiences stayt a home dad again because I wanted to show blogging about it. that I was a good parent and intentional and not some out-of-work father babysitting his kids What do you like best about being a while looking for work. stay at home dad? Do you feel that you face any scru- tiny or judgment from mothers you Ie think I lik the fact that I get to be there with know who stay at home with their the boys as they discover so much. To be in the children? classrooms and playgrounds while they learn andy pla is a lot of fun and I want to have that Early on I did feel that judgment and I think it role in their lives. maye be ther sometimes, but I also think I was hypere sensitiv and somehow projecting what I What are the biggest challenges? thought some mom’s reactions would be. I have James Rohl is a stay-at-home dad in Portland, found some moms are standoffish with me at Oregon. Rohl decided to start a blog to share This biggest challenges to being a stay at home the parks and coffee houses until they see the hisy dail adventures as a stay at home dad, and dade ar the same as any profession I think. There boys and me a couple of times. My kids are re- also to record what it feels like to occupy a role ally great and while I think that has little to do thaty not man other take part in, but a with me staying home, it helps lending me some rolet tha is growing in popularity. In an article parental credibility with the moms. in titled “Stay-at-home Dadse ar finding it’s not Such a Bad Place to Be,” What, to you, does an egalitarian author Krista Jahnke writes that “The goal for household look like? most families is to evolve to a place where both parents flourish in their roles.” Rohl and his wife Things aren’t ever going to be equal when it do just that. comes to the household but I think knowing In the “About” section of his blog, Rohl writes, your partner and what their strengths and weak- “what will continue here in this space is our sto- nessese ar helps frame the conversation about ry.” Rohl uses his blog to share this story, which who does what. To me an egalitarian household continues to change and evolve. Rohl and his ise one wher each person is valued and treated wife decided that he “was the one that was - with respect and the roles that are filled come ter suited to be at home. It was an easy decision from knowing the person not from expected oncee w talked about wanting one of us to be at gender or age roles. home.” But the job has come with its challenges, and Rohl uses his blog to discuss the impact of are days when the grass looks greener or ques- What is your advice for young these challenges in addition to the joys that he tionsy of m effectiveness come up and I think people who are planning families who want to consider other options records. I e would lik to do something else, but those besides adhering to traditional gen- In one post, Rohl describes on pre-school meet- thoughtse ar quickly gone when I hold them up der roles? ings he attends, where he is often the only male. to what I have. The language at these meetings is often “all My advice is to have honest conversations with Why did you decide to start a blog about capable moms and goof ball dads.” Rohl about it? your partner or support system. I think that thinkst tha in some ways, “parenting has become family roles should be worked out and not ex- the last stand for women.” He writes that he is I originally started writing when we found out pected and sometimes they are going to break “cool” with that, but he’s ready to challenge the my wife was pregnant the first time and I had downw ho you may have expected and other generalizations that come along with it: “when recently moved away from friends and family. I times you will be surprised by where the con- you’re ready to put the down and wanted to keep them up to date and to somehow versations lead. Even if you think you know the talk parent to parent I would love to swap tod- get the feelings I was having down for myself as answers the questions are worth exploring. Both dler strategies with you,” he writes. Rohl is ef- well. I suppose I wanted people to think I could my wife and I have had time being the at home fectively using the internet not only to spread tell things in a clever way too if I’m honest. We parent and time being the , and his message about putting down these stereo- lostty tha bab and the blog became about that the empathy and understanding that comes from types, but also is normalizing the role of being a loss and then about rehabbing an old home in knowingt wha the other is experiencing is so stayt a home dad by spreading his message across Indianapolis until we were pregnant again. That helpful. the blogosphere world. Rohl took the time to blog has been retired and I started a new one 8 Do you think your children view Do you think the internet is a good In “Third Wave Manifesta” from Mani- gender roles differently than other space for shaping and changing per- festa, Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards children? ceptions about gender? have a thirteen-point agenda, with point 12 be- I think our boys do view gender roles a little dif- Yes. and no The internet is great place to share ingo “T acknowledge that, although feminists ferently because we are intentional about con- ideas and learn about all sort of great things and may have disparate values, we share the same fronting them. it is a place of vile hatred and anonymous com- goal of equality” (Baumgarner and Richards, ments. I still think the best place for changing 522). By challenging the gender roles, men like What ideas about gender roles do perceptions is the local parks, coffee shops, and Rohle ar doing feminist work too. Rohl is mak- you hope they gain? schools. I can write a post about and ing steps toward equality by being in the park they Sta At Home Dad but I’m mostly preaching with his children. In his interview, Rohl empha- Iy hope the know that anyone can fill any role in to the choir of a self selecting group that already sized the importance of communication with his a family and in life in general and that they not valuest a home dads and sees them strong par- spouse. It is clear that for Rohl, is not only realize that in their lives but that they fight ents rather than lazy men. I think more minds just about personal action, but also about the for it in their communities. are expanded day after day at the preschool partnership between himself and his wife. Rohl uses his blog as a space to tell his story, but Do you think for women who stay when those parents that have written me off as at home is it “less” of a choice than half a man or somehow less than have to con- believest tha his true activism takes place in his men who stay home with their kids? tinually confront the reality of the engaged and daily. life His “activism” is his lifestyle. He is fo- capable parent in front of them. cused not just on his own life but also his impact While I do think more men have had the chance on the community, as evidenced in his hope that to choose to be at home there are more dads that his own boys will grow up to challenge gender arew home no because of lost jobs. While the “I think I was hyper- norms not only in their own lives but also in numberst of a home dads are still low there is a whatever places they end up. As Baumgardner growing population of men that aren’t exactly sensitive and some- and Richards wrote in the “Feminist Manifesto,” choosing this role. For a long time there wasn’t “feministsy ma have disparate values” (Baumgar- a choice for women to make and any time a role how projecting what ner and Richards, 523), but they are all working is put upon you instead of chosen it is going to toward equality. Rohl writes, “This is the job I be a harder time. I think there are a lot of fami- I thought some mom’s want, the one I am good at, and the one that best liest tha haven’t had the conversation about what reactions would be” serves our family.” q they would each like to do and when expecta- tion trumps choice the role is constricting.

9

When Mommies and Tweets Collide By Maddie Goldman American women because she married into a in the labor force can be viewed in terms of the On April 11th of this year, Democratic strate- wealthy, affluent family and therefore never had comparison between her value of time in the ab- gisty Hilar Rosen tweeted on her page to obtain any amount of income of her own. sence of market opportunities and her potential that , wife of Republican presiden- The fight between and Ann Rom- wage rate” (635). Gronau says that due to an in- tial candidate, , had “never worked ney represents a long-standing “mommy war” crease in family income on the husband’s part, ay da in her life” because of her choice to be a between mothers who stay at home to take “the demand for both wife’s leisure and home stay-at-home mother. She continued her argu- care of their kids, and mothers who exert their goods” becomes necessary, and the wife “drops ment on Twitter on the same day, again tweet- “independence” by being the breadwinner for out of the labor market altogether” (640). ing, “[Ann] never had to care for her kids AND their family. The main controversy behind Feminist discourse applies an alternative view earn a paycheck like MOST American women” “mommy wars” is that there is no possible way on working women and their relationships with (@hilaryr). Rosen’s comment comes from a for women to universally agree on who is the their husbands. Crystal Eastman, a journalist longy histor of part-time and full-time employ- better mother—the stay at home mother or the fromy the earl 20th century, writes about the ment throughout various jobs and industries. “despair of feminist housewives” (Kolmar and Her comments also hint at a strong view of “[Ann] never had Bartkowski 121). She claims that while “a grow- “work” in its most traditional sense—by being a to care for her kids ing number of men admire the woman who has contributor to society outside the home, despite a job,” the “bread-winning wives have not yet the t fact tha she herself is a mother of two chil- AND earn a pay- developed home-making husbands” (121). East- dren.s Rosen’ current work is at a Democratic check like MOST man argues that women are valued for their con- communications firm as well as working inde- tribution in the work force outside the home, pendently for her interests for corporations such American women” bute ar subjected to a cultural double-standard working mother. There is no way to devalue a as CNN. wherey the are expected to equally contribute mother who devotes her hours to maintaining Immediately following her Twitter posting, to work inside the home, work that is labeled as the household and raising children while the fa- Rosen’s comment was vastly criticized. Repub- thes wife’ domain and cannot be taken care of by ther obtains the family income, just as there is lican Senator Kelly Ayotte (New Hampshire) a stay-at-home husband. no way to discredit a woman who works, pos- claimed Rosen was the “president’s adviser”, and Later in the day on April 11th, Rosen clarified sibly because she has no other means of income statedt tha it was “insulting [that she] would dis- the meaning behind her original tweet with and no other choice but to work. Housewives miss the value of… the hard work women do severalw ne ones on Twitter, saying that she has and working mothers suffer from lack of under- in raising children” (Kucinich and Moore 1). “nothing against Ann Romney. I just don’t want standing of one another due to opposing socio- Republican Representative Cynthia Lummis Mitt using her as an expert on women struggling economic standpoints. While Rosen’s comment (Wyoming) argued that Rosen was being used as $t to suppor their family. She isn’t” (@hilaryr). expresses the concern of electing a First Lady a “surrogate women” to deliver such a message She also publically announced her apology on who lacks an understanding of working women, from President Obama so that he could “deliver television after appearing on CNN several times it is also ignorant of Ann Romney’s commitment himself for fear of the backlash” (Kucinich and throughout the controversy, revoking her state- toe her “fiv children, three or four houses and Moore 1). The comment was so ment to “Ann Romney and anyone controversial because it disrepute else who was offended,” should Romney for her choice to stay “declare peace in this phony war at, home and insinuated that all andk go bac to focus on the sub- women’s work within the home stance” (Kucinich & Moore 1). shouldn’t have any value, unlike While this so-called “war” be- that of women working outside tween Democrats and Republi- the. home The tweet ignited a cans, Rosen and Romney, may be feud between the two women as over, the implications of her com- Anny Romne defended her crucial ment still linger. Rosen’s tweet is role as a housewife and mother of muche mor than a personal jab five children, despite her family’s at Ann Romney; it is symbolic of wealth. It is no secret that Mitt they binar being forced between Romney is a multimillionaire, his housewives and working mothers, assets gained through a “dizzying array of invest- two Cadillacs” (Hirshman 1). Raising a family of and can be interpreted as hurtful, demeaning, ments” including “banks, large investment man- five children alone is hard work. and demoralizing. Hilary Rosen’s tweet gives agement firms, foreign export credit corpora- In The American Economic Review, author Reu- leeway into the ignorance of women towards tions and real estate” (“Mitt Romney Worth” ben Gronau (The Intrafamily Allocation of Time: ones another’ social and economic perspectives 1). While Mitt Romney worked his way up in The Value of the Housewives’ Time) discusses and creates hope for a new form of discourse ranking and income through talent and tactic, putting value on the housewife’s work, writing that envelops perspectives across the board and Rosen’s comment stems from a long line of a that the “wife’s decision whether to participate seeks to no longer discredit certain groups of criticism towards Ann Romney, arguing that women for the lifestyle choices they choose, or Anny Romne may have trouble relating most 11 are forced, to make. q Bibliography

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Kolmar, Wendy K., and Frances Bartkowski. “.” Feminist Theory: A Reader. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Pub., 1999. 162-65. Print.

Pinterics, Natasha. “Yes, I Am a Feminist Housewife.” Redefine Family. Off Beat Mama, 02 Mar. 2010. Web. 15 May 2012. .

Desperate for some real wives lives Chocano, Carina. “’Housewives,’ Rebranded”. . Nytimes.com. 18 November 2011. Web. 13 May 2012.

Kolmar, Wendy K. and Frances Bartkowski. Feminist Theory: A Reader. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.

Reiss, Steven and James Wiltz. “Why America Loves Reality TV.” Psychology Today. 1 September 2001. Web. 13 May 2012.

The New Supermom

Buehler, Cheryl and O’Brien, Marion. “Mothers’ Part-Time Employment: Associations With Mother and Family Well-Being,” Journal of Family Psychology, Vol. 25, Is Issue 6.

Friedan, Betty. “The Problem that Has No Name.” Feminist Theory. Ed. Wendy K. Komar and Frances Bartkowski. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 162-167. Print.

Goudreau, Jenna. “Wal-Mart’s Mom in Chief Targets Millenial Mothers.” Forbes Magazine. 27 January 2011. Web. 12 May 2012.

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When Mommies and tweets collide

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Rosen, Hilary (hilaryr). “I’ve nothing against @AnnRomney. I just don’t want Mitt using her as an expert on women struggling $ to support their family. She isn’t.” 11 April 2012. 8:09 p.m. Tweet.

Rosen, Hilary (hilaryr). “When I said @AC360 Ann Romney never worked I meant she never had to care for her kids AND earn a paycheck like MOST American women! #Truth.” 11 April 2012. 7:55 p.m. Tweet.

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