I’m not your Holy Cow
2020 – Sydney – Australia
Women across the world are encouraged, and often pressured, to breastfeed their children. If a mother decides not to breastfeed for any reason, she is expected to justify her decision, as if she owes an explanation to society, as if her worth as a mother is diminished by that choice.
After becoming mothers, women are elevated to a sacred status, but not in a way that grants them power or autonomy. Instead, they are expected to embody perfection, to be all things to all people. Educated and employed women today are still expected to flawlessly handle household responsibilities and child-rearing, just like their grandmothers did.
Mothers who bear the financial burden of supporting their families are also expected to give endlessly, like a cow providing milk without question or complaint, managing childcare, running the household, and nurturing their children with quiet, tireless devotion.
I am not your sacred cow.
I am not here to serve endlessly,
To provide without limit,
To sacrifice myself at the altar of motherhood.
I am human, Not Your Holy Cow
