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

Background - One of the primary populations encountered by social workers is young mothers. Traditionally, these mothers developed their maternal identity through intergenerational heritage within their families and communities. However, in the digital age, social networks, particularly Instagram, play a significant role. Through celebrity mothers, Instagram spreads the ideology of 'Intensive Motherhood,' which emphasizes a strict separation between the public and private spheres in which mothers operate. According to this ideology, mothers should dedicate all their resources to raising their children while neglecting their personal needs. It promotes an ideal of perfect motherhood, encompassing a system of values, norms, and practices. While it praises and glorifies the role of motherhood, in practice, it sets expectations and standards of perfection that are unattainable for most mothers.

Research Objective – The research aims to map how the aforementioned ideologies are presented in the publications of celebrity mothers.

Research Question - 1) What representations of motherhood are depicted in the profiles of Israeli celebrity mothers on Instagram? 2) What ideologies regarding motherhood are expressed in the publications of Israeli celebrities?

Method- 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 analyzed using two methods: feminist-critical discourse analysis and netnography.

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

Conclusions - The study found that celebrities predominantly depicted motherhood one-dimensionally, reinforcing the prevailing values of the new motherhood ideology. However, some representations offered a more nuanced perspective, expressing a range of emotions and practices. These portrayals unveiled the complexities of celebrity motherhood and challenged dominant norms. Social workers should be aware of the influence of social networks, particularly Instagram, on the development of maternal identity, as well as the impacts of family and community dynamics.