Breastfeeding as the Cornerstone of ‘Good Motherhood’
Discourses and Tensions in the Comments of Spanish Instagram Mums
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14195/2183-5462_48_7Palavras-chave:
Breastfeeding, Motherhood, Intensive motherhood, Instagram, InstamomsResumo
This article analyzes how the ideals of “good motherhood” are reproduced or negotiated in discourses about breastfeeding on Instagram. To do so, we have examined the comments on posts by Spanish content creators who define themselves as maternity prescribers (mumfluencers). Thus, an exploratory qualitative design was adopted, using descriptive content analysis and reflective thematic analysis of 592 comments on 15 posts. The results show a strong promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, which has become a symbolic device and a marker of maternal success, identifying 4 axes of analysis: normalization of guilt and sacrifice, social pressures and contradictions, maternal loneliness and paternal participation, and the professionalization of motherhood. In summary, the comments configure a symbolic space where identities are negotiated, functioning as a peer community, a semi-professional consultation, and a symbolic market mediated by mumfluencers.
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