Motherhood In Today's Culture

Across races, genders, and media, the story of motherhood is consistently played down whether it be a film, book, or song. Stories can be told in many ways, and these ways are typically referred to as media. Two of the most prominent types of media in today’s culture are films and songs. As time has progressed, these two media have withstood time and have continued to impact our beliefs and knowledge of society. These influences can sometimes be negative. For example, in an essay by Sarah Boxer, “Why Are All the Cartoon Mothers Dead?” the medium of film is used to convey the cultural myth that mothers do not have a significant role in a family and that fathers become very prominent in the family. The other significant medium, song, portrays this cultural myth prominently in the song “Just the Two of Us,” by Will Smith. Two types of media can convey the same cultural myth yet do it in very different forms. Why cultural myths exist is a very broad question that has no concrete answer. Some …show more content…
The myth that with a mother gone, it is all up to the father to be the hero, as well as show how good and tough a father can be. In one of the final verses before the end of the song, Will Smith raps “It’s a full-time job to be a good dad // You got so much more stuff than I had.” These few lines seem minimal but they result in a very large impact to somebody that may be listening. This verse continues to tug at the idea that mothers are people that are not needed because, when in doubt or against all odds, the single father becomes a dominant figure that saves the day, a description that sounds just like a hero. The second part of this verse also shows and almost over-dramatizes the “larger-than-life” ability of a father to: provide an income for his children, be a good father, and be better than any father he