All the Ways We Surveil Motherhood

When I first heard about Hannah Zeavin’s new book, Mother Media: Hot and Cool Parenting in the Twentieth Century, I knew it Culture Study material. Historicizing the intersection between tech and motherhood (and how surveillance affects mothers and changes parenting norms which leads to more surveillance)… that’s some Culture Study shit. I’m thrilled that Hannah Zeavin — whose work so compellingly crosses the lines of media history and history of psychology — agreed to come on the pod (and that she was such a dynamic and engaging co-host).

If you’re skeeved out by breastfeeding discourse, if you’ve ever been a childcare provider (for your own children or others’) and resent the threat of cameras, if you feel so deeply ambivalent about the nanny cam… this episode will take you to places that make all of this surveillance “make sense” (which is very different from making it feel better). I can’t wait for your thoughts on this one.

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Show Notes:

• I hope it’s clear that I’m obsessed with Mother Media. It’s pretty academic but if that’s not intimidating (for whatever reason) I strongly recommend it (and you can buy it here).

• Learn more about Hannah Zeavin and her work here

• You can read Ray Bradbury’s The Veldt in its entirety here (originally published in the Saturday Evening Post, wild!)

• The International Nanny Association’s official guidance about nanny cams

• Some of my favorite books by the great family scholar Stephanie Coontz

• Citing some research about Dr. Spock’s infant sleeping advice and SIDS

• Dorothy Roberts’ work on how the child welfare system destroys black families

• My favorite rebuttal of Jonathan Haidt’s Anxious Generation

• If you’re not familiar with Emily Oster’s ParentData (and a sharp piece on the optimization of parenting/Oster’s style of parenting advice)

• Viviana A. Zelizer’s classic, Pricing the Priceless Child

• Richard Beck’s book on the satanic/moral panic of the ‘80s

• Madeline Lane-McKinley’s work on child liberation

We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:

• Gwyneth Paltrow (with the author of the new juicy bio)

• Birding Culture!

• Male Grievance Culture and Its Connection to Climate Change Denial (this is a real thing, ask us questions!)

• Hoarding Culture / How to Navigate Hoarders in Your Life

• Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)

• Food Trends (like, what are you seeing on the menu in all the restaurants? Why are people pushing this particular ingredient or prep in their recipes???)

• Baseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)

• Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!

• As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) here

For this week’s discussion: how have you seen surveillance of motherhood (and its ramifications) in your own life? (You don’t have to be a mother yourself to answer this, OBVIOUSLY)

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