Recently I went out to the movies to see the new hit comedy “Bad Moms” starring Mila Kunis, Kristin Bell, Christina Applegate, and many other strong female performers. I always love seeing a good comedy that has a female cast that can raise awareness about feminism. The movie itself is not political but subtly points out the preconceived notions society has about women that are just flat out unnecessary. We are all guilty of viewing mothers as the glue that holds a household together. Moms are notoriously strong people who would do anything for their family. That should not mean that moms are expected to do everything and expected to be perfect and have it all figured out all the time. Moms make mistakes too and that’s ok!
“Bad Moms” aims to point out these stereotypes and prove how ridiculous it is to be anything but a feminist. Here are just a few examples of how these amazing women prove girls just want to make mistakes, live their lives, and be treated as a human rather than judged by their gender.
Kiki
Kristen Bell plays a mother who does not seem to have it all figured out. The other moms on the PTA judge her, she has no friends, and her children are far from being angels. The worst part about her life though is that being a housewife is her “job” and her husband is her “boss”. When she finally meets other strong independent women she is inspired but her husband constantly imposes himself and attempt to control her every move. Her relationship flips completely leaving her in the driver seat and her husband doing the housework and managing the children for once.
Working Women
Mila Kunis plays a mother who works for a very hip coffee company and is more driven, qualified, and hard working than any of her coworkers and she’s only part time! Eventually she takes matters into her own hands and makes them realize how important she is to the company. Many of the mothers in the movie judge her for being a working mom and look down on her rather than admiring her for “doing it all”. This proves how underappreciated women can be in the workplace and how other women feel the need to compete or judge women who have an occupation rather than staying home with the children all day. Both stay at home mothers and working mothers have difficult jobs the point is, is that nobody should ever be judged without getting to know the entire person. Your gender or your job should not define you or your capabilities.
The (Hot) Widowed Dad
There are very few male roles in this film; however, the hot widowed dad makes a huge statement for feminism. He is essentially a hard working “mom” like all of the other women which sets an equal playing field. All of the women admire him so much for “doing it all” simply because he is a man. This is a call for women to support one another rather than tearing each other down.
The “Slutty” Mom
Kathryn Hahn plays Carla, a single mom who all of the other moms are threatened by. Her free spirit, promiscuous behavior, and overall not caring about what anyone else thinks, allows her an empowerment that most of the other women lack. Once they learn to embody some of her characteristics of freedom and letting go of all fear of judgments, they allow themselves to take control and gain the power they always deserved.
The truth is male or female sometimes we seem to have it all together but often times we really don’t. Being a mother is one of the most difficult jobs on the planet so if you have a mother you should appreciate everything she has done because it is not easy. This film literally scream to women everywhere “TREAT YO’ SELF”, as in take a day off, have another glass of wine, don’t make your kids breakfast everyday, and stand up for other women because we are all in this struggle together. This is an absolutely hilarious movie filled with sweet sentiment and deeper messages that everyone needs to be hearing. It is definitely a must see this year!
