Last night, my husband suggested that we watch the show Cashmere Mafia again. I know he’s trying to be supportive about my transition out of the workforce, and truthfully, I’d be the last person to turn down an offer to watch cheesy girlie shows with her very straight husband.
So I obliged, but as the show progressed, I found myself in a worse mood than before it had started. Cashmere Mafia is nothing more than a perpetuation of the worst possible stereotypes of the struggle between working motherhood and SAHM life – one life I’ve known and one that I’ll be privy to in a few short days.
When I watched the show last week I chuckled at the notion that the ”regular working mom,” Zoe, would have the time or the energy to don a neglige and ask her husband “how would you like your steak done?” as they get into bed after hiring and firing a new nanny. Not only was that line terrible (but one I’ve used jokingly on my husband ever since), but it gives off the impression that not only does this woman have to bust her ass all day in the office, figure out child care (and it appeared her husband did not work) but also come across as a sexy plaything at night. I mean, what working mom has the energy to do that? And don’t get me started on the other working mom caricature, Juliet, who makes Miranda from the Devil Wears Prada look like mother of the year.
But last night’s episode put me over the edge. In the parts of the show that I actually watched, they pitted pitiful Zoe against what appeared to be the SAHM Queen. Decked out in her fancy sweats, making tofu stir fry for her 8 year old, she was the protypical ice princess of the playground. And when the battle of mommy guilt became too much for our working mom heroine, all she had to do was wave a finger and use her work connections to put the SAHM to shame. Even blew her off with a fake “conference call.”
Now I’ve pulled the “I’ve got a conference call” line on many a person that I didn’t feel like talking to, but the way it was presented in the show made me uneasy. It was as if having a conference call to actually attend made her superior to the SAHM cat fight of what moms got to go to the kid’s field trip. Nuh uh, sister. If a working mom pulled that on me when I become an SAHM I’d slap her BlackBerry silly.
I know Hollywood is a stereotyping machine, and this show wasn’t created to take the moral high ground on such issues of working motherhood, but after suffering through two episodes, I’ve just got to wonder if the television writers of America can’t do better than making women on prime time be such vapid losers.
If not, I’m not so sure I want any of them to come back from being on strike. I’d rather watch the women duke it out in real life on American Gladiators than deal with the fake mommy wars concoction of Cashmere Mafia.
Tags: cashmere mafia, abc primetime, mommy wars, stereotypes
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
first off, congratulations on leaving the work force!! what a huge step.
second, about the show – i meant to watch it when it premiered but missed it
when it comes to the media, it’s “2 steps forward and 2 steps back” for us
so now i’m totally behind. thought from what you are saying, maybe it’s
better that i missed it
moms sometimes.
I missed last night (me, skip Project Runway? Um, not for anything!), but was already annoyed after Sunday’s episode. The whole Lucy Liu story line with the fiance leaving after she beat him out for the job because he realized she was career hungry and wouldn’t be at home waiting for him with a martini in hand and a pot roast in the oven. Stereotypes abound in primetime, but you’re right, did they have to cram so many into one show? Too bad. It had such potential.
I watched parts of it, and it’s not really my type of show, especially given my limited time
I do love me some lucy liu though.
to cram all my others in, but to be honest I’d rather laugh at stereotypes
than see my pitiful self on TV
I may have to take a break from you for a while, much like those with
infertility issues can’t read pregnancy blogs (probably good I didn’t even
know about blogs when I was going through that). I am now in full fantasy about staying
home and having lots of babies… if only my husband would get on board.
Why don’t they ever ask anyone who knows anything about mommy guilt to be a consultant for these shows? I’m with you, the stereotypes are utterly annoying and do a disservice to the relationships mothers have with one another.
Oy.
Again, this show totally brings up my point. Why can’t we focus on the commonality of motherhood vs. the things that “separate” us like work outside of the home or not. Cashmere Mafia was good for entertainment value, but not for steering away from the typical television stereotype. It is trying to ride the heels of Sex and the City a little too much for my taste, but I can’t deny that it will most likely find its way onto our television screen in the future. For my husband…you know.
Oh, thank goodness you blogged this. Besides, finding the show BOR-ING, I also agree with each and every one of your opions.
IMO- there is NO “Mommy War” and I really resent mainstream media & entertainment trying to fan the flames of a very personal work:life balance that MOST woman face for commercial profit.
I loved it. You want to talk about stereotypes. Forget about working women. Lets just talk about married women and moms on tv. It’s like when we’re single, we’re on Friends and SATC, and then when we get married and
we’re relegated to Something About Jim. I suppose Desperate Housewives broke that mold in a way, but Cashmere Mafia takes it to a new level by being set in the city versus suburbia. I mean, I can say this in a self-deprecating way cause I live in suburbia, but really, how fabulous can life be in the burbs. And then I guess you could say that Mad About You blazed that trail too, but was A Show about Urban Marrieds. This is a show about fabulous urban
women, in general, and two of them just happen to be married, one with children.
Funny, I was getting my hair cut today and my hairdresser asked me if I’d seen the show – I explained to her that I had not, because…well…I tend to forget such things and don’t have Tivo and such – but, she thought I’d find it amusing; what, with all the mommy warfare going on and all. Sheesh. When are these show people ever going to learn? You want to know what we LIKE to watch and what it’s REALLY like, out there. Just ask a mom. Cashmere? As if!
I was not impressed. It made the women all seem cold heartless evil creatures because they wanted to have it all. The moron who left Lucy Lu because she got the promotion and he didn’t made himself look like an even bigger horse’s butt when he went on about how he thought he would win and she would drown herself in the wedding plans. For the love of God could that have been more stereotypical?
I do have to admit that Juliet’s line to her husband during the benefit was inspired. She is willing to hold her marriage together but also willing to let him know that two can play that game.
uuurghh…that is all I can say about that show. Another “Notes from the Underbelly” cheesy disappointment. After seeing one episode of Cashmere Jungle, I am definitely not going to bother in seeing more. Have you checked out Lipstick Jungle yet with Brooke Shields? Or is that out already.
Congrats on decision…I know first hand on what you are going thru. Thank goodness for blogging – there will always be a place to dish out insanities.
MJ
Wow, I look away for almost a year and look what happens! I haven’t checked your site in a while – you have big changes afoot. I say good luck to you. It’s a lot different and you will find the grass greener for a little while, and then it starts to look greener back on the old side.
Ugh. I tivoed the first episode. By the first commercial break I said, “I don’t think we’re going to make it to another episode of this.” My dh said, “I don’t think we’re going to make it through THIS episode.” He was right.