‘Mama’ vs. ‘Mom’: Is ‘mama’ the new maternal endearment of 2017?
‘Mom’; ‘mommy’; ‘mama’ – what’s in a name?
‘Mom’; ‘mommy’; ‘mama’ – what’s in a name?
A lot, apparently.
It seems that in the mommy sphere in the West, ‘mama’ is increasingly gaining traction as the popular maternal term to use.
This is in part thanks to celebrities, such as ultimate holistic celebrity mom Alicia Silverstone, and global companies that have now made the word a part of their branding, spawning a slew of ‘mama’ variations with positive, nurturing connotations. Think “Wellness Mama”… you know the drill.
Interestingly, it was only just a generation ago that “mom” reigned supreme in the West. ‘Mom’ was seen as a far appealing alternative to ‘mama’ or ‘mother’; the former carried class signifiers associated with either fresh-off-the-boat immigrants or fancy and Frenchified (depending on how you say it) whilst the latter felt antiquated and less intimate.
So, why the switch?
2017: In With ‘Mama’, Out with ‘Mommy’
According to Deborah Tannen, Ph.D. Professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University, ‘mama’ sounds “earthy and protective”, “strong, authoritative, yet warm”. On the other hand, ‘mom’ has somewhat evolved to become fraught with negative associations: ‘soccer mom’, ‘alpha mom’, ‘Tiger mom’, ‘teen mom’. ‘Mommy’ in turn sounds too infantised.
This turnaround in the popularity of using ‘mama’ in the West might surprise the bulk of us here in Asia. Mama is a traditional old-school maternal term in many Asian communities. One might even argue that the opposite is true in Asia: modern Asian mothers typically shirk the traditional ‘mama’ for ‘mom’ or ‘mommy’.
While there are those that have pulled out the cultural appropriation card, perhaps the bigger picture is that transition back to ‘mama’ is symbolic of mothers seeking out authenticity and returning back to their roots.
You might think it’s all about the name, but really it’s about how mothers are choosing to assert themselves and define their identity as a mother today in the 21st century. And frankly, you can’t fault that.
Sarah Khan
Photo: Getty Images
