A motherhood movement is sweeping the internet, working to ensure there is a diverse representation of mums on social media.
‘Make Motherhood Diverse’ (MMD) was founded in September 2017 by three women from London, who started to share photos and stories of mothers from all different backgrounds.
They call their campaign an “act of inclusion” and hope to create a “community of acceptance”, so mums who have previously not seen themselves represented on social media feel “less alone”.
Co-founder Candice Brathwaite, 29, said she was initially inspired to start the campaign in May 2017, when she wrote a blog post asking where all the black mothers were on Instagram.
“It was something that had annoyed me for a while,” she told HuffPost UK. “As a young black mother who uses the platform a lot, I often struggled to see myself represented within the theme of motherhood.”
Fast forward to a few months later and Brathwaite (pictured above) saw a Mumsnet thread where women were shaming “Instagram mothers”.
“Bullying tone aside, I noticed how those seen as the most influential all looked alike,” Brathwaite said.
“I took to my Instagram story and discussed how desperately I wanted to see change and quickly spat the #makemotherhooddiverse hashtag out.
“I wasn’t going to do much with it until another mum, Nicola Washington, got in touch and said we could really make something of it.”
After brainstorming, and the addition of a third mum, Sara Gregory, to the team – the women created a website and hashtag that they hope will make motherhood more inclusive, especially on social media.
On Instagram, they let mothers share their own images and stories, and they do not edit the content at all.
Washington (pictured below) told HuffPost UK that the movement is not just about mothers of colour who are feeling unrepresented, but also white mums who “do not fit the middle-class, heteronormative, able-bodied mould”.
Washington added: “We are not against the ‘Instamums’ who fit this description. In fact we are fans of many of them and we’re pleased to see women claiming space for their own and making money to support their families by doing so.
“What we want to see is this version of motherhood being presented truthfully – as part of the picture rather than its whole.”
Washington added: “The thing we are most proud of is the way in which this developing community has already established a welcoming and accepting vibe.
“Many mothers have expressed gratitude to MMD for holding up a mirror to their lives and making them feel less alone, while others have talked about what they have already learned from following the account.”
You can read some of the mothers’ accounts on the social media posts below or go on the Instagram account to read more.