As you may imagine, the feisty feminists of Rebellious Magazine have had a lot to say about Mother’s Day over the years, from celebrating its history — and mourning its commodification — to marking why it’s an important time to talk about abortion.
Here are a few of our faves that have resonated most with readers and reflect the complicated relationship we have with the holiday . . . and our moms. We hope you enjoy! And if you’d like to support an organization that provides resources to mothers, consider shopping with our advertising partner Bright Endeavors, the social enterprise of Chicago nonprofit New Moms.
We Need to Talk About Abortion on Mother’s Day and Every Day
This is a photograph of me on Mother’s Day in 2007. I was at a restaurant dining with my then-fiancé’s family. The waiter came around to pass out roses to mothers. I told him I wasn’t a mother, but he gave me one anyway. That rose, held to my nose, the petals so delicate. The…
Mother Lovers
Confession: I decided on the headline Mother Lovers for this month’s letter almost entirely so I’d have an excuse to link to this video. And a fun fact: Anna Jarvis, the woman who organized the first modern Mother’s Day celebration in America, eventually became so disgusted by its commercialization that she denounced it. In fact,…
Current event: Mother’s Day, blerg
How a day founded as a badass anti-war protest designed to give voice to peace-advocating mothers has turned into a brunch and manicure festival remains a confounding mystery to me. While I have no strong feelings against celebrating Mothers Day (or brunch. I do hate manicures though), I have, at best, apathy. The main reason…
Review: Four Movies For Mother’s Day
By its very nature, motherhood is the be-all and end-all of humanity. Moms mark the start of everyone’s story! As such, here’s a handful of mom-related movies (in alpha order) to watch on Mother’s Day. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (2023) Directed and written by Kelly Fremon CraigBased on the same-named bestseller, this…
A Love Letter to Dads About Mother’s Day; tl;dr: Don’t F*ck This Up
This content is brought to you by Chicago Super Sitters, the city’s largest and most prestigious babysitting agency. Mother’s Day has existed for 118 years and yet its arrival still seems to surprise some dads out there. Instead of buying your man a calendar, or resenting him on Monday, slide these tips into his DMs,…
