Summary of the Core Content
This article exposes the true nature of labels such as “mommy hips” and “mommy arms”: they are not medical defects but tools of anxiety created by a collusion between patriarchal aesthetics and consumerism. By attaching derogatory prefixes like “mommy” to women’s normal physical characteristics (even healthy ones), these labels not only regulate women’s bodies to fit the ideal standard of being “slim and firm” but also promote consumption of fitness, cosmetic surgery, and body-shaping products, ultimately leading women to a state of self-doubt where they feel their bodies are never good enough.
1. Why Has “Mommy” Become a Synonym for “Ugly”?
The core tactic behind terms like “mommy hips” and “mommy arms” is to associate the word “mommy” with “imperfection.” Why “mommy”? In patriarchal aesthetics, the sexual value of married and pregnant women is diminished—after having children, they are seen from being objects of desire to being caregivers, and their bodies are no longer considered a source of attraction but rather containers that have been used. Even if you’re not a mother, if your figure doesn’t meet the standard of being “firm and slim,” you can be labeled as a “mommy,” implying that you are “flabby, out-of-shape, and unattractive.” For example, Xie Na’s singing performance was criticized for her flat hips, and ordinary mothers’ videos are scrutinized for sagging buttocks; in both cases, the label “mommy” is used to criticize their bodies.
2. Double Standards in Male and Female Aesthetics: Is Men’s Expansion a Sign of Strength, While Women’s Flabbiness a Sin?
Society has completely different standards for men’s and women’s body shapes:
- **Men are expected to be “expansive”: Wide shoulders, thick backs, and even a large belly are tolerated because in primitive societies, men needed strength for hunting and fighting; today, power is also associated with occupying space (emperors’ thrones were large, officials’ palanquins were imposing), so a large belly is at most joked about as “boss-like.”
- **Women are expected to be “constrained”: They must be slim and firm with smooth lines—because the power structure requires subordinates to minimize their presence. From ancient times, women have been expected to sit and stand properly (with legs together, hands crossed), which extends to the requirement that their figures not be flabby. Once a woman’s hips sag or her waist widens, breaking the “hourglass shape,” it is seen as a betrayal of “female qualities.”
3. The So-called “Defects” Are Actually Normal Physical Features
Many of the so-called “mommy characteristics” are not actually problems:
- Sagging buttocks: The thin flesh between the two bones of the pelvis creates a natural depression, which serves as a cushion during walking and is anatomically known as the “greater trochanteric fossa”; this is completely normal.
- A small belly: A woman’s uterus is located in front of the pelvic cavity, so even with low body fat, there will be a curve, which does not indicate being “fat” or “lacking self-control.”
- Pear-shaped figures: Thicker thighs are actually beneficial to health—research shows that for every 5-centimeter increase in thigh circumference, the risk of death decreases by 18%, and the likelihood of high blood pressure also decreases.
These are all natural body features that are wrongly labeled as defects; in essence, they are examples of aesthetic coercion.
4. The Business Behind the Anxiety: Who Is Making Money from “Mommy Hips”?
Creating anxiety around “mommy hips” is a profitable venture:
- Fitness industry: They teach you how to identify “mommy hips” and sell courses to “get rid of them.”
- Cosmetic surgery industry: People undergo painful liposuction procedures like those performed by Piyu You.
- Clothing industry: Yoga pants are advertised as having a “buttock-lifting” effect, making you believe that wearing them will make you perfect.
The商家’s strategy is always the same: first tell you that you have a problem, then sell you a solution—the more anxious you become, the more money they earn.
5. Breaking Free from Regulation: I Am in Charge of My Own Body
The article concludes by advocating that aesthetics should be based on “survival” (health) rather than “appeal” (to others). An old tree with drooping branches is considered robust, and wrinkles in an elderly person are seen as a sign of experience. Why is a woman’s flabby body considered a defect? We can work out to shape our bodies, but it should be because we want to be healthier, not because we must meet someone else’s standards. Refuse to be labeled by terms like “mommy hips”; your body belongs to you, and comfort is more important than appearance.
The essence of this article is to expose the power and capital dynamics behind body anxiety—don’t let others define your body; you are the master of your own physique.