Unlike our own date in early May, it’s Mother’s Day in the UK this coming Sunday.
And if the celebration of your own mother doesn’t go much past a bunch of flowers from the BP and falling asleep on the couch while mum washes up from lunch then you’ll appreciate a new campaign that’s just launched in Britain.
Called ‘Mother’s Day Cards from Misogynists’, the cards come with a suite of inappropriate messages such as “But you’re still a bitch”, “You belong behind the kitchen sink” and “You crazed crying low-life!”
But rather than intentionally insult the women who conceived you, the cards and campaign are designed to shine a light on misogynistic language.
The colourful cards are the work of gift card brand Thortful and CPB London’s female-led studio WMN with all all proceeds going towards Hysterical, the charity exhibition of subversive art by women and marginalised genders, co-curated by Cheer Up Luv activist Eliza Hatch.
The idea for the cards came after CPB conducted research that found a third of men admitted calling a woman a bitch, however, 80 per cent said they’d never use the term about their own mothers.
The aim of the cards is to get people thinking about the dangers of ‘small’ or ‘casual’ instances of misogyny.
Helen James, co-founder of WMN and CEO of CPB London, commented: “These cards won’t melt many hearts, but they’ll certainly get the blood boiling. We advise people to think of them less as actual Mother’s Day cards (!) and more as miniature-sized pieces of subversive art designed to make us all stop, think and, importantly, challenge.”
Pip Heywood, managing director at Thortful, added, “Too many of us are familiar with the effects of misogyny, so being able to support such an important campaign is vital. Whilst these little cards won’t be given to anyone’s real mum, we know they will encourage reflection on the impact of words and behaviours. We’re delighted to work with CPB to bring this crucial conversation to life.”
