From harmony to disruption and inability: On the embodiment of mothering and its consumption

Consumption can be seen as a way to construct, express and negotiate identity (Arnould & Thompson, 2005), including the identity of mother. Encoded in advertisements, brands, retail settings and material goods, the marketplace provides the consumer with a broad range of symbolic meanings which she may tap into in the course of constructing this identity (Hogg, Maclaran, Martens, O'Dohohoe, & Stevens, 2011; Scott, 2006a, 2006b). There are, however, different ways to conceptualise the relationship between consumption and motherhood (see Davis, Marshall, Hogg, Schneider, & Petersen, Chapter 10). One important body of research supports the idea that the identity of mother is related to role embracing (The VOICE group, 2010a, 2010b; Thomsen & Sørensen, 2006; Hogg, Curasi, & Maclaran, 2004; Jennings & O'Malley, 2003) which provides consumers with existential meaning and guidance in behaviours and actions. Another body of literature sees the identity of mother as a discursive construct shaping consumption in forms of representing, interacting and being (Dedeoglu, 2010; Bugge & Almås, 2006; Moisio, Arnould, & Price, 2004; Arendell, 1999, 2000; Lupton, 1996).