Inside were no airbrushed photos of serene mothers breastfeeding in linen dresses. There was an essay about finding a half-eaten gummy bear in your hair at a job interview. A comic strip about the feral rage of stepping on a Lego at 3 AM. A recipe for "Depression Pasta" – butter, noodles, and the tears of your toddler.
The story began, as all good stories do, with a mistake. mutha magazine alison mutha magazine
The cover story that issue was called "The Sacred Mess." It was about how the pressure to be a perfect mother is a form of patriarchal control. Martha read it while sipping her morning coffee. She snorted at the Lego comic. She cried at the essay about post-partum rage. She had felt that rage forty years ago, alone, with no name for it. Inside were no airbrushed photos of serene mothers