Wine Mom Culture—A Fun Name That Masks A Serious Issue
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
By Adele Whipps
I work at a vineyard, which means that I get to meet all kinds of people on a daily basis. And while I serve a wide variety of diverse individuals, the majority of my customers are women. A good portion of these women are mothers.
It’s no secret that the wine industry targets a largely female demographic, but a growing niche in the alcohol world is that of the “Wine Mom”. If you are unfamiliar with the term, a Wine Mom is a mother who enjoys wine as an escape from the stress and day-to-day struggles of motherhood. The term might sound harsh, but it typically isn’t taken as negative ––it’s more of a light-hearted jibe rather than a hard judgment.
Wine Moms are often seen as the Sorority Sisters of the adult world. They aren’t out to cause trouble, they just need a form of release from their everyday lives. Instead of banding together to help one another through the pressures of college, moms support one another over a glass of wine and share their maternal frustrations.
The pressures of motherhood are well known, so moms are given a pass for enjoying a glass of wine or two…or three. Or a whole bottle. And that’s where the problems begin.
while it might seem like Wine Moms have more fun, that fun comes at a long-term cost
Examples of Wine Mom culture in today's market range from cute little tote bags that say “Mommy Needs Wine,” to t-shirts that read “I Wine Because They Whine.” Popular Mother’s Day Gifts are usually alcohol or wine-themed. Several television shows glamorize this culture, chiefly Cougar Town and the more recent Dead To Me.
But we need to ask ourselves: is this cutesy term glazing over a more serious health issue?
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong or particularly unhealthy about a glass of wine now and then. The problem is that excessive alcohol use directly affects our health, especially in women, and our culture has a bad habit of glossing over the reality of what excessive consumption actually means.
According to the CDC, “Women [are] more susceptible to the long-term negative health effects of alcohol compared [to] men”. So while it might seem like Wine Moms have more fun, that fun comes at a long-term cost.
Image by Taisiia Shestopal courtesy of Unsplash
So what is the difference between excessive alcohol consumption and moderate consumption? Hopkins Medicine says, “moderate drinking is defined as an average of one drink per day for women and one or two for men”. This doesn’t mean that if you have two glasses of vino every once in a while you’re in danger, but a bottle or two will take a toll. In the world of Wine Moms, it’s implied that one bottle is the minimum.
Alcohol––specifically wine––affects our health in many ways, and some of them are potentially positive. For example, red wine is rumored to be high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties which can have health benefits. It’s also been argued that the stress-relief associated with moderate drinking outweighs potential harms (stress is known as the silent killer for a reason).
However, most of the effects associated with alcohol are decidedly negative. Excessive drinking can lead to high blood pressure, heart failure, or stroke. Other serious conditions can develop from alcohol abuse such as cardiomyopathy where the heart loses its ability to pump blood, thus disturbing your heart rhythm. Higher consumption of alcohol also leads to liver disease and other serious health issues like cognitive decline, and most importantly for women, breast cancer.
According to Breastcancer.org, the chances of developing breast cancer rise by 15% in women who drink more than three alcoholic beverages per week. The risk increases even further for those that consume alcohol every day.
This is why knowledge of family history is essential. If you’re predisposed to breast cancer, heart issues, or alchoholism, keeping track of alcohol consumption is a matter of life or death.
So, where does that leave Wine Mom Culture? Is it really a lighthearted trend, or is there something sinister behind the way this growing habit is marketed to American moms?
Wine moms aren’t the only ones at risk for alcohol-related issues. Moderation is key for everyone. But when marketing campaigns and influencers are directly targeting one group over others––especially a group known to be more stressed, more overworked, and more vulnerable than most––we need to stop and take notice.
The important thing to keep in mind is that by normalizing excessive drinking as a way to cope with life, Wine Moms are side-stepping the label “alcoholic”. Society doesn’t want to shame moms for having fun ––but if dangerous habits go unchecked, there’s a higher chance that these women won’t question whether they’re developing an unhealthy coping strategy or not.
Photo by Kelsey Chance courtesy of Unsplash
Alcohol doesn’t have to be the only outlet of escape for Moms. Luckily there are other trends in mom culture that focus on active and healthy lifestyle choices. Groups like Gym Moms, Yoga Moms, and even Garden Moms are all subcultures that are alive and well. I see these moms enjoying wine with one another at the vineyard too–– they all enjoy themselves!–– but they don’t turn drinking into a motherhood rite of passage.
It’s time for us to wake up, look around, and be honest with ourselves when it comes to harmful drinking and Wine Mom culture. Wine won’t solve the problems that make moms stressed. The unequal support, the restrictive gender roles, and the constant judgment moms experience can’t be drowned in a bottle.
The sooner we stop excusing ourselves and start to find better ways to cope, the sooner we can come together and make real progress. Moms deserve that, and so does their health.
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