New moms insecure about glamorous ‘momfluencers’: Study

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Mom influencers are all over social media, almost impossible to avoid.

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Some share incredible advice people want to hear, but there are others who depict themselves as glamorous women who can balance everything and make it all look so easy — and that’s where problems can develop.

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Whether intentional or not, a mom influencer — or “momfluencer” — can instill unrealistic expectations on other women, particular new mothers, according to a recent study.

The findings, published in the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media Research, suggest that those who post about their clean, organized homes and happy and healthy children — all while looking like they just stepped away from the hair and makeup department — increase anxiety and jealousy among new moms.

Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln surveyed 464 new mothers to determine whether certain characteristics make some people more susceptible to the negative effects of perfect portrayals of motherhood shared online.

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They found that the women with a higher “social comparison orientation” (a tendency to compare oneself to other people) were more likely to be negatively affected by glamorized posts on social media.

There was also a higher probability that those moms would be less confident about their own parenting abilities after seeing the seemingly perfect posts of others.

“We all have this tendency to compare, but some of us are more inclined to compare than others,” lead researcher Ciera Kirkpatrick said in a statement.

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“If we know how these posts are affecting mothers and that they are more detrimental to certain moms, then that helps us, from a strategic health communications or health professional standpoint.”

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Kirkpatrick noted that the increasing number of videos has made it more difficult for “momfluencers” and mommy bloggers to make their lives appear idyllic.

“I think it was simpler, with a photo, to capture exactly what you want and leave out everything else,” Kirkpatrick explained.

“It’s a little bit harder to make sure everything’s perfect in a video, and I’ve seen more of a push for showing realistic portrayals of motherhood as I’ve been collecting these types of posts for the next study.”

Of course, not every video is well-meaning, and can still result in self-doubt for viewers and fans.

“In some ways, there might be things that idealization is making worse for new moms,” Kirkpatrick said, noting that pricey “must-haves” — or “typical” days that aren’t really ordinary at all — can stress out anxious moms.

“That just feeds into the pressure.”

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