Our children need us alive, not perfect.
It's been 6 years of protest branding, with 56 phrases, 26 of which are partnerships and/or co-creations, and this is yet another launch that fills us with pride. Mothers are exhausted and there is no shortage of ties to let go of in this context of great pressure, loneliness and insecurity.
“ Don’t call me mother ” is a project by artists Carolina Damião and Luciana Navarro that sheds light on the maternal routine, the invisibility of daily care tasks, the overloads and attempts to reintegrate a mother into social and professional contexts.
It includes the production of a play of the same name, which is a monologue written jointly by Carolina Damião and directed by Luciana Navarro. Two artists whose careers were crossed by single motherhood, permeating their artistic processes and creations ever since. Carolina is the mother of Miguel, 3 years old, Luciana is the mother of Nina, 14 years old, and Gian, 8 years old.
"Be the mother you can be." is one of the developments of this project about support networks and the de-romanticization of motherhood and is part of the new Peita partnership.
A message to broaden the discussion about maternal overload and this additional social pressure on women. But before that, it is a message of acceptance, affection and recognition.
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POSSIBLE MOTHER, a manifesto.
The Possible Mother takes care of her children taking into account that she herself also needs care. She is the mother who, above all, respects and protects the rights of her children, but who does not give up on finding solutions that ensure her own physical and mental integrity.
The Possible Mother stopped trying to make the accounts balance, because she understood that they were not made to balance, but rather to maintain the maternal overload, keeping all other people irresponsible.
The Possible Mother is aware of the blows of romanticization and is willing to no longer carry the guilt imposed on her, because she has realized that guilt is a tool of maternal control used by those who do not want to have to take responsibility for the existence of their children.
The Possible Mother has given up trying to be perfect and has begun to love being herself on her way to establishing the best possible relationship with her children and the world around her. The Possible Mother wants to see her children happy and has noticed that a large part of their happiness depends on her own happiness.
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Read the interview we did with Carolina and Luciana, the creators of the project "Don't Call Me Mom":
Peita - What are the challenges for a potential mother?
Carol Damião - Talking about mothers' rights is something very recent. The idea that mothers who prioritize themselves are neglecting their children is widely believed and reinforced. Ensuring mothers' rights is a struggle because we live in a system that benefits from the silencing and invisibility of mothers and the tasks assigned to them. Many mothers may be afraid to "wear this shirt" because most of them are still imbued with guilt and fear, perhaps they are afraid to communicate what the phrase asks of them. There is a huge challenge in making people understand that "Being the mother you can be" does not mean neglecting your children, but rather fighting so that your children are not neglected due to a lack of structure, support, and energy.
What does "Be the mother you can." mean to you?
Carol Damião - To me, it means the freedom to be able to make choices, to be able to take care of our children the way they deserve and need, but without neglecting ourselves. This phrase frees me and I hope it makes other mothers also lose their fear of being free or of losing the love of their children by seeking their own joys.
Luciana Navarro - For me, it is a prayer, a dream, a request, a vision. It is so that each person who is a mother can create her own way of mothering, without guilt and without following pre-established and limiting standards. That motherhood can be shared with many people and that these people are willing to love children even if they did not give birth to them. That a society be built where mothers and children are welcomed, supported and included. Love mothers and be happy when they are happy, resting, going out, having fun, dating, loving, earning money.
How much of you is in that sentence?
Carol Damião - It has a lot of my courage, my desire for change and my fight to guarantee children's rights. No child deserves to be raised only by an exhausted and overwhelmed mother. They say that a support network is for mothers, but in reality it is so that children can be supported while mothers can also exist in other ways. It is healthy, it is urgent and it is everyone's business.
Luciana Navarro - A cry for help, an affirmation of presence and a possibility of encounter. “Be the mother you can be” is a phrase that engages my heart to beat together with other people who are mothers overcoming individual barriers and crossing differences and promoting unity.
And about the project "Don't Call Me Mom", what can we expect?
Carol Damião - Our first action will be the staging of the show, which will premiere with 07 performances in Maringá-PR (scheduled for the second half of 2023), all with a discussion group after the performances and training workshops entitled “Theater as a communication tool for Freedom”. It also includes the development of a humorous social newsletter, generating a welcoming and support material for mothers and people who want to have children with the title “Survival Manual in Motherhood.”
How did you find out about PEITA and why did you choose us for a partnership?
Carol Damião - I discovered Peita through the phrase “Fight Like a Girl” and I was very interested in the activism it represents in strengthening women’s voices. Later I discovered that the brand was owned by Karina, who started college in performing arts with me and whom I have always admired. For me, it made no sense not to be with PEITA, since it is a brand that supports other causes that I identify with and that has opened a space in this market deserving of recognition for its originality, creativity and curation.
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WHERE TO BUY
The project has priority sales in this first year. To purchase, click here .
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Carolina Damiao @carolina_damiao_ | www.carolinadamiao.com.br
Luciana Navarro | @gloz.arte
Project Page | @naomechamedemae
