New psychology research sheds light on the dark side of “wine mom” culture
Recent research has illuminated how the “wine mom” phenomenon, prevalent on social media and television, influences mothers’ attitudes towards alcohol. This study found that the portrayal of mothers consuming alcohol as a stress-relief mechanism on platforms like Instagram and Facebook could encourage risky drinking behaviors by shaping social norms around alcohol consumption among mothers. The findings have been published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media. The “wine mom” phenomenon promotes the idea that alcohol is a necessary coping tool for motherhood’s challenges, often via humorous memes, hashtags like #winemom, or groups like “Mommy Drinks Wine and Swears.” The researchers were concerned that this social media discourse could adversely affect health outcomes, as increased alcohol consumption heightens the risk of developing physical and mental health disorders. “As a mother, I frequently see memes and discourse on social media about the need to drink alcohol to survive the challenges of motherhood. The messages often uses humor. As a scholar, I was curious about the effects of seeing this type of ‘wine mom’ messaging and I realized …