By Ross Marvin '07
The rockers from bands like Housewives on Prozac, Placenta, the Midols and Frump certainly won't be making an appearance on the popular television show Desperate Housewives any time in the near future.
With songs like “Pick up Your Socks” and “Boom Baby Boom,” these 40-something women are leading the “mom rock” phenomenon – the subject of sociology major Julie Link's senior thesis.
“Exploring mom rock gives new insight into how modern women are behaving in terms of their families and choices in their lives,” says Link, who presented “Mom Rock: An Oxymoron?” at the Steinmetz Symposium last month.
“The results of my research clearly show that these mothers began these bands as a way of giving themselves a voice and making time for their own interests beyond their domestic lives.”
Certainly, mom rock challenges the stereotypes inherent in rock and roll.
“Typically, you think of young males like Steven Tyler and Jimi Hendrix singing misogynistic lyrics with women as the groupies,” says Link. “Mom rock turns this stereotype on its head.” And if the audience doesn't like it – they can go to their rooms, as one Mom Rocker intones during a concert.
While many songs deal with the everyday duties of mothers and wives, other songs deal with serious issues facing contemporary women. Rachael Yellow, the lead singer for Placenta, was in an abusive relationship. She used music as an outlet, writing protest songs against domestic violence and empowering women to change their lives, to understand that it's okay to be independent.
“Ultimately, Mom rock is a vehicle for changing the stereotypes of middle-aged women,” says Link, “and in the process it's made a nice niche for itself in the greater scheme of rock and roll.”