Christian Moms and Manicures: The Hypermoralization of Marketed Care Culture
Self-care. Often, for the working woman or any young mother, those two words are culturally reduced to rosé and a random collection of pleasant-smelling bath and body products found in Target. And strangely, there has appeared, in the last ten years, a morality attached to these things amongst Christian women. What is labeled as self-care is often a marketed image of a combination of treats and functional tasks : a woman with painted nails kicks back in a candle-lit bath with a glass of wine after a day at Target and Starbucks. And, not going to lie, that is something I enjoy myself on the regular. For other women it is workouts, for others it is skincare routines. But these things suddenly become selfish once a woman has children to care for alongside herself. Treats: Things purchased or consumed or practiced for enjoyment and for quality of life and beauty. Functional tasks: Spiritual wellbeing, sleep, food, functional spaces in the home, bodily cleanliness and wellbeing Ther
