We live in the influencer age and one of the major subsets of Instagram influencers are the Instamums, none more powerful and beloved on social media than Emmy Jackson aka Mamabare. What appears effortless on a phone screen is all a hyper-calculated effort to create the easy breezy I’m-such-an-exhausted-mom-I-walked-out-the-house-wearing-two-different-shoes-oh-well persona. Emmy has designed a perfectly imperfect life that keeps the heart emojis rolling in. Her husband, of course, sees through it but plays along because his bright young author star is burning out and this is their meal ticket. Emmy is lining up sponsorships, hosting events, and has reached the level where she needs an assistant, but there’s one follower who believes she doesn’t deserve any of it. One follower who wants nothing more than to take her down.
I love how of-the-moment this felt. While I don’t have children myself, at 35, the majority of women in my friend group/age-set are mothers so I’m fully entrenched in the mommy influencer world. (Even without kids I relate more to these influencers than to Gen Zers – same life-stage, same pop culture references, etc.) Why are we giving these influencers not just celebrity but authority status? There is a cost to that fame, not just to the influencer herself, but to those circling her perimeter. But then there’s the attraction of celebrity and what we’ll do to maintain a slice of it. This book examines what happens when those two ideas are at odds with each other.
4 out of 5 stars.
Pair with: Dry white wine
Peaches to Apples 