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Fall TV might keep us entertained, but The First Word keeps us connected, informed, and fighting for change. And now you can catch up on every past edition through our new online archive page.

For less than the cost of a month of streaming, you can help us reach our $10,000 goal to keep this work going. Please consider donating today. Every dollar helps us fund our movement and this weekly newsletter.

To everyone who’s already donated — a sincere thank you. I’ll be circling back with each of you.

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With that, let’s dive into this week’s edition — focused on how TV shapes our understanding of moms, caregiving, and what stories get told.

Who Gets to Tell the Story? Moms, Media, and the Power to Shape Culture

With fall TV premieres rolling out, I’ve been thinking a lot about the grip that media has on our lives. What we watch doesn’t just entertain us — it shapes how we see the world. That means the people who decide whose stories get told wield an inordinate amount of power.

Look no further than the recent Jimmy Kimmel saga to see why. His sudden suspension was a chilling reminder of how a small number of people control whose voices actually get heard. And that’s before you consider the algorithms parsing data behind the scenes and programming the videos that we all watch on our social media feeds.

For moms, all those decisions add up. How moms get portrayed shapes how society views us and, ultimately, how society treats us. And hoo boy, some of these media portrayals of moms! When we’re not presented as punchlines or superheroes or martyrs, real moms tend to get erased altogether. And so, the cultural perception of motherhood, and even the expectations we set for ourselves, end up wildly off base.

When was the last time you saw a mom on TV have to stay home from work with a sick kid? Or scrambling to leave work to make it to gymnastics on time?

You probably can’t come up with an example.

That’s why Moms First partnered with the Geena Davis Institute last year to study how moms are represented on screen. (Spoiler alert: Not well!) When most TV moms are “white, young, and thin,” that’s not reality. When a TV family’s clear breadwinner is a dad “nearly nine out of 10 times,” that’s not backed up by data. When 80% of TV parents with kids under the age of 11 never mention child care, that’s laughably wrong.

And yet, that’s what viewers get. That representation changes perceptions — from society at large but also among moms themselves. When moms on screen are having it all and making it look easy, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear more and more moms speak out about mom guilt. And, look, when the struggles of finding and affording child care are omitted from storylines, is it any wonder why most policymakers overlook it too? 

The Data Tells a Different Story

I’m willing to bet that a lot of the media programmers out there — not to mention the people who design the algorithms — will look at this issue and throw their hands up. They’ll all point to “the data” and tell us what’s on the screen is what the viewers want. 

Well, not so fast. 
Any data scientist will tell you the model is only as good as the data you put in it. And our friends at New America have some groundbreaking new research that shows us, at the very least, our programmers are missing a big part of the picture. 

They surveyed over 1,300 streaming viewers and analyzed real-time social media analytics, and what they found was deeply encouraging. The whole report is a fascinating read, but here are some highlights:

  • An overwhelming majority of viewers (92%!) said it’s important to see realistic portrayals of work, family, and caregiving in what they watch.
  • 79% said that stories are more relatable, and it’s easier to connect with characters, when they reflect challenges similar to ones they face.
  • Stories that center caregiving or women navigating complex work environments drive more online engagement and prompt more discussion.
  • Nearly nine in 10 said a relatable work or family storyline drove them to spread the word about a show.
  • When it comes to diversity of race, ethnicity, income, or family structures, 87% said they want to see more inclusive representation. 

The most fascinating part to me is that these findings are mostly consistent across demographics — including political ideology. At a time we’re led to believe Americans are more divided than ever, it’s refreshing to know we still share a lot in common about what we want out of pop culture.

This New America study doesn’t just make a strong case that there are rich, untapped creative avenues storytellers can explore — it makes a powerful business case that, when they do, people will watch. These stories of caregivers aren’t “nice to have.” They’ll drive subscriptions, spark conversations, and influence how people think, feel, and act. And the algorithms will learn to like it.

The Power of the Purse

Let’s go back to Jimmy Kimmel for a minute, because it’s important to understand the whiplash of events. His suspension got people fired up. When thousands bail on their Disney subscriptions, when creative talent and employees speak out, when people are organizing to boycott Disney products, it puts enormous pressure on companies to respond. And in this case, those voices were heard.

The lesson here is clear: As moms, we hold enormous consumer power. When we decide what shows we stream, which platforms we subscribe to, and which advertisers we support, we’re demonstrating the power of the purse. It’s one of the strongest tools we have in making the case for more honest, dignified portrayals of moms and families.  

Shaping Culture Starts With Us

Culture shapes our worldview. That doesn’t mean we’re powerless to shape our culture. As we just saw with Jimmy Kimmel, when enough of us use our consumer choices to send a message, it’s hard for the powers that be to ignore. 

Let’s demand more realistic storytelling, and better cultural representation for moms. Here are two things you can do right now: 

  • Spread the word about the New America report and about the stories American viewers want to see on their screens. Tag a studio you want to see it.
  • The next time you see a wildly unrealistic family situation, or moms get used as a punchline, speak up. Express your disappointment online, and demand better from the people telling these stories.

Child Care First NYC

I joined S.E. Cupp on Battleground NYC: The Fight for Your Vote! last Friday to talk about child care as the affordability issue that is up for debate in the NYC mayoral race.

We are just 408 signatures away from meeting our petition goal. If you’re a New Yorker, add your name to our petition to demand that the next NYC Mayor prioritize child care in their first 100 days in office. We’ll be delivering petition signatures in a few days.

SIGN THE PETITION

Check out what people are saying about Moms First in the news:

I keep thinking about how much lighter the load would feel if the moms we saw on screen looked a little more like us — juggling, struggling, laughing, crying, loving our kids fiercely, and doing our best. That’s the real story. And that’s the one worth fighting for.

Let’s flip the script,
Reshma Saujani