Usha's Awesome Opportunity

to make a more family-friendly America

I felt this moment in my bones.

I’m not alone in my sense that the highlight of President Trump’s Inauguration on Monday was Vice President And Second Lady Vance’s young children behaving, despite the pomp and circumstance, as children do. When one of the little Vance boys reached over to tousle his mother’s hair (which doubtlessly took great effort to perfect), there were glimmers of Catherine the Princess of Wales negotiating with Prince Louis on the balcony at Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. The way a public-facing mother manages discipline of an overstimulated child while maintaining her sequin smile certainly inspires sympathy, and perhaps some knowing laughter, in fellow mothers looking on.

‘she just like me fr'

Usha and Catherine already have much in common: unassuming backgrounds relative to their current status, impressive educational accomplishments of their own, natural grace under extreme public scrutiny, tall husbands, three young children, and last but not least, excellent taste in clothing. However, I think the thing that most profoundly unites them in the public conscience is that, however you may feel about either one of their husbands’ politics, their presence in public life as mothers of young children gives those who are onlooking, who frequently struggle with loneliness or a sense of disconnection, hope.

For Catherine and Usha, simply having the courage to be seen as they are is a publicity win for the vocation of motherhood. Yes, behind the scenes, they may have resources and access to help that would be unimaginable to the average person. But still, the way these women hold themselves in an upright, dignified manner, publicly and alongside their children, confers status onto the rest of us by proxy. These are the mechanics of mimesis. Especially in a particular age where motherhood feels so very alienating and low status for so many, images of Usha and Catherine are cathartic. As the cliché goes: representation matters!