Photos by Little Heartbeat Photography
This digital age has made motherhood a lot easier and a lot harder at the same time, don’t you think? There are so much content and opinion about how motherhood should be done and what it takes to be a good mom. And while I love how technology has opened up new ways for us to make more informed choices for our kids, it can also make us easily fall into the pit of comparison and doubt any given day—
Am I doing it right? Am I doing enough? Should I have done it that way? Should I have done more?
For more than a decade Dove has invested so much into campaigns that empower women around the world to embrace their uniqueness, stop chasing perfect, and start being real. And recently they extended this same message to mothers through Baby Dove.
Real talk: As if “mommy guilt” is not enough, no one experiences more judgment for their choices than us mothers. There’s pressure to be perfect everywhere we turn, to do this and that, or you’ll be labeled as this and that, or judged for your choices like you didn’t pour your heart and soul and tears over making those choices enough. And this happens both online and offline—from relatives to church friends to college acquaintances to random internet strangers.
As a side note, this is one of the reasons why, for a long time, I quit blogging about motherhood. I find topics surrounding motherhood feel like politics. There are too many schools of thought and I came to a point where I didn’t have the energy anymore to explain the choices we make for our kids.
As a mother myself, I often find myself wishing that advertising would lessen the blow and not add to the struggle anymore. More so, I wish that mothers would not add to the struggle anymore too. After all, we’re the ones who should truly understand each other more than anyone, right? :)
And so when I was given the opportunity to take part in the Baby Dove campaign, knowing what the brand stands for, I just had to say yes.
There was truly something empowering about mothers united in their differences and collectively making a positive impact on the world.
Baby Dove’s #RealMoms Campaign
Since 2017 when Baby Dove first launched the #RealMoms campaign, moms from everywhere showed how a new generation of women are learning to tune out the noise and trust what they believe is best for their kids, while also cheering on other moms in their own journey.
I’ve always quietly cheered on Dove for choosing to spend their advertising money on campaigns that aim to empower and unite women (remember this?), and I truly believe we need more brands to choose better.
Behind the scenes
As a side story, although it was a no-brainer for me to say yes to this Baby Dove campaign, I was a little nervous coming to the shoot, worried whether or not the girls would cooperate.
I’m still laughing at the irony of the thought. After all, this is exactly what the campaign was about. The real-ness of motherhood. The “family photos will have one kid (or two) not in the mood to take a photo” kind of real.
The above photos were taken by Baby Dove’s official photographers but here are some behind-the-scenes captured with our own camera.
A shoutout to my daughters for keeping it real, haha. And to my husband who’s been my ever-supportive and ever loving partner in this journey of motherhood.
Lastly, thank you Baby Dove team and Little Heartbeat Photography for capturing these special Mother’s Day moments for me and our kids, and for empowering moms like me to get out of our comfort zone and make an impact beyond the four corners of our home. Thank you.
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