soccer moms

[pne]

What's a "soccer mom"?

Or, perhaps a bit more precisely, what are the attributes of a stereotypical soccer mom? I've seen people talking about "soccer moms" in general, so I take it it's a stereotyped group much like blondes or rednecks, but I don't know what their "typical" characteristics are.

Comments

[nik-w.livejournal.com]

A woman who takes her kid(s) to play football?

[pne.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I figured that's the denotation.

I wondered what the connotation was.

(And I hope I'm not messing up the terminology here.)

[damned-colonial.livejournal.com]

White, middle class, suburban. Drives a minivan (largish car that's not quite an SUV). Spends all her time ferrying her darling children around to their various hobbies and activities.

[jpallan.livejournal.com]

Middle class female with a bachelor's degree, often a graduate level degree, but who has not worked since her children were born. Wears a great deal of expensive clothing, but nothing dressy and very little jewelry, and tends to drive an expensive car, usually a sport-utility vehicle. Husband makes an excellent salary in an unstated professional position (think mid-level managers, etc. -- these are the women who can't afford full time nannies, though they often have au pair girls, so that rules out the most affluent physicians' and attorneys' wives) that allows her to involve herself completely with her children. Volunteers heavily in children's activities (again, active charity work tends to be a bit more upwardly mobile than these women -- so that rules out planning events as AIDS research fundraisers) and tends to have very little identity of her own. Rarely fanatically religious but more likely to be of the faith-holding Christianity persuasion than your average American. Jewish women occur in spurts (Jews are heavily concentrated in urban areas in the U.S.) but Muslim women are extremely rare.

Depending on who uses it, it may or may not be a slur. If I used it, it would be a slur. Many people, however, see it as laudable. I prefer to have more identity than "Alicia and Julie's mommy", though.

Re:

[fweebles.livejournal.com]

Also: tends to live vicariously through children, since they have no identity of their own.

[sobrique.livejournal.com]

A soccer mum is that awful driver, of that really huge car that just cut you up, whilst hordes of screaming brats are making rude gestures out of the windows.

So I believe anyway :)

[robnorth.livejournal.com]

Then, of course, there's that song by the band Everclear (http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/default.asp?oid=95) (not to be confused by the drink Everclear (http://www.webtender.com/db/ingred/71)), "Volvo-Driving Soccer Mom" (http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/everclear/volvodrivingsoccermom.html). Bit rude, mind.

[jpallan.livejournal.com]

Friends list collision! Hi!

Do you know pne from elsewhere?

/me had thought you two would get along well if you knew each other . . .

[pne.livejournal.com]

I believe you recommended him to me and I friended him; some time later, he friended me back.

I think the only connection I have to him is through you.

Re:

[robnorth.livejournal.com]

Sounds about right. I first noticed him on my friends list, going "OK, where'd this one come from?" Shrugged my shoulders, friended him, was intrigued to find out he was another Mormon, and then just recently saw you (Jess) commenting on something he said, and then went "Ahhh, so that's the connection."

Jess, what is it about you and Mormons? Shame we can't just pop by and give you a blessing....