Mother's Day: You don't have to be a Beyonce or Shilpa to be a celeb mom

There was a time when mothers were synonymous with caregiving maternal figures that inspired calmness and comfort. That time is fast moving on — there’s a new mommy about town, and she’s here to claim the reigning title of being hot and happening, while giving fledgling young beauties a run for their money.

Forget yummy mummies — young mothers these days are doing everything in their might to be the yummiest among the lot. The Met Gala 2015 red carpet was a shining example of "It moms" brandishing their bits and beauty to flaunt their youth and sexual prowess to a whole new level. Celebrity singer Beyonce didn’t shy away from sporting a sparkly and rather nude Givenchy gown (though she did leave a few timid with her in-your-face appearance). Neither did Kim Kardashian leave much to the imagination with her sheer Roberto Cavalli gown, her husband Kanye West in tow and the flashlights going off furiously.

It’s clear that the LV toting, supersized sunglasses wearing yummy-mummies of the '90s — think Victoria Beckham and Liz Hurley — are relics of the past. It’s no longer about being stick-thin skinny and getting photographed with a brood of kids by your side (sorry, Angelina but it’s time to keep up). The new have-it-all moms are aggressively redefining their status to include a lot more than just that.

Looking like a print model is becoming the norm, even at the most unlikely of times. The Dutchess of Cambridge, Catherine defied the aftermath of birthing by stepping out just ten hours after delivering a baby girl, looking as fresh as a flower. Her custom-made Jenny Packham shift dress, signature nude heels (how she stood in them is anyone’s guess), and perfectly set mocha hair could have fooled the best of us into believing that she was, in fact, heading to a Sunday tea party and not standing at the steps of the Lindo Wing.

Our Bollywood babes aren’t far behind either. Actress Shilpa Shetty has proven that she’s still the girl-about-town, being spotted at posh dinners and movie-dates with hubby Raj Kundra, and parading her to-die-for figure in sexy saris at TV competitions and events. Meanwhile, Malaika Arora Khan hasn’t lost a bit of her oomph as is evident in the numerous photo ops in figure-hugging dresses by the biggest designers of the country.

As we celebrate the self-empowerment, dedication and inspiration of these glamourous ladies, it should come as no surprise that their heightened presence is leading to a growing inferiority complex amongst the "real-moms" of theworld. A study in 2011 by the internet site Mumsnet revealed that yummy mummies make "real-mothers" feel “saggy, baggy and depressed”, with lesser than a quarter of the 1,300 mothers polled feeling genuinely satisfied with their appearance, and half of those questioned considering cosmetic surgery if they could afford it.

Just like celebrity actresses, celebrity moms have access to a waiting entourage of personal secretaries, nannies, trainers, hairdressers, dieticians, and pr agents to present their life as a piece of cake. The illusion of perfection is an outward  appearance catering to the paparazzi and public consumption.

Psychologists believe that the phenomenon subverts motherhood, and rather than empowering women, makes them feel insecure. We’ve seen similar patterns when young women compare themselves to spotless supermodels in ads and skinny models on the ramp — rather than seeing through the unachievable dream being sold, they use it as a guideline to chalk out their own inadequacies in terms of their body image and standard of life. However, it’s important to remember that the larger-than-life aura is a manufactured display, and that celeb mums too go through a similar rough-and-tumble of motherhood.

So, is the yummy mummy syndrome an extended part of the economic hyped consumption? Mothers don’t need to feel any more pressured than they are, between juggling a career, a home, their relationships and now an unrealistic goal. Just like we’re working hard towards celebrating every body type, every skin colour and every ethnicity, it’s time we celebrated the unsung mothers who may not have the shapeliest booty or the latest Louboutins. After all, every mother is beautiful just as she is.