A ‘dangerous’ trend<\/p>\n
“[Mummymaxxing is] essentially this idea that motherhood is something you can optimise and then perform to an audience, which I think is really dangerous,” says Emma Morris.<\/p>\n
She is a clinical nutritionist, motherhood coach and founder of a Brisbane-based wellness clinic for women focused on fertility, pregnancy, and motherhood, which also runs mothers’ groups.<\/p>\n
“The perfect mother myth is nothing new, but mummymaxxing just dresses it up as self-improvement and puts it on the feed for everyone to watch,” Ms Morris says.<\/p>\n
![\"Emma](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/aef63f224718aff5484c23453f33def6.jpeg\")
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Emma Morris says the mummymaxxing trend could be dangerous for some women. (Supplied)<\/p>\n
In some videos promoting the trend, mums can be seen waking up before the rest of the household to “lock in” for a full day of motherhood, including skincare, meal prep, play dates and gym, while others have been using the hashtag to label the trend a “scam”.<\/p>\n
Julie Borninkhof is the chief executive of PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia), an organisation supporting parents and families during pregnancy and throughout the first year of parenthood.<\/p>\n
She says while some may find mummymaxxing relatable “in a moment in time”, others could feel they can’t live up to what influencers show as “achievable and doable”.<\/p>\n
How has social media shaped your motherhood journey? We’d love to hear more<\/a><\/p>\n Mothers already under pressure<\/p>\n While many mothers have often felt pressure to “be the best they can be”, social media has intensified that, especially since the pandemic, Ms Borninkhof says.<\/p>\n “That self-expectation has always been there,” she says.<\/p>\n “But the use of social media to validate and normalise definitely increased during COVID-19 when mums couldn’t get that support in local communities.”<\/p>\n Ms Borninkhof says it’s not realistic for most women to “juggle it all”.<\/p>\n “We have this misconception in society that we can find balance between all of the things we are expected to hold,” she says.<\/p>\n If you are someone you know needs help:<\/p>\n Lifeline<\/a> on 13 11 14Beyond Blue<\/a> on 1300 22 46 36PANDA<\/a> (Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia) on 1300 726 306COPE<\/a> (Centre for Perinatal Excellence) on 1300 740 398<\/p>\n “The reality is there are so many balls mums are trying to keep in the air and they will drop some, and that’s normal.”<\/p>\n Trends like mummymaxxing risk eroding a woman’s self-confidence in her skills as a mum, Ms Borninkhof says, which can lead to stress and anxiety.<\/p>\n Ms Morris says women often digest the kind of content mummymaxxing promotes and internalise the message that they aren’t good enough.<\/p>\n “It’s not like women say, ‘I saw this thing and now I feel awful,'” she says.<\/p>\n “It’s an internalised hum that women are walking around with, sometimes even unaware why they feel so stressed, because we’re constantly absorbing [this content] without realising.”<\/p>\n She says consuming this kind of content can lead to feelings of guilt, shame and, ultimately, burnout.<\/p>\n “They feel guilty because ‘I should be doing this and doing that’, then it’s shame that ‘I am a bad mum or not cut out for this’, so then the answer is to just try harder.”<\/p>\n The antidote? Be in the moment with your child Mummymaxxing often depicts posed and unrealistic scenes of motherhood. (Pexels, Vlada Karpovich)<\/p>\n If mummymaxxing or social media more generally is leaving you feeling less than, Ms Borninkhof says the key is to focus on your child.<\/p>\n “I would say the most important thing for any mother is the moment they have with their child,” she says.<\/p>\n “Using that moment to build the relationship with their bubs, face-to-face or in-utero, enjoying and celebrating that moment.”<\/p>\n If you’re struggling, she recommends reaching out to someone you trust, speaking to your GP or connecting with PANDA.<\/p>\n Ms Morris says it’s important for mothers to “zoom out and look at the culture we are swimming in” to gain perspective.<\/p>\n “The most radical thing a mum can do right now is stop trying to do it perfectly, and start being present with her children instead,” she says.<\/p>\n “Your child doesn’t need an optimised mum. They actually just need a regulated one who is there.”More parenting stories:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You may be familiar with looksmaxxing, the popular self-improvement trend targeting young men. 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