CMT Blog: Archive

Just when I thought I'd had it with housewife anthems, I saw the Lori McKenna "Unglamorous" video. And now I'm rejoicing in the chaos of real life. Mine, hers and all the other moms like us out there who are very much okay with wool socks on the floor, faded curtains and crowded dinner tables.

The soccer-mom label someone threw on us a decade ago conjures up images of selfless moms living through their children. Minivanning them from activity to activity, and never reflecting on how blessed they are to have that commotion. While I do know a few moms like that, I know more like Lori McKenna -- women with a strong sense of self, a genuine contentment and a free spirit (after the kids are in bed, anyway). Part of her charm is that to convey the unglamorous life, she uses lyrics that are unpredictable, vocals that are unpolished and music that is uncomplicated. It would hardly seem fitting for her to sing about relishing these routines with a blinged-out guitar, a troupe of dancers and a Dolce & Gabbana outfit. Better to have an Ikea dish scrubber open the video and a little, gravel-road house toward the end.

What makes me believe Lori McKenna, beyond the sincerity I hear in her folky voice, is the variety of smiles that come through in the video. There's the I-can't-believe-this-is-happening smile she has onstage. Then the my-husband-still-makes-me-blush smile you see when he makes an appearance. And last, the my-kids-mean-the-world-to-me look she has, whether she's hugging one or pouring cereal for another. That, I can relate to. So from now on, when I have to fill out a form that asks for my occupation, I will no longer just write "mother." I'm going to write "Unglamorous and proud of it."