These ‘Mother’s Day Cards from Misogynists’ Shine a Light on Toxic Masculinity

Insulting a guy’s mum is considered the height of rudeness. But women in general? Fair game. What if mothers weren’t the exception, though?  What if you took the traditional sugar-sweet Mother’s Day card and reimagined it as a card from a woman hater?

Enter: ‘Mother’s Day Cards from Misogynists’. The project, by WMN, the female-led studio from creative agency CPB London, came to life after the team polled the nation and revealed that despite a third of men admitting they'd called a woman a bitch before, 8 out of 10 said they would never call their own mum the same thing. 

Using real phrases uttered by some of today’s most recognisable misogynists, the cards aim to get people thinking about the dangers of ‘small’ or ‘casual’ instances of misogyny. 

Available for sale on the website thortful, all profits from the card sales will go to support Hysterical, the annual charity exhibition of subversive art by women and marginalised genders, co-curated by Cheer Up Luv activist Eliza Hatch. The cards will also be on sale between the 15th and 25th of March at the 2023 Hysterical exhibition taking place at the Bermondsey Project Space Gallery, London.

A special edition card, with content curated by Hatch from her community’s submissions, is also available, entitled “You Belong Behind the Kitchen Sink. Happy Mother’s Day!” 

Helen James, co-founder of WMN and CEO of CPB London, commented: “These cards won’t melt many hearts, but they’ll certainly get the blood boiling. We advise people to think of them less as actual Mother’s Day cards (!) and more as miniature-sized pieces of subversive art designed to make us all stop, think and, importantly, challenge.”

Pip Heywood, managing director at thortful added, "Too many of us are familiar with the effects of misogyny, so being able to support such an important campaign is vital. Whilst these little cards won't be given to anyone’s real mum, we know they will encourage reflection on the impact of words and behaviours.  We're delighted to work with CPB to bring this crucial conversation to life."