Baby mama
A baby mama (also baby-mama and baby-mother) is a mother who is not married to her child's father, although the term is often infused with other meanings as well.
Definition
Originally, the term was used by the fathers of illegitimate children to describe the mothers of their children, but the term is now in general use to describe any single mother. Since entering currency in U.S. tabloids, the terms baby mama and baby daddy have even begun to be applied to married and engaged celebrities.[1]
The Oxford English Dictionary defines baby mama as "the mother of a man's child, who is not his wife or (in most cases) his current or exclusive partner".[1]
Peter L. Patrick, a linguistics professor who studies Jamaican English, has said of the terms baby mother and baby father, "[they] definitely imply there is not a marriage—not even a common-law marriage, but rather that the child is an 'outside' child".[1]
The term "baby-mother" in Jamaica is most often used to describe any pregnant woman or any woman with a young child. For example, on a crowded bus you may be admonished to give the "baby-mother" a seat. However, in this case no judgement is being made about her marital status and literally means "the mother of the child".
Usage
In news
The term originated in Jamaican Creole as "baby-mother" (pronounced [ˈbebi ˈmada]), with the first printed usage appearing in the Kingston newspaper, The Daily Gleaner in 1966.[1][2] Another Daily Gleaner use dates from November 21, 1989.[2]
On Wednesday, June 11, 2008, Fox News Channel used the phrase "Outraged liberals: Stop picking on Obama's baby mama" in an on screen graphic in a discussion as to whether U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama's wife, Michelle, was being unfairly criticized. A senior vice president of programming at Fox said in a statement that a producer "exercised poor judgment" during the segment.[3]
In music
Baby mother and baby mama had entered wide use in American hip-hop lyrics by the mid-1990s.[1] The Outkast song "Ms. Jackson", released in 2000, was dedicated to "all the baby mamas' mamas". American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino released a song entitled "Baby Mama" in 2004. Planet Earth, an album by Prince released in 2007, features a song called "Future Baby Mama". Three 6 Mafia had a song called "Baby Mama" on Choices: The Album.
In television
All My Babies' Mamas was an unaired reality show starring rapper Shawty Lo, showcasing his lifestyle as the father of 11 children, mothered by 10 different women.[4][5]
In film
In 2008, Universal Pictures released a comedy entitled Baby Mama starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, in which Poehler plays a woman Fey hires to be her surrogate.
References
- ^ a b c d e Turner, Julia. (May 7, 2006). "A Brief History of Baby-Daddies." Slate Magazine. Retrieved December 12, 2006.
- ^ a b Patrick, Peter L. (1995). Some Recent Jamaican Creole Words. American Speech, 70(3), 227-264. Retrieved December 12, 2006.
- ^ Bauder, David. (June 13, 2008). Fox News refers to Michelle Obama as `baby mama', AP; Red Lasso
- ^ McKay, Hollie. "Oxygen's 'All My Babies' Mamas' sparks calls for cancellation before it even airs". Fox News.
- ^ "Shawty Lo: I'm Bringing "All My Babies' Mamas" to Oxygen! Read more: Shawty Lo: I'm Bringing "All My Babies' Mamas" to Oxygen! | GossipOnThis.com". Gossipmthis.