You might think it’s all about the name, but really it’s about how mothers are choosing to assert themselves and define their identity as a mother today in the 21st century. While there are those that have pulled out the cultural appropriation card, perhaps the bigger picture is that transition back to ‘mama’ is symbolic of mothers seeking out authenticity and returning back to their roots. One might even argue that the opposite is true in Asia: modern Asian mothers typically shirk the traditional ‘mama’ for ‘mom’ or ‘mommy’. The Grammy Museum has opened its latest exhibit, All Eyez on Me: The Writings of Tupac Shakur.Director John Singleton was one of the members of the panel, which also consisted of Shakur’s family, fellow musicians, fans, and friends. Mama is a traditional old-school maternal term in many Asian communities. This turnaround in the popularity of using ‘mama’ in the West might surprise the bulk of us here in Asia. On the other hand, ‘mom’ has somewhat evolved to become fraught with negative associations: ‘soccer mom’, ‘alpha mom’, ‘Tiger mom’, ‘teen mom’. Professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University, ‘mama’ sounds “earthy and protective”, “strong, authoritative, yet warm”. So, why the switch? 2017: In With ‘Mama’, Out with ‘Mommy’Īccording to Deborah Tannen, Ph.D. The auction house Moments in Time is in possession of the piece. ‘Mom’ was seen as a far appealing alternative to ‘mama’ or ‘mother’ the former carried class signifiers associated with either fresh-off-the-boat immigrants or fancy and Frenchified (depending on how you say it) whilst the latter felt antiquated and less intimate. Tupac Shakur's love poem to an old girlfriend, that was the genesis for the 1996 hit son All Eyez On Me, hits the market for 95,000. Interestingly, it was only just a generation ago that “mom” reigned supreme in the West. Think “Wellness Mama”… you know the drill. This is in part thanks to celebrities, such as ultimate holistic celebrity mom Alicia Silverstone, and global companies that have now made the word a part of their branding, spawning a slew of ‘mama’ variations with positive, nurturing connotations. It seems that in the mommy sphere in the West, ‘mama’ is increasingly gaining traction as the popular maternal term to use.