[.ca] Mother (ISBN 0140263624)

From Amazon.com:
If Diane Arbus and her mother had shared a similarly warped vision and sense of humor, they might have turned out Mother, a lush, splashy, totally twisted photo album. Photographer Judy Olausen and her 74-year-old mother Vivian--a model with tightly permed blond hair, soft, wrinkled grandmotherly skin, and an extraordinarily expressive face--skewer the clichés of 1950s motherhood and martyrdom. In one shot, Vivian appears as a slightly deranged Betty Crocker, frosting a heart-shaped cake with Valium icing. In another, she's in chains hunched over an ironing board. As the archetypal "Mother Under Pressure," she sports cat glasses, white gloves, and a prim purse while dragging a huge bolder upstairs on her back. In "Shocked by Spock," reading that venerable pediatric bible causes alarm and a near-faint. The collection delivers a wallop of edgy humor and social commentary about women being silenced or squelched in their daily lives and dreams.

Truly Saddening...:
I was amazed to find that everyone here found this book to be entertaining and funny-- It's a terribly sad commentary on the lack of respect for a generation (in fact, multiple generations) of women who devoted themselves to their families and attempted to live their lives in a world that often allowed them only rigid roles and often, little choice in how to live their lives at all. Many of those women were brave and strong and devoted in spite of having to give up their own dreams, and sometimes their creativity and individuality. I think that it's a sad commentary on the current generation that they have apparently so little knowledge, understanding and respect for those women--who, in fact, bravely led our generation out of that bondage to the freedoms that we enjoy today.

MY FRIENDS & I LAUGHED OUR -SSES OFF!:
While on vacation in Provincetown, Mass., my friends and I laughed our asses off as we stumbled upon this satirically funny photojournal.You must have a mother who is/was a housewife/part-time worker/doormat to truly appreciate this book. The fact that her real mother is the model for all of the shots exemplifies and perpetuates the hysterical and lovable, unappreciated role (but in hindsight; truly appreciated) of the housewife/mother of the 50's and trickled into decades to follow.Thankyou to Judy and Vivian and all others involved, for your talent, insight and sharing of one of life's focalpoints, HUMOR...it makes everything make sense!Dominic ChiangoPhiladelphia, Pa.

Fantastic. Funny. Much better if you read the Intro.:
I LOVED this book from start to finish. I use it in some of my psychology courses (gender roles, etc.). The pictures are more than interesting and funny. The introduction really helps you to get a lot more out of the book. I envy the relationship Judy and Vivian Olausen have created with each other! I'd love to photograph my mother strapped to the top of a car with antlers!

Amazing model!:
I photographed my mother alot when she was living, and she was usually cooperative, but complained about the results of the candids. I cannot imagine her having been willing to follow the directions that Judy Olausen gave to her mother! (Oh well, she was used to appearing in the charming portraits painted by her father, F.C. Frieseke *, when she was young.) I do hope that Vivian is sharing in the royalties. Her work as model... and mother... is outstanding. * http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/russell/406/frieseke/bretoncostume.html

Absoluteley the funniest book to give a your mother:
Any mother with a great sense of humor would enjoy this book