De-gendering Motherhood: A Critical Examination of Nissan India’s #Spirit of Motherhood Advertisement
Anto Hemanth A1, Saranya VM2
1Mr. Anto Hemanth A, UGC Junior Research Fellow, Department of English, PSG College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore, India.
2Dr. Saranya VM, Assistant Professor, Department of English, PSG College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore, India.
Manuscript received on 01 September 2026 | Revised Manuscript received on 11 September 2026 | Manuscript Accepted on 15 September 2026 | Manuscript published on 30 September 2026 | PP: 19-23 | Volume-6 Issue-1, September 2026 | Retrieval Number: 100.1/ijmcj.B119106021226 | DOI: 10.54105/ijmcj.B1191.06021226
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© The Authors. Published by Lattice Science Publication (LSP). This is an open-access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: In light of evolving critical perspectives shaped by modern political ideologies, particularly the feminist goal of gender equality, the long-prevailing identities, roles, norms, and several practices within a society have been subject to transformative changes. Media has long been a key vehicle for such transformative change, spreading reformative ideological values through its narrative power and impact. Often regarded as a foundational pillar of popular culture, media encompasses diverse digital forms, including television shows, films, web series, advertisements, and social media applications. This study explores how Indian advertisements have broken gender stereotypes and positively reshaped societal attitudes through strategic narrative techniques and emotionally resonant representations. Using a theoretical framework grounded in Judith Butler’s concept of gender performativity, this study examines Nissan’s #SpiritOfMotherhood (2017) advertisement, which aims to degender motherhood by decoupling it from ‘womanhood’. Drawing on Sara Ruddick’s idea of mothering as a practice, it examines how the advertisement constructs and represents the maternal bond and care. This study emphasises a shifting paradigm of motherhood by redefining ‘mothering’ as a non-gendered, or gender-neutral, performance that justifies maternal care.
Keywords: Gender Performativity, Maternal Care, Media, Motherhood, Mothering.
Scope of the Article: Journalism