Since the early 20th century, in the United States, the second Sunday of May is reserved to celebrate the special person that made our lives happen. One of the aspects that Mother’s Day also commemorates is the mother’s role in society. We have selected some iconic photos to unveil the social influence of some the most famous moms in history.
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A list, dedicated to some of the most famous moms’ history, would never be completed without this woman. Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone might be the embodiment of the term “Supermom”. The undisputed Queen of Pop boasts more than 300 million records sold worldwide and is only second behind The Beatles (which says a lot) on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists list. Always an active live performer, she has grossed more than 1 billion dollars since 1990 purely from the ticket sales of her live performances. Frequently regarded as one of the most powerful and influential women of the 20th/21st century, she’s also a dedicated mother to her four kids: Lourdes, Rocco, David, and Mercy. As of 2016, she’s still an active performer and a full-time mom who still finds time to help those in need with her frequent humanitarian efforts. An amazing, independent and inspirational spirit! The proudness and confidence here are more than justified.
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Regarding that special sincerity that can exist between a mother and a daughter, this famous photo by Annie Leibowitz might have captured it in its purest form. Blythe Danner is an American theatre and film actress and an American Theatre Hall of Fame inductee since 2015. She’s also a well-known environmental activist; though even more famous is her effort to increase oral cancer awareness with the non-profit organization Oral Cancer Foundation. She’s also the mother of another hugely influential actress of the present day Hollywood scene- Gwyneth Paltrow. A truly ethereal photography that unveils the age-old truth- you’re always a child in your mother’s eyes!
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The Queen of Soul whose voice soared on those beautiful notes of “Natural Woman” and signed out all the frustration against the somewhat misogynist climate of the 60’s America on Otis Redding’s “Respect” was also something we nowadays describe with the term “teen mom”. Aretha Franklin had her first son Clarence at the age of 14 while the second son came only two years later. With the help of the loving grandmother and her sister Erma, Aretha managed to pursue her career in the music industry while still managing to raise both kids. By the second half of the 20th century, she had already established herself as one of the most successful female artists in the history of music and eventually became the first woman ever to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. As President Barack Obama once noted, “American History wells up when Aretha sings!”
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Frequently described as an object of almost universal respect, the former first lady of the United States and the widow of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt completely changed the idea of what the first lady is capable of when using her influence the right way! She was also a mother of six children, one of whom unfortunately didn’t survive infancy. Despite whatever was in her way, she stood her ground even if her views often conflicted with those of her husband (remember that F. D. Roosevelt took the chair of the commander in chief for unprecedented four terms!), protected practically every minority there was to protect and served one of the longest and most successful diplomatic careers in modern times. President Truman actually once called her the “First Lady of the World”, a comparison which, in a sense, is not far from the truth. A wife, politician and truly an example of famous moms worthy of imitation!
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Not only the former English teacher Joanne Rowling is the 12th richest woman in the United Kingdom and the author of the best-selling book series in history (more than 400 million copies sold thus far) from which the second-highest-grossing film series in history were made. J.K.Rowling is also a loving mother of her three children, first of which was her loyal companion while she was putting down the first letters, for the first chapter in the “Harry Potter” series. The author herself once claimed that she was “as poor as it is possible to be in the modern day Britain, without being homeless”. The story of her life is the definition of the “rags to riches” idiom, for she reached the multi-millionaire status in a time span of only five years A mother who has been through it all and still managed to give happiness to her three kids and millions of children around the world. She’s also the mother “Harry Potter” after all!
image source: www.smh.com.au
Here is another first lady on our list who has been regarded as the absolute role model for modern day American women. Besides being a writer, lawyer, fashion icon and a healthy lifestyle activist, she is also the mother of two girls, Malia, and Sasha. Michelle Obama is the first African-American First Lady in the history of the United States and is an avid fighter against poverty (some of the first places she visited in her new status were soup kitchens and shelters for the homeless). She’s also the author of the country-wide initiative “Let’s Move” which aims to decrease the nationwide child obesity rates. Beautiful, smart and reasonably strict, she’s the epitome of the “First Lady” and as of now has been the leading mother of America for 8 years!
image source: www.neogaf.com
Let’s not forget that the model who posed for the “Mona Lisa of the Victorian Era” (a frequent designation for the painting) was also a mother. The famous painting (that had a brief cameo in the “Bean”, the Mr.Bean movie from 1997) which goes by the title of “Whistler’s Mother” was created by the American-born painter James McNeill Whistler in 1871. Regularly described as an American art icon (though made outside the borders of the United States), it may have actually been a result of a pure coincidence of circumstances. Some say, that the Whistler’s Mom simply sat in for a model that didn’t manage to show up while another legend goes that Anna McNeill Whistler found it too uncomfortable to stand for the whole painting process. Anyhow, this might be the most famous painting with the word “mother” in its title while the central character is defnitely one of the most famous moms in history!
Without any question, all the mothers in the world have a good reason to be placed on a list like this for they really do deserve such recognition. The unconditional love and sacrifices made by these ladies are invaluable! However, a little gift surprise would only do good for everybody, so if you possess a special picture with you and your mother (maybe something in the style of Paul McCartney with his baby in the jacket in that great photo from 1971), find out what you can do with it on our website!
