The portrayal of mother-daughter relationships in entertainment content and popular media has long been a topic of interest. However, a disturbing trend has emerged, highlighting the issue of abuse in these relationships. This review aims to explore the representation of abusive mother-daughter relationships in entertainment content and popular media, and its potential effects on audiences.
In popular media, the mother-daughter bond is often idealized as a source of unconditional support. When entertainment content subverts this by depicting abuse—whether physical, emotional, or through extreme control—it serves several functions: facial abuse the sexxxtons motherdaughter15 full
Shows like Sharp Objects (HBO, 2018) offer a masterclass in depicting psychological mother-daughter abuse. Adora Crellin’s treatment of her 13-year-old daughter, Amma (close in age to 15), is a slow poison: Munchausen by proxy, emotional suffocation, and public humiliation. The series captures the daughter’s desperate need for maternal love even as she is being destroyed by it. The 15-year-old’s voice—her rage, her self-harm, her performative rebellion—is centered, not dismissed. In popular media, the mother-daughter bond is often