--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Middle-class mothers and fathers turned…" description: "\"Middle-class mothers and fathers turned out to be a very well-defined consumer group, easily gulled into buying almost anything that might remedy their..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/jill-lepore-4886_almost_middle-class-mothers-and-fathers-turned_1049826.png" --- # Middle-class mothers and fathers turned out to be a very… ![“Middle-class mothers and fathers turned out to be a very well-defined consumer group, easily gulled into buying almost anything that might remedy their parental deficiencies.” quote by Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/jill-lepore-4886_almost_middle-class-mothers-and-fathers-turned_1049826.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/jill-lepore-4886_almost_middle-class-mothers-and-fathers-turned_1049826.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/jill-lepore-4886_almost_middle-class-mothers-and-fathers-turned_1049826.png) > “Middle-class mothers and fathers turned out to be a very well-defined consumer group, easily gulled into buying almost anything that might remedy their parental deficiencies.” [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Middle‑class families are targeted as a distinct consumer group and easily persuaded to buy products that promise to fix perceived parenting flaws. **In simple terms:** Parents are marketed to fix perceived flaws. Key Takeaway Question marketing claims, prioritize genuine needs. Themes consumerism parenting class Mood analytical concerned Type sociological critical When to use this quote - parenting forums - advertising strategy - family budgeting Key Concepts marketing psychology social influence economics Questions to Reflect On - What drives parents to buy “solutions”? - How can families resist consumer pressure? A Different Perspective Marketing exploits insecurities; not all products are effective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Almost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) [Anything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anything/) [Buying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) [Class Mothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class-mothers-445078/) [Consumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumer/) [Consumer Group](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumer-group-2503410/) [Deficiencies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deficiencies/) [Easily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easily/) [Fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fathers/) [Group](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/group/) [Middle class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Mothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mothers/) [Mothers Fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mothers-fathers-589082/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Parental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parental/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Remedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remedy/) [Remedy Parental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remedy-parental-2503411/) [Turned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turned/) [Very](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very/) ## Related quotes > [“At the very same time that we witnessed the explosion of white celebrity moms, and the outpouring of advice to a surveillance of middle-class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-j-douglas/at-the-very-same-time-that-we-witnessed-the-explosion-of-white/) [Susan J. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-j-douglas/) > [“At the same time that middle- and upper-middle-class mothers were urged to pipe Mozart into their wombs when they're pregnant so their kids would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-j-douglas/at-the-same-time-that-middle-and-upper-middle-class-mothers-were/) [Susan J. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-j-douglas/) > [Motherhood may be a 'killer' when it comes to becoming a Master of the Universe, but among middle-class mothers, even after that touch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrystia-freeland/motherhood-may-be-a-killer-when-it-comes-to-becoming-a-master-of-the/) [Chrystia Freeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrystia-freeland/) > [Biology makes us Mothers & Fathers, whats in the heart makes us Mom's and Dad's](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-heath/biology-makes-us-mothers-fathers-whats-in-the-heart-makes-us-mom-s/) [Kevin Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-heath/) > [Women and men grow up with both sexes. Our mothers and fathers mean a lot to us, so it's just a question of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-jones/women-and-men-grow-up-with-both-sexes-our-mothers-and-fathers-mean-a/) [Grace Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-jones/) > [Its a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/its-a-funny-thing-about-mothers-and-fathers-even-when-their-own-child/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [Come mothers and fathers Throughout the land And don't criticize What you can't understand Your sons and your daughters Are beyond your command Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/come-mothers-and-fathers-throughout-the-land-and-don-t-criticize-what-2/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [“How had it begun? Like everything: with mothers and fathers. Because of Lydia's mother and father, because of her mother's and father's mothers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/how-had-it-begun-like-everything-with-mothers-and-fathers-because-of/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“The family has no borders, explains Soboufu Somé of the Dagara people: “Our children have many mothers and many fathers. As many as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/the-family-has-no-borders-explains-soboufu-som-of-the-dagara-people/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [The more people have studied different methods of bringing up children the more they have come to the conclusion that what good mothers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-spock/the-more-people-have-studied-different-methods-of-bringing-up/) [Benjamin Spock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-spock/) > [Happy Father's Day to all fathers to be, fathers that are, to mothers who are also fathers and fathers no longer with us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happy-father-s-day-to-all-fathers-to-be-fathers-that-are-to-mothers/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them. They move on. They move away. The moments that used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/parents-rarely-let-go-of-their-children-so-children-let-go-of-them/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Countries are either mothers or fathers, and engender the emotional bristle secretly reserved for either sire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/countries-are-either-mothers-or-fathers-and-engender-the-emotional/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [Come mothers and fathers throughout the land, And don't criticize what you can't understand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/come-mothers-and-fathers-throughout-the-land-and-don-t-criticize-what/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Most mothers and fathers will shop more for a TV set than they will for a child care center for their child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-zigler/most-mothers-and-fathers-will-shop-more-for-a-tv-set-than-they-will/) [Edward Zigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-zigler/) ## More by Jill Lepore > [Weirdly, there have been a lot of critics of conservatism, but very few critics of innovation. As a culture, we are deeply paranoid about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/weirdly-there-have-been-a-lot-of-critics-of-conservatism-but-very-few/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [History is only written from what remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/history-is-only-written-from-what-remains/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [The study of history requires investigation, imagination, empathy, and respect. Reverence just doesn't enter into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/the-study-of-history-requires-investigation-imagination-empathy-and/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Well-reported news is a public good; bad news is bad for everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/well-reported-news-is-a-public-good-bad-news-is-bad-for-everyone/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [The very first television ad targeted to women was produced by the Eisenhower-Nixon campaign in 1956. It includes footage of a woman supervising her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/the-very-first-television-ad-targeted-to-women-was-produced-by-the/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Republicans were more pro-choice than Democrats up until the late 1980s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/republicans-were-more-pro-choice-than-democrats-up-until-the-late/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [It feels silly to watch endless hours of winter sports every four years, when we never watch them any other time, and we don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/it-feels-silly-to-watch-endless-hours-of-winter-sports-every-four/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Historians once assumed that when childhood mortality was high, people must not have loved their children very much; it would have been too painful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/historians-once-assumed-that-when-childhood-mortality-was-high-people/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [When carrying a concealed weapon for self-defense is understood NOT as a failure of civil society, to be mourned, but as an act of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/when-carrying-a-concealed-weapon-for-self-defense-is-understood-not/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > ['Doctor Who' is, unavoidably, a product of mid-twentieth-century debates about Britain's role in the world as its empire unravelled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/doctor-who-is-unavoidably-a-product-of-mid-twentieth-century-debates/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [“Still, it strikes me that, taken together, they do make an argument, and it is this: the rise of American democracy is bound up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/still-it-strikes-me-that-taken-together-they-do-make-an-argument-and/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [One day, I was playing 'The Game of Life,' the board game, with a mess of kids, and I wasn't quite sure how, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/one-day-i-was-playing-the-game-of-life-the-board-game-with-a-mess-of/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Mainly, the more faddish and newer stages of life are really just marketing schemes. Tweenhood. The young old. The quarter-life crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/mainly-the-more-faddish-and-newer-stages-of-life-are-really-just/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [“Politics is a story about the relationship between the past and the future; history is a story about the relationship between the past and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/politics-is-a-story-about-the-relationship-between-the-past-and-the/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Not long before my mother died, I found a long-lost portrait of Jane Franklin's granddaughter, Jane Flagg, aged nine - oil on canvas -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/not-long-before-my-mother-died-i-found-a-long-lost-portrait-of-jane/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) [Explore all 105 Jill Lepore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) ## More Almost quotes > [My mother worked in the white world, but I lived almost exclusively in a black world. I don't think I had ever seen a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/my-mother-worked-in-the-white-world-but-i-lived-almost-exclusively-in/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [My favourite designers always create a strong silhouette, like McQueen and Tom Ford and Alaia. I like structured things that you can throw on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-ross/my-favourite-designers-always-create-a-strong-silhouette-like-mcqueen/) [Liberty Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-ross/) > [Harry Truman wrote scathing letters, but he almost never sent them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/harry-truman-wrote-scathing-letters-but-he-almost-never-sent-them/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [It's almost inevitable there's going to be an escalation on both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-luther/it-s-almost-inevitable-there-s-going-to-be-an-escalation-on-both-sides/) [Bill Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-luther/) > [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/) [Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/) > [If you watch wrestling, you now know the hip-hop culture is being represented with wrestling. For the longest time, the cultures have almost been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cena/if-you-watch-wrestling-you-now-know-the-hip-hop-culture-is-being/) [John Cena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cena/) > [Almost every Monday I have a charity thing. I like that. I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/almost-every-monday-i-have-a-charity-thing-i-like-that-i-do/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/) [Farnaz Fassihi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farnaz-fassihi/) > [While it is often true that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, it seems like Yahoo's almost obsessive focus on Google is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/while-it-is-often-true-that-the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend-it/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) > [I'd had episodes before, but I swept them under the carpet. This time, I couldn't do that because everyone knew. I got on with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-kidder/i-d-had-episodes-before-but-i-swept-them-under-the-carpet-this-time-i/) [Margot Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-kidder/) > [I was hit by a car. I almost died. My show was taken away from me. I was frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-brennan/i-was-hit-by-a-car-i-almost-died-my-show-was-taken-away-from-me-i-was/) [Eileen Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-brennan/) > [With \*NSYNC, we shopped our deal for a year in America, sang a capella in everybody's office, then moved to Germany for almost two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jc-chasez/with-nsync-we-shopped-our-deal-for-a-year-in-america-sang-a-capella/) [JC Chasez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jc-chasez/) [Browse all 1,672 Almost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Middle-class mothers and fathers turned out to be a very well-defined consumer group, easily gulled into buying almost anything that might remedy their parental deficiencies.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jill Lepore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/middle-class-mothers-and-fathers-turned-out-to-be-a-very-well-defined/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Almost" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/middle-class-mothers-and-fathers-turned-out-to-be-a-very-well-defined/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/jill-lepore-4886_almost_middle-class-mothers-and-fathers-turned_1049826.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/jill-lepore-4886_almost_middle-class-mothers-and-fathers-turned_1049826.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/jill-lepore-4886_almost_middle-class-mothers-and-fathers-turned_1049826.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Middle-class mothers and fathers turned out to be a very well-defined consumer group, easily gulled into…” — Jill Lepore", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jill Lepore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Middle-class mothers and fathers turned out...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/middle-class-mothers-and-fathers-turned-out-to-be-a-very-well-defined/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/middle-class-mothers-and-fathers-turned-out-to-be-a-very-well-defined/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```