Shaziya Ashraf started creating content on TikTok in 2020 for fun and out of boredom. She now has over 600k followers on TikTok is and influencer that usually creates cosplay content, relatable comedy skits, and sometimes dance videos but she very frequently has to deal with people in her comments who are in doubt of the fact that she’s a married woman and a mother.
@thatanimemom Your favorite fox yokai is here 🦊 #tomoecosplay #kamisamakiss #tomoexnanami ♬ original sound – michelle
Working Mothers of Social Media
The dichotomy of being a career woman as well as a mother is tested every day by the working mothers of today. Being a parent is already a full-time job, and the burden placed on the social role of being a mother is very heavy. So the imagery of classic sitcom moms, like those portrayed in 1950’s sitcoms, is still very prominent. The mother was always clad in an apron, confined to the kitchen, and only looks pretty for her husband. Over the years, this image has developed many forms but hasn’t quite yet faded away.
UAE-based influencer Shaziya Ashraf (32), has young features, cosplays anime characters, lip-syncs, and performs skits on TikTok. Her more popular work are her cosplay videos and her relatable comedic skits about her own mother as well as being a mother. She was faced with a lot of surprise and disbelief when revealing she is married and a mother. Most of the comments assumed she was in her teens as her hobbies seemed ‘young’ and her content didn’t seem conventionally ‘motherly’.
Is it her youthful looks? Maybe. However, a lot of people judged her with the stereotypical imagery of mothers and wives instead of what kind of person and influencer she is. Many who had admired her on the app, assumed her youthful looks, alternative sense of style, her cool cosplay, and cheery skits weren’t something a mother or wife would do. She often talks about how balancing the influencer and mom was very taxing but she does it because she loves creating content.
@thatanimemom 👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼
♬ original sound – jwett
The Shock and Disbelief
Since then Shaziya made more videos with her daughter and husband whilst being very upfront about her account not being a family channel but simply something she did for fun. She addressed comments saying ‘You’re so pretty I didn’t think you were a mom.’ by saying ‘Are you saying moms can’t be pretty?’ She had then gone on to release more proof that she was a mother which still brought forth an abundance of doubtful comments.
@thatanimemom Is this proof enough? #fypシ #foryoupage ♬ Big And Chunky – Juanito T
Identity As an Influencer, Mom, Wife, and Human
Often a common notion is to think that mothers aren’t women and in turn not individuals when in actuality they are. As she started TikTok as a hobby which grew into a passion, she found many fans and fellow mothers who both saw themselves in her and found her entertaining. With this reveal of her life she received a lot of attention and love, however it also came with some negative comments about her image. Every individual can assume many roles within their life and Shaziya doesn’t need to conform to a ‘motherly’ aesthetic (whatever that is) but rather can stay true to herself without the push from others onto her about what stereotype she must fall into.
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