Monster Mums: 5 Villainous Mothers We Love To Hate

Centuries of set gender roles had us believing that motherhood is the epitome of joy, bound by unconditional love. This oversimplification of women’s lived reality has been weaponised time and time again to minimise the importance of the caregiver’s role when compared to that of the provider. What many fail to realise is that motherhood can be messy, monotonous, and even maddening. Some soar, some struggle, but each one merits standing. The same can’t be said for these women. Known for destroying the lives they helped create, they have earned their place in the annals of history, crime reports, and fictional universes. Buckle up—this isn’t your typical Mother’s Day tribute.

CASEY ANTHONY

The disappearance of the two-year-old Caylee Anthony made major headlines in 2008. Following a report by her grandmother, the police launched an investigation into the case and subsequently implicated the mother, Casey, as the prime suspect. The damning discoveries, which include Google searches for chloroform and traces of human remains in her car, prompted charges of first-degree murder, manslaughter, and child abuse.

Casey vehemently denied the allegations made against her, but her recounting of the event had been inconsistent from the start. Her story flip-flopped from an abduction by a babysitter to an accidental drowning in the family swimming pool and a cover-up of her father’s sexual abuse of his granddaughter. The murder trial that began in 2011 in Orlando, Florida went on for over six weeks and Casey was ultimately acquitted by the 12-person jury.

DEBRA MCCURDY

We have all heard the stories about those toxic parents who live vicariously through their children. Their existence has been well documented, whether it’s in court cases or in pop culture, which has given us plenty of reference points, including Black Swan and I, Tonya. Jennette McCurdy of iCarly and Sam and Cat’s fame is among the latest victims of stage mums who have come forward and talked about their experiences.

In her 2022 memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette chronicled the disturbing details of her childhood. From forcing an unhealthy 1,000-calorie-a-day diet to subjecting her to a gruelling schedule, Debra McCurdy was a master of disguising cruelty as concern. The abuse did not stop after Jennette turned 18. Debra would call her daughter a “lying whore” and “little slut” when she caught wind of her dating life.

KITTY MENENDEZ

Speaking of infamous mothers, Kitty Menendez was recently brought back to life, thanks to Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. The hit series revisited the horror story that transpired in 1990 when Lyle and Erik shot their parents—Kitty and José—to death using two 12-gauge shotguns. Charged with first-degree murder, the brothers were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after they underwent two trials.

But what drove them to commit such a crime? During their first trial, which ended in hung juries, Lyle dropped a bombshell when he argued that it was done in self-defence after enduring years of sexual abuse by their parents. The older brother recalled that Kitty started asking him to get into bed with her and touch her “everywhere” when he was only 11 years old. She would also frequently expose herself to him in varying degrees of nudity.

DANIELLA WEISS

If evil had a face, it would look a lot like Daniella Weiss. Known as the godmother of the settler movement, the former Israeli mayor has gained notoriety for her extreme viewpoint on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Weiss once again attracted media attention following the release of Louis Theroux: The Settlers last month. Capturing the reality in the West Bank, the disturbing documentary exposes the religious-nationalist Israelis in their own language.

Weiss was one of the featured interviewees. She who has worked to establish an Israeli dominion at the expense of the Palestinians’ lives for decades doubles down on her stance. The simple fact that moving a civilian population into occupied territory is a war crime under international law does not faze her. But how does it make her a bad mother? Well, she has gone on record saying that she needs to “brainwash” her children, even to her husband’s dismay, in the name of Zionism.

MONSTER MUM

Bad mums are not just a Western export. We have plenty of problematic matriarchs in our own backyard. One of the most controversial cases to gatecrash the national conversation was the twisted story of a mother turning her daughters over to strangers for a price. The unemployed “monster mother”, whose identity was concealed to protect the children, admitted guilt to the 10 charges of prostituting her daughters.

Her heated trial back in 2017 uncovered several shocking findings. According to court records, the Johorean had forced her two daughters, aged 13 and 10, to have sexual relations with Bangladeshi men at a budget hotel for RM50 per session. That was, unfortunately, not the worst part. It was later revealed that she would stay and watch as the men had their way with the girls. She is currently serving a sentence of 75 years in prison.

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