Book excerpt: It takes more than a baby to make a mother, and mothers make more than babies. Bringing together a range of international studies, Motherhoods, Markets and Consumption examines how marketing and consumer culture constructs particular images of what mothers are, what they should care about and how they should behave; exploring how women's use of consumer goods and services shapes how they mother as well as how they are seen and judged by others. Combining personal accounts from many mothers with different theoretical perspectives, this book explores: How advertising, media and consumer culture contribute to myths and stereotypes concerning good and bad mothers How particular consumer choices are bound up with women’s identities as mothers The role of consumption for women entering different phases of their mothering lives: such as pregnancy, early motherhood, and the "empty nest"