A raunchy sketch ends up reinforcing the stereotype of mothers as frumpy and sexless.
You know that moment when a man who wants something thinks he sees an opportunity to charm an easy mark? A common version is specific to mothers, and it goes like this: A mom and her kid are out somewhere together, and they meet a guy. It doesn’t really matter who. He may be a service worker looking for tips, an acquaintance of the child looking to get in good with the mom, or a garden-variety slimeball. What matters is that he’s meeting this woman for the first time. And when she is introduced as the child’s mother, that’s his cue.
He licks his lips. This is what he’s been rehearsing for. He delivers his line with relish: “This is your mother? I thought she was your sister!”
The mom is supposed to titter and blush, thoroughly disarmed by being thought young and worthy of anyone’s flirtation. Maybe this has happened to you, or to your mom. Certainly you’ve seen it on TV. It’s wildly patronizing, which is not to say it never works.
They had entered uncharted waters. But still, Sherman’s character tried to play it off. “You do not want to flirt with a couple of old moms,” she said. This is when the sketch turned. “Oh yes, I do,” Alby said.
