“Why Are We Being Portrayed as Wretched Peasant Women?” Belarusian Mothers Share Photos of Themselves Alongside Sculpture in Bykhau

Reform.news Editorial Team · 11 November 2026, 15:59

https://reform.news/en/why-are-we-being-portrayed-as-wretched-peasant-women-belarusian-mothers-share-photos-of-themselves-alongside-sculpture-in-bykhau/

On November 6, a sculpture titled “To a Mother” was unveiled in Bykhau. Social media users joked about its crooked neck and “post-stroke” face, while the district executive committee acknowledged shortcomings and promised to fix them. But the debate surrounding the sculpture has unexpectedly shifted away from anatomical jokes. Real women — mothers, both with large families and otherwise — say the issue is not the quality of the workmanship at all. They see the kitschy statues, reminiscent of illustrations from a century ago, as an insult to them.

“I am 41 years old. I am a woman and a mother from Belarus. And I demand to be treated with respect,” edem.oracle writes. Her Threads post has received more than 2,000 likes and 400 comments. “It’s not about the camera angle or the tilt of the cheek. It’s about total spiritual poverty and falseness,” she continues.

“Where have you ever seen mothers like these? Look at my full-length photo and then at this monument. We, modern mothers, are 35, 40, 45 years old. We take care of ourselves, dress stylishly, build careers, develop ourselves, run businesses and raise children in the 21st century. Why are they so determined to portray us as miserable, faceless peasant women from pre-revolutionary popular prints? This is not a tribute to tradition. It is cultural impotence and an inability to understand the image of a modern woman,” she writes.

The author also criticised the argument that the architect had worked on the monument for free and donated it to the town: “Public spaces are not dumping grounds for unsuccessful free experiments.” Her Threads post has received more than 156,000 views and 2,200 likes.

Others have taken up the slogan. “I am 44 years old. I am a mother of three. And I demand to be treated with respect,” marina_tutaalba writes, proposing that all mothers in Belarus turn it into a flash mob. “Even plaster figurines from Fix Price look more lively and warm.” Her post has received more than 400 likes.

“I’ve seen all kinds of mothers. But I have never encountered a mother like the one depicted in this monument in Bykhau District. I look at this wonder and feel shocked,” she writes.

Asked what exactly she finds personally offensive, she says it is the fact that the work was created by a sculptor with a degree, approved by local officials, and that children from a kindergarten will be told it is a work of art.

In the comments, mothers are posting selfies taken in changing rooms and hallways. “My daughter is already as tall as I am. But I don’t think everything looks as gloomy as it does on the monument, even without makeup,” writes milmamaby.

“I’m 33. I absolutely agree with your opinion,” adds palinauka.

The wave of posts was preceded by a contribution with a very different tone. Belarusian tutor anastasia.biology defended the sculptor, Minkou, arguing that he was an established professional who had carved both figures from a single block of granite and worked without payment. “Criticising a work of art and mocking the person who created it are two different things,” she wrote, thanking the sculptor for his work. Her post also gained traction, but her position proved controversial: it received considerably fewer likes than comments.