"The Mental Load: A Feminist Comic" is a comic that went viral in 2017, by Emma, a French cartoonist and computer science engineer. The comic was first released as “Fallait demander”, or "You should've asked", and was later published in book form by Murdoch Books (, 2018) and Seven Stories Press (, 2018).
Plot The comic depicts a mother hosting a reception in her home, taking care of her children and logistics while her husband chats with guests. When she explodes in frustration, her husband responds, “You should have asked! I would have helped." The narrative shows how household responsibilities drain women disproportionately compared to men, and then references possible improvements to help balance the mental load, such as prioritizing paternity leave.
Critical reception The comic received immediate attention in the French press.Reviews in French: In 2019, Jessica Grose of the New York Times described concern over the children's health and well-being, combined with managing household schedules, as “'worry work' or, colloquially, the mental load", with a link to the comic. Hillary Chute, in the NYT Book Review, wrote that the comic "creates an intimate flowchart of household routine". BCG began an article on recommendations for family-friendly corporate policies with the comic.
Author RFI reported that Emma uses only her first name in an effort to "keep her 'work' and 'illustration' selves separate".
References
External links The mental load: a feminist comic The gender wars of household chores: a feminist comic Benevolent sexism: a feminist comic explains how it holds women back