june cleaver is a literary reference meaning "the perfect stay-at-home mom" referring to the mother in the u.s. television show "leave it to beaver" which was released from 1957 to 1963. women writers viewing the show sometimes had difficulty living up to or agreeing with such a feminine mystique. june cleaver is often referred to in remarks justifying a messy home such as “june cleaver made having a spotless house look so effortless . . .” the character was played by actress barbara billingsley, a lifelong resident of los angeles county, california, u.s.a.