You know the ones I'm talking about. The shade of wash that's more blue and kind of has a cloudy as opposed to striped look. The tapered leg. The long, flat butt. The zipper that goes up, up, up, above the belly button to the actual natural waist.
I am an expert at avoiding those things. I know exactly what I want in pants. Boot-cut and mid-rise! That could be my mantra. Boot-cut and mid-rise! I cheer it in my head as I browse the clothing racks. Boot-cut because it's more flattering to my figure. Mid-rise because I'm too old to want to worry about showing my buttcrack and too young to wear pants up to my bra. Boot-cut and mid-rise!
This skinny leg trend kills me. My legs are way too big for skinny jeans and I refuse to wear them. The one time I tried them on I almost fell over attempting to shimmy them over my giganticalves.* When I see these teenagers walking around in jeans that look more like leggings, I just laugh and shake my head.
Just like my parents did when the flare leg came back in style for girls and boys were wearing those ridiculous JNCO jeans. Remember that?
When I reminisced about that, though, I started getting nervous. If skinny legs are the style now, are my own mother's tapered legs closer to "fashionable" than my boot-cut? Will Miriam someday look back and laugh at her mom's insistence on boot-cut and mid-rise, and avoid them at all costs? Am I wearing the next generation's version of mom jeans?!
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| I realize that strange little fake pocket thing at the top makes them momish. I still bought them, thinking they wouldn't show under whatever shirt I was wearing. That can't be a good sign. |
At the store, I didn't have much of a choice. The sale racks in the women's section gave me nothing but mid-rise straight-legs to choose from, and I wasn't about to pay full price or peek at the junior's section. So I relented, happy to at least get the right height and deciding that perhaps the straight lines would be a bit more similar to the skinny leg style (because let's face it, most of the teenagers wearing skinny legs are not curvy yet) and keep me from being too unfashionable too quickly.
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| When looking at these jeans in the picture, I have to say that it looks like the pair on the right are definitely something my mother would wear. The pair on the left is okay, though, right? |
The next day I asked my husband what he thought of my new semi-stylish straight-leg jeans. He looked at them skeptically and informed me they were a bit baggy. And while I'm glad I won't have to worry about modesty in these jeans, I would rather wear clothes that my husband actually likes. So it's back to the boot-cut the next time I buy jeans, fashion be darned!
And when you find yourself actually muttering "Fashion be darned!" out loud, that's when you know you are indeed wearing mom jeans.
What do you think: what are the cut/rise/color of today's mom jeans? Are we all wearing mom jeans and don't even realize it?! Or is it just me?
Related:
Mom Jeans and the Dreaded "Long Butt" (h/t Mrs. 2nd Lt).
* Maggie expressed doubt at my having giganticalves the other day. Oh, but I do. Feel free to ask my friends. I don't really mind it, but it is something I have to work around. For example, I have a hard time getting shin guards and soccer socks to fit.
This thought never occurred to me (that our jeans might be mom jeans). I pretty much only wear jeans (unless its the summer and I wear skirts), so I have quite a few different cuts. I have a pair of skinny jeans, and I love them. Granted, I only wear them with longer tops because I don't like feeling like my butt is hanging out. But they are great with boots, and I just like them a lot. And I'm not skinny either (you've met me!).
ReplyDeleteI also have a pair of "trouser" style jeans. These basically fit like dress pants (slightly higher rise, slightly wider leg) and these are really nice for dressing up.
Then I have about three pairs of what you'd call "mid-rise boot cut". Gap is about the only place that has jeans which fit me so I buy 90% of my jeans there. I wait until I get coupons in the mail and they are having a sale. I was able to get a 70$ pair of jeans there for 25$. Even so, I have paid full price for jeans there before, because I wear them so much. As a SAHM, jeans are something I wear nearly every day. I better have some that I like.
I guess I figure that I am not wearing mom jeans? Or maybe moms have just gotten more stylish in the jeans department?
This post makes me laugh, because now that I will be a mom, I've always said I still don't want to dress like one! It's bad enough that my husband calls my short hair my "mom haircut"
ReplyDeleteI too just started staying away from the junior's section. Although at places like TJMaxx or Marshalls you can occasionally find okay jeans in that section. I figure at almost 25 it's time to move on from the junior's. I don't want to be those weird ladies who are in their late 40s still shopping in the juniors! And you know it's not for their daughter!
I really don't think your pants are that bad. I think like you said, the lighter colored jeans are a bit more mom-like, but really the pocket in the back makes it a bit more youthful I think.
But I also do think that womens pants are for the most part more stylish than they used to be when we were younger.
I find this post hilarious and would say that mom jeans are still the first version you described. I admit that I have been prone to watch "what not to wear" a time or two and Clinton and Kelly still recommend that many people go for bootcut or straight leg and definitely not the long butt mom jeans!
ReplyDeleteWe're still stylish
If you are considering to consider mid-rise boot-cut mom jeans, then... I wear mom jeans!
ReplyDeleteIt's really hard for me to find jeans. I have the butt of a mature woman, but my legs are as short as a 13 year old. I have never tried on skinny jeans... I don't really like how they look. Do you know they make skinny jeans for babies? What?!
I still doubt you have giganticalves. :-)
Thought you might like This skit from SNL
ReplyDeleteJeans shopping is the bane of my existence! I hate it! I have such a hard time finding jeans that fit. I have a high waist so the mom jeans you describe are actually perfect for me...but ever since the term "mom" jeans and the SNL skit on them...I won't wear them and I suffer through the mid-rise boot cut style. Ugh...I'm so not fashion-savvy.
ReplyDeleteThat SNL skit is hilarious. :)
ReplyDeleteI too like boot-cut and mid-rise. That way my fat stomach doesn't hang over the top like it would with the low-waist style, but it's not the high-waist of mom jeans either!
(I also hate the skinny jean trend....are we in 1983 or something?)
You know, I actually see more guys than girls wearing skinny jeans...(they're built better for them anyway :)). So, I think our mid-cut boot rise can't play into the mom category (a.k.a. totally unflattering) because the skinny jeans are for boys. High waters and long zippers will always be mom jeans. As a tall gal, I have to search for jeans that cover my ankles, or else, gulp! I look like I'm wearing mom jeans. But as long as your ankles are covered, I wouldn't be too worried with your straight leg jeans.
ReplyDeleteAs for the junior section? That's where I buy my jeans. There's a fine line between mom jeans and Real Housewives of O.C...afraid I'm in the latter category now! :-/
Wow, this post reminds me so much of things I've been thinking recently too: that I'm finally too old to pretend I can still shop in the junior's section, my worries about finding clothes that fit right but aren't mom-ish...
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that you bring up the question about whether the clothes we wear now - while being in-style and normal for us - might look mom-ish to our children one day. I've been thinking about this question a lot recently, and here's what I've determined...
The reason anything looks dated is because it was once a unique and identifiable "style," but is no longer stylish. If you see an old woman in a pleated skirt, a little hat, and a fox fur stole, she looks terribly old-fashioned. Or a middle-aged woman in a jacket with shoulder pads (from the 80s) - same thing. When each of these women were young, she would have been stylish. Her problem is twofold. Back in her "heyday", she only purchased clothing that was distinctly in-style; AND she also failed to replace her things/change her style as time went on.
This is why I've determined that any clothes I buy from now on should be relatively generic and "timeless." I can't afford to replace my clothes as often as I did before I was married. These things need to last, and I don't want them to look old-fashioned or mom-ish! Anything with a simple cut or pattern will usually be able to transcend decades and styles without looking dated. Case in point: the classic "little black dress."
In the picture you show of the two pairs of jeans, the one on the left is definitely good. Moms aren't associated with the dark wash. The blue-blue ones on the right...sorry, but a *little* mom-looking!
I like bootcut pants too, Have you tried the slightly wide-leg styles of jeans? I think they look flattering (I also have giganticalves).
Elizabeth, you are too funny! I've always wondered if the "Mom jeans" used to be fashionable when are moms were young. I actually just found a long-lost pair of boot-cut pants of mine, and worried about whether they're still in fashion. I suppose as long as we're fashionable to the other moms our age, that's what matters most! Here's to all of us twenty-somethings wearing boot-cut jeans into the future! :-P
ReplyDeleteCorrection: *our* moms. Evidently, I've been in Oklahoma too long.
ReplyDeleteI actually lovemy skinny jeans (in a dark wash) because they actually make my SUPER short legs look longer. I also enjoy my comfy maternity leggings... made me feel like I am still "thin" some places when pregnant.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, most of my jeans are mid to low-rise and boot cut or straight leg for comforts sake. I am comfortable in a lower-rise jeans because I'm as petite as petite gets (I have to get petite pants hemmed).
I have this same fear! What makes it worse is that high-waisted pants are in style right now, and high-waisted is like the trademark of mom jeans, right? So confusing!
ReplyDeleteBtw, I've always noticed that women who have strong calves have small waists. I'd rather have gianticalves than a spare tire. ;)
ReplyDelete