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Let’s talk about Mom jeans. They’re back and I’m glad.
The photograph above came from a Saint Laurent ad in the New York Times style section. Compare the old Brooke Shields ads from the 1980s with today’s Saint Laurent version and observe the similarities.
Here’s Brooke Shields side by side with a Kim Kardashian. Notice how the belly buttons are covered? Call me a prude, but I like that.
I’ve never been a big fan of jeans. (Why bother when there are so many things that flatter me more?) Whenever I do wear them, mine probably veer more toward Mom jeans than not.
It’s only a matter of time until this retro, high-waisted look finally gets some mainstream respect. Consider the virtues of these jeans:
a) They hide belly fat.
b) They hide butt cracks.
c) They’re comfortable.
Lastly, they remind me of my Mom. And she deserves to be remembered.
Like most Moms, she made lots of sacrifices for her kids. She is a beautiful woman, and for much of her life, she couldn’t make fashion a priority. There was something more important on her plate.
Having a whole genre of jeans named after Moms is a tribute. It reminds us of their nature, always looking for the best in us.
I cringe when I think of how little I once appreciated my Mom.
Looking back on my high-waisted life
The morning after I left home for my freshman year of college (I can assure you that my jeans were high-waisted in 1978), Mom says she opened the door to my bedroom and got a huge shock. I had taken every stitch of clothes I owned, summer and winter.
She read my message loud and clear: I’m gone and I’m never coming back. What a sensitive way to thank the woman who had sacrificed to give me a good start in life.
At the time, I thought I was doing exactly what my parents expected of me. They had signaled all along that they wanted my brothers and I to leave home and stand on our own as soon as we reasonably could.
Some of us (read: me) required more help than others. After all, they still helped me complete four years of college.
When I left, I didn’t think I knew everything, but I was confident that I could figure it out. I was ready to start my life, or at least I thought I was.
Parenting through the highs and lows
The recent phenomenon of kids living at home for years after graduating from high school and college has been difficult for people of my parents’ generation to understand.
This shows a remarkable difference in parenting philosophies from then to now. If a clear line of distinction could be made, the exaggerated form would go something like this:
THEN: I love you, but I am not raising you to be my friend. I want you to be a responsible adult. Once you leave home, our responsibility to you is largely over. The world is a difficult place and you must have a game plan for living in it.
NOW: I love you, and I want you to be one of my best friends. I am here to protect you from harm and distress for as long as I possibly can. The world is a difficult place and I’m here to make things easier for you because I can’t stand to see you struggle.
Neither style is better than the other. They both have pros and cons, and they start from a place filled with good intentions.
My parents eventually became my very best friends. I’m blessed beyond all measure to have both of them in my life.
When it comes to jeans, I figure my Mom has earned the right to wear any kind of jeans she wants.
Your favorite jeans ever…what ‘s your style?
Life is short. Wear the good stuff.
5 comments
April 7, 2014 at 11:46 am
Great post! I’m not sure I’m totally on board with the high waisted jeans (then again, I realize how much I hate pants in general every time I put a pair on, low or high waisted.) But I can tell you, when I graduated from college, my mother said, you can move home if you need to…but you’re going to pay rent. Needless to say, I did not.
April 8, 2014 at 6:05 pm
🙂 I think you’ve converted me on that point.
April 9, 2014 at 7:14 pm
I love this topic and I really like the picture in this post. However, I am not quite sure I am ready to go back to the complete high waisted jean just yet. While I really dislike the ultra low styles some people wear, I have found a mid rise that I like, is comfortable and suits me.
As far as the high waisted trend being call “Mom” jeans. I can’t remember my Mom ever wearing denim. She always wore these hideous stretchy polyester pants. I am sure you know the kind I am referring too. They are just awful, my Mom still wears them. Nothing will convince her to try a different style or fabric.
So I have a difficult time referring to the high waisted denim as “Mom” jeans.
April 15, 2014 at 7:49 pm
I love high-waisted jeans. I have such a long torso they look normal lolzzz
April 15, 2014 at 10:23 pm
I have been meaning to write this very blog post for months. You’ve done a better job than I probably would have done AND you hit on all the main points. They are sooo comfortable and if you get the right fit they are amazingly flattering! Everyone who turns their nose up at this idea can enjoy pulling up their pants for another few months until they come around 😉 I’ve found a few vintage Rider and St. John’s Bay that fit like skinny jeans but are way curvier through the hips which is just perfect for me. Plus, they actually flatter my butt!