It's no secret that being a mom means something different nowadays. Phone calls have turned into FaceTimes, "Not now, honey, Mommy's busy" has been replaced with $900 tablets, and mommy-monitored Instagram accounts are actually a thing. But one constant that even the mom'est of moms can't get enough of are "mom jeans." With this surge of millennial mothers, though, is the ever-present wardrobe staple even associated with moms anymore? Are we entering the age of "mom-core," or have we been here this whole time?
Between the Saturday Night Live sketch penned by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler that mocked the dated style and the slew of members of Generation Z sporting the look at Coachella, hearing the term "mom jeans" does make us think of the high-waisted denim that's been on-trend since spring and summer 2013, at least.
So why is "mom" a pejorative? Will the style ever become uncool again, or is the "mom" of it all in the eyes of the beholder? (You saw what happened to skinny jeans.) Ahead, we talk to 10 moms to get their take on the term and the article of clothing itself. Mothers know best, right?
"Truly, I have to wear them still because I'm working off my mom-pouch, so I'm not a big fan. My husband hates them and can't wait to see the skin below my belly button. He legit just said two days ago, 'Where are all the low-rise hip-huggers?!'"
- Heather, 26
Illustration by Anna Sudit.
"To me, the term 'moms jeans' is stupid. I call all my jeans that don't have holes in them 'mom jeans,' but they're still low-rise and skinny. Having a kid doesn't mean you need jeans so high they hold your boobs up."
- Nicole, 25
Illustration by Anna Sudit.
"'Mom jeans' suck. No one wants to be wearing 'mom jeans.' They're not sexy. Unless you're Rihanna, who can rock them and make everyone want to wear them!"
- Kelly, 57
Illustration by Anna Sudit.
"If every girl who walks into the store I work at is buying 'mom jeans,' it kind of defeats the term, right? Like, all of Coachella is wearing 'mom jeans!' Style goes in cycles, so it makes sense that they're popular now, even though many people think of them as a style for older women. It's great that I can wear something that a younger person is wearing and we can both look good. I think 'mom jeans' are fantastic."
- Jeannine, 38
Illustration by Anna Sudit.
"I'm self-conscious about wearing anything that covers my belly button, like 'mom jeans,' because I am a mom. I just don't want people to think I'm dressing a certain way because I don't like how I look now, but at the same time, I hate that I think about it so much."
- Cait, 22
Illustration by Anna Sudit.
"When I was younger, low-rise didn't even exist, and neither did the idea of 'mom jeans!' Now you have all these choices, so I think 'mom jeans' are just a way to make fun of how we all looked in the '80s and '90s. But I love them. Low-rise stuff is the really ugly stuff! It's like Britney Spears, or so low you'd need a wax. Ew."
- Lisa, 59
Illustration by Anna Sudit.Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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