Ouiam El Hassani uses the advent of Mom Jeans to cheer mothers on to shirk societal expectations, embrace reality and just be themselves.
At the most uncertain time that moms have ever experienced since World War I and II – thanks to Covid-19 – fashion comes to lighten up their mood and add a whole line of clothing labeled under their name: Mom Jeans. From fashionistas to celebrities, ladies have been drifting towards this next big denim craze; Mom Jeans, OUR JEANS! Do you even realise the shift? What better statement to boost every mom’s confidence in their sense of fashion, even if it is ephemeral because we all know fashion and its ever-changing moods.
The word ‘motherhood’ is, without fail, associated with anything but sensual; we are all familiar with ‘mom underwear’, ‘mom dance’, ‘mom heals’… we are all accused of hibernating in yoga pants, leggings, or bohemian dresses for the fancier ones. We moms are tired of these absurd implications because we had just predicted the birth of a whole trend even before Anna Wintour decided on it. Yet, this shift can’t possibly only mean that moms are back on track when it comes to their vogue-approved appearances; it is much more than that. It is a pass for other exhausted women to relax, to embrace their inner moms – because, in every female in the world, there is a small part in her soul that wants to hibernate in yoga pants forever- at least for some time in their lives. To these women, Mom Jeans came to lighten their load and invite them to embrace their goofiness, welcome their comfort, and still shine bright as fashionably as they would like to.
How often has one of your children asked you, “where are you going?” simply because you were dressed up – sometimes that just includes a clean shirt and a pair of jeans? (Mom Jeans or not). How many times have you wanted to stay in your PJs all day, but you had to put on decent clothes because life can’t wait for you while you take your break?
Women are expected to look phenomenal, be great mothers, fabulous cooks, excellent wives, and some of us are even expected to lead flourishing businesses, sleep the appropriate amount of time, eat nutritious food, have hobbies, find time to see friends, read books, and do things that make us happy, all in the 24 hours that exist in a day. It is not what women would like to be or what men would like them to be; it is a whole culture that has falsely reinforced a concept that only exists in fairytales, where fairies turned rags into ballroom dresses, and mice into chariots, or in sci-fi movies where women are robots.
A culture that burdens women with layers of unwanted weight and builds a highly appealing picture of the modern woman who has it all; the perfect woman, the superwoman who can do it all, leaving these delicate creatures drowning while refusing to give up the fight against perfection, an ugly battle that robs your joy, peace, and leaves you forever wounded.
Mom Jeans winning the battle over skinny jeans is a bold statement that women should enjoy while it lasts. Drop the skinny jeans, and with them, drop every ounce of expectation, responsibilities, and for once, enjoy comfort, embrace freedom, and thrive on being who you are and not what society wants you to be.
Mom Jeans are just the beginning of a new movement cheering for women’s vulnerability, hooting for their perfect imperfections, and changing the narrative for the new generations to come so they can finally live their lives the way they see fit, doing what they really want to do, and tossing aside an old, ugly and so very unwanted culture.
