Why I Am Proud to Say I Wear Mom Jeans

While browsing Pinterest a couple days ago, I came across a pin that announced with indignation: “Gap and Old Navy Make MOM Jeans!!”

Intrigued, I clicked through to the original blog post. The writer had apparently done lots of “research.”

Said “research” comprised of trying on numerous pairs of jeans from Gap and Old Navy, photographing herself wearing them, and comparing the results to those of her backside in various luxury denim labels.

I found myself irritated, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on why.

It was a very popular post. Scores of women had commented about how funny it was. The author professed that she was trying to free others “from the noose” of mom jeans.

Of course, no red-blooded young woman wants to be caught dead in the tapered monstrosities that our moms rocked in the 80s and 90s. But is this a fair comparison?

At first I decided to simply let it go.

Who cares what some random chick in cyberspace thinks about fashion.

But I couldn’t stop thinking about that article and it’s condemnation of mom jeans.

I wear Gap jeans. And I was damn proud to finally purchase a pair of “normal” jeans five months after the birth of my first baby.

I assumed that since I was slim before my pregnancy that I would have no trouble getting back into shape. I heard breastfeeding just melted away the pounds.

Not for me.

Read what DID work: my 5 essential weight loss tips for breastfeeding moms!

An unplanned c-section meant I could hardly walk, let alone exercise for the first eight weeks postpartum. Consequently, the weight clung to my midsection. It was a very discouraging experience.

When I was finally cleared for physical activity, I hit it hard. I worked out six days a week, graduating from walking and light yoga to more intense cardio and weight training.

One day my husband told me it was time to put away the maternity clothes — they were hanging off my butt. We went to a store that I thought might have something to fit my more mature shape at an affordable price.

I still had some inches to lose, so I figured that I would get a few pairs of pants until I needed to buy smaller ones again a few months down the road.

When I tried on that first pair of size 27 (keep in mind I’m only 5’3″) Gap boot cut jeans and they gasp FIT, it was such a rewarding feeling. My hard work and dedication had paid off.

So what if they weren’t the most trendy jeans on the planet — they had a solid waistband and an actual button and to me that was a huge accomplishment!

So when I see some girl’s diatribe against jeans that millions of us moms wear happily, it ticks me off.

Has this girl had a baby?

Has she struggled to lose those stubborn pounds that made it impossible to wear ANY jeans without an elastic waistband?

She recommends that we moms instead shop premium denim brands which offer more flattering cuts and details.

For two hundred dollars a pair they darn sure better make your butt look incredible!

But when I’m simply looking for a couple items to hold me over while I work on the last ten pounds, I’m not going to sink a car payment into each pair of jeans.

I’m not ashamed to shop at Gap, and if that means that I’m now officially dressed in “mom jeans,” so be it.

To wrap things up, I thought I would include some photographic evidence of my own:

Guess what — it’s the same pair of jeans. Gap Jeans. Amazing what different camera angles and poses will do!

Like the old saying goes: it’s not about what you wear, it’s how you wear it.

“Mom jeans” doesn’t have to mean something bad.

My “mom jeans” are a badge of honor — I know what I went through to get into these jeans. Many of us sacrificed so much to become a mother, and equally as much to reclaim our womanly figures.

This is the kind of message we should be sharing — one of positivity and support for our fellow ladies and mothers.

Sure, if you have the money and want to buy your True Religion or Seven for All Mankind Jeans there’s nothing wrong with that. But there’s also nothing wrong with buying what you can afford and what you feel comfortable in.

Fashion is fun, but I vote that we try to care more about the people behind the clothes.

**Note: I am not affiliated with Gap Jeans, but I do wear them from time to time 🙂

Have you ever thought about starting a blog of your own? Click here to find out more!
Follow the Soccer Mom Blog on Pinterest - Facebook- Twitter - Instagram