From Monday Mom – Neetika:
Mothers, particularly housewives, take a lot of heat for the way they dress. I think this is ridiculous. If we can concede that doing all of the things that mothers do each day to take care of their families is a demanding, strenuous task, they should at least be comfortable doing so. Taking them out of their hoodies and yoga pants is–dare I say it—a little sexist? The message I hear is: no matter what you’re doing, you need to look good doing it. Nope! I reject that notion all day long.
I have some mom friends who always dress smartly and wear make-up. You won’t see them with a messy bun or without a statement necklace any time soon. Honestly I think that’s great too. A nice outfit can go along way in improving one’s mood. I always dress a little nicer when I’m under the weather. It’s mind over matter.
I’m firmly in the leggings-and-comfy-top camp, but I also try to exercise most days, so it’s a matter of necessity as well. I think it mostly comes down to what you have time to do. The other day, I went to a networking event and dusted off my “work clothes.” I had make-up on, jewelry, even put on a little perfume. So many people commented on how nice I look! It made me laugh about how I usually must look—yikes!
Wearing a “proper outfit” was nice, but when it comes down to it, it’s not a priority for me. Like most moms, I have a million things going on at a time. I often hear from friends that return to work after kids, how nice it is to have an excuse to dress up. It’s not that working moms have less to worry about—dare I say, they have more—but basketball shorts are frowned upon in corporate settings, so you gotta do what you gotta do.
Appearances have little to do with what’s going on with someone on the inside. So let’s try to put off judgment and assume we’re all doing what works for us. What’s your parent-dressing philosophy?