Mom jeans is an informal term for high-waisted women's

jeans Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with copper-riveted pockets which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and pa ...

that were first fashionable in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In the late 1990s and 2000s they were mainly worn by adult American women and considered "old" by younger women. High rise, ankle length "mom jeans" have since become fashionable again in the 2010s and into the early 2020s with younger women from tween and teen aged girls, on up through college aged women and beyond. Many women wear their t-shirt, sweatshirt, sweater or other top tucked into the jeans with a belt to complete the look. Once considered a pejorative term, mom jeans gained prominence from a May 2003 ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

'' skit written by

Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...

for a fake brand of jeans called Mom Jeans, which used the tagline "For this

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in th ...

, don't give Mom that bottle of perfume. Give her something that says, 'I'm not a woman anymore... I'm a mom.' "

Characteristics

This style of mom jeans usually consists of a high waist rising above the

navel The navel (clinically known as the umbilicus, commonly known as the belly button or tummy button) is a protruding, flat, or hollowed area on the abdomen at the attachment site of the umbilical cord. All placental mammals have a navel, altho ...

, making the

buttocks The buttocks (singular: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed ...

appear disproportionately longer, larger, and flatter. Mom jeans have excess space in the zipper, crotch, and leg areas. The jeans are usually in a solid, light-blue color, with no form of

stone washing Stone washing is a textile manufacturing process used to give a newly manufactured cloth garment a worn-in (or worn-out) appearance. Stone-washing also helps to increase the softness and flexibility of otherwise stiff and rigid fabrics such as ca ...

or fading. Other attributes of the style often seen are

pleat A pleat (plait in older English) is a type of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself and securing it in place. It is commonly used in clothing and upholstery to gather a wide piece of fabric to a narrower circumference. Pleats are cat ...

s, tapered legs, ankle length legs, and elastic waistbands. The style is often accompanied by a blouse, t-shirt, sweatshirt, sweater or other shirt that is tucked into the jeans. Usually a belt is worn.

Dad jeans

Barack Obama practises baseball (cropped)

A corresponding term, dad jeans, has been coined in popular media to refer to high-waisted jeans often worn by

middle-age In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

d American men. The term gained popularity in 2009 when President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

wore dad jeans during the

2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 80th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 14, 2009 ...

. In March 2015, Obama appeared on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's ...

'' for the "Mean Tweets" segment, in which he read a tweet mocking him over the jeans.

Jimmy Kimmel James Christian Kimmel (born November 13, 1967) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the host and executive producer of ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', a late-night talk show that premiered on ABC on January 26, 2003, ...

then appeared on stage wearing high-waisted jeans, and jokingly attempted to defend them. However, the term dad jeans gained less media attention than the corresponding feminine term. The term is also used to refer to both high-waisted and mid-waisted jeans worn be men, as high-waisted trousers lost popularity amongst men as early as the mid to late 1960s.

References

External links

''Saturday Night Live'' "Mom Jeans" skit
May 10, 2003 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mom Jeans Jeans by type 2000s slang 2010s fashion 2010s slang 2020s fashion

Characteristics

Dad jeans

See also

References

External links