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

jeans Jeans are a type of trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with the addition of copper pocket rivets added by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and patented by ...

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 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'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' skit written by

Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. Known for her comedic roles in sketch comedy, television and film, Fey has received List of awards and nominations received by Tina Fe ...

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 Mar ...

, 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; : umbilici or umbilicuses; also 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. Structure The u ...

, making the

buttocks The buttocks (: 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 of a lay ...

appear disproportionately longer, larger, and flatter. Mom jeans have excess space in the zipper, crotch, and leg areas. Other attributes of the style often seen are

pleat A pleat (plait in older English) is a type of fold formed by doubling textile, 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. Pleat ...

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. Often a belt is worn.

Dad jeans

A corresponding term, dad jeans, has been coined in popular media to refer to high-waisted jeans often worn by middle-aged 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 was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

wore high-waisted jeans during the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. In March 2015, Obama appeared on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...

'' 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), known professionally as Jimmy Kimmel, is an American television host, comedian, writer, voice actor, and producer. He has been the host and executive producer of '' Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', a late-n ...

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 by men, as high-waisted trousers lost popularity among 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