Remember that cringey phase in recent history where anything with the word “mom” in front of it was automatically deemed uncool? Mom haircut. Granny panties (sort of different, but the same). For some reason, there was a negative connotation associated with trends that were labeled as “motherly” – and in the the late 1990s and early 2000s, mom jeans were no exception. (The SNL skit spoofing the trend surely didn’t help its case.)
At the time, the high-waisted, straight-legged cut – which is beloved by so many fashion fans today – was pretty popular among middle-aged women, which naturally (albeit unwarrantedly) categorized them as a faux pas to their teenage and 20-something-year-old children.
Mom jeans saw a huge resurgence in the 2010s, when they were fully reimagined, now referencing the original cool-girl design worn by ’80s A-listers like Madonna and Drew Barrymore. Gigi Hadid, Kourtney Kardashian, Alessandra Ambrosio, and more fashion icons couldn’t get enough of this specific denim style, which unexpectedly accentuated the butt, elongated the legs, and did so in a loose and comfortable way, unlike tight, skinnier styles.