I know that I just gave you a confession, but I have something else to admit. I like to let a little bit of my bra show. Sometimes I choose a shade darker than my shirt, or a pattern that peeks through the fabric. Sometimes the lacy edge peeks out from my neckline. It just makes me feel a little bit racy, a little bad, if you know what I mean. Now, you know I’m a mom. Most of the time I am dragging three kids around, from here to there, to school, to piano lessons, to swimming. I often have my one-year old on my arm. More often than not, my hands are sticky from someone’s snack. And that feeling can be annihilating.
But when I know that I caught Geoff’s eye on his way out the door to work, or I feel a guy’s eyes on me (I know, I should be ashamed, I’m married!) I feel a little more alive, a little more me. It helps me get through these mommy years in one piece. It reminds me that being a sexy girl was what got me into this mess in the first place, and that I will one day return to what I was—more or less—a sexy woman with nice clean hands.
Do other moms do this? I definitely haven’t noticed any bits of lace peeking out. But I say go for it! Moms, do your hair and wear your date night shoes on regular days too. Go shopping, alone, for yourself. It feels great.
I do have one friend who tried my advice. She religiously wears sweats. Recently she confided that she did some lingerie shopping, and that she’s been wearing her sexy bras and panties under her sweats. Her husband loves it, and I hear she’s been reaping the benefits.
So, guys, when you see us moms, in our sweats, hair in ponytails, tugging flocks of kids along by the arms, well, you ought to look more closely. Things are not always as they appear. Sometimes, they are a lot more interesting.
Hear, hear. I gave up on dressing like a mom a long time ago — at least like the moms around here. I want to wear what I like now, not wait for special occasions that don’t happen nearly enough. So maybe the other moms give me the side eye when I wear a dress to a school talent show. I can live with that.
I’ve definitely noticed the evil eye from other moms when I’m dressed up. Why?
At the most basic level, I think because it’s out of place. Like if I saw someone a bit overdressed at the gym, I’d probably raise my eyebrows. But at a deeper level, I think it’s a misinterpretation of the dressed up mom’s intentions. The other moms might think, “Who’s she trying to impress?” or something along those lines, when fundamentally I’m dressing for myself. Here’s another example: Once I wore colorful metallic eye makeup to a half marathon. My face doesn’t sweat too much, and I have a good eyeshadow primer, so I knew it wouldn’t be a problem. That makeup was fun for me for the occasion, and it made me feel kind of powerful. But while I was in the mob waiting for the race to start, I heard two women next to me talking loudly about how ridiculous it is to wear makeup to a race. They just didn’t get it. Oh well.
Amen. Don’t let the kids swallow everything. 🙂 I love this. Thanks for linking.
I know! Thanks!
It’s even more great because not a generation ago this type of behavior would have been seen as outrageous (:
Well, the bra showing, yes. But when I see photos of my grandma, she always looks amazing — hair done professionally, completely put together. Really, that’s what changed my attitude.
I can relate to the desire to still look good. I don’t intentionally show my bra, but I like to dress in something besides work out clothes, and take time to put on earrings and a necklace. It’s the little things 🙂
I agree, Janna. The bra showing is a little extreme, but things like a necklace are such a good example to the kids when they make you feel good.
Preach it, sister!!!
Thanks!