Just because we suddenly have small people to take care of doesn’t mean it’s time to put away our lovely clothes and give in to dowdy twinsets and stuff we only bought because they can be washed quickly if we’re puked on.
Nope, this generation of mums loves fashion. So we don’t accept that just because we’re mothers we can’t wear whatever we want.
Holographic mini-skirts, velvet jumpsuits, hot pink jelly sandals – if we want to wear them, we will – and to hell with the begrudgers.
This is exactly the message 35-year old London mum-of-two Zoë de Pass is spreading with her blog-cum-campaign DRESS LIKE A MUM.
Zoë wants to challenge the stigma of ‘dressing like a mum’ – because as far as she’s concerned the attitude is redundant. Mums don’t look like mums; they look like individuals, women, people.
“I want to change the bad rep and perception that mums can't dress; that we automatically lose our sense of style and our passion for fashion just because we have a kid or 2, because we don’t,” Zoë says.
“I started my DRESS LIKE A MUM project because I frequently receive comments such as, ‘you don't look or dress like a mum’, ‘I can't believe you have 2 kids’ and I couldn’t work out if this was a compliment or not and if it is why is it?
“So many assumptions are made about mums, so many misconceptions and false ideas of what we want, who we are and how we behave. For some reason once you become a mum people feel that they can stereotype you, slot you into a demographic and predict how you will behave and what you want.
“With the help of all the hot, stylish ladies out there (and the #dresslikeamum hashtag) I want to prove that dressing like a mum does not exist.”
Zoë is right. ‘You look like a mum’ and ‘you dress like a mum’ and ‘that outfit looks very mumsy’ are phrases that are never without negative connotations. It’s time to reclaim these attitudes and show there’s NO specific way to ‘look like a mum’.
And with her experience working in trend, branding, digital and creative agencies, Zoë is well equipped to push her agenda – making the high street a better place for mums and mums-to-be to shop by educating retailers and brands so they can understand Millennial parents and cater for them better.
And Zoë is walking the walk: we are totally crushing on her amazing style – often complemented by her equally stylish kiddos. From cool culottes to funky tees to colour pop dresses, she’s dressing like a mum, and we’re loving it.
Inspired by Zoë, here are the super-chic mums hashtagging their awesome style:
Yep, that's what dressing like a mum is all about! And if you want to join these mums in putting two fingers up to the stereotypes, snap a photo of your fave outfit and post it to Instagram with the hashtag #dresslikeamum.
