What's On Your Feet Mom?
One thing that I have learned from mom's over the years is that a lot of things change once they have a child/children. Priorities, activities, extracurricular activities, wardrobe and style. There is a very interesting relationship that a woman has with shoes and from what I have seen over the years there are three different types of relationships when it comes to shoes.
Mom #1: She never cared about shoes before she was a mom and she sure doesn't care about them after. Let me rephrase that, it isn't that she doesn't care about shoes but she looks at them for the practical reason. Meaning that they are for what their primary use is and that is to put on her feet so she can go outside and do what she has to do. Whether that is take the kids to school, run errands, go to work. Nothing about buying shoes is for the aesthetic appeal. Comfort is not just the main but really only name of the game. She is not going to have different styles, versions, numerous amounts of color. These are the moms I chat with that have maybe at most five pairs of shoes, including the function black pumps, sneakers, and crocs . When they hear that I or other women I know have over 300 pairs of shoes they look at us like we are crazy. Some of them are even in awe because it is not something important to them on any level. A pair of shoes equals function. Their passions and interest lie somewhere else. What I have found in this category are that some women will judge women who fall into the other categories because they don't understand their love for shoes, and the petty side in me wants to say, "Well I don't understand why you allow your feet to walk around looking so ugly in those shoes!" I have also found that a small few do veer away from the practical side and within those five pairs of shoes they have what they deem to be their "fun shoes" or what I also like to call their "let your hair down shoes." Reese Witherspoon really embraces her functional casual mom look, making it look effortless, simple, and no frills. And it looks amazing on her. As a mom of three, she is all about comfort first.
Mom #2: The reminiscent mom! These are the mom when they see another woman in an awesome pair of heels they will compliment that woman and proceed to remember when they used to wear those type of shoes, and a lot of the time they end the sentence with, "before I had kids." It's not that they have gotten rid of their "fun shoes" they have just given them a new home in the back of the closet because they feel they just don't have anywhere to wear them anymore. That doesn't mean they have given up on style, no it means they have gone to a more practical yet stylish look. They have traded in their high heels for a lower type heel or flats, but they still that doesn't mean they have left fashion behind. An adjustment just needed to be made. BUT... when they do have a chance to bring the high heels out, honey they sure will go to the back of the closet, pull them babies out and strut their stuff. What I like about these moms is they don't let the fact that they are now a mom dictate what they can or can't wear anymore. Ciara gives off this type of mom life with an awesome array of fly sneakers including Jordans, pictured with her husband and son. But then she will flip it on us and give us a fabulous look like the one she did for the Grammy's with this sexy open strappy black stiletto, by Stuart Weitzman.
In the same breathe you have the reminiscent mom that has literally retired her "let my hair down" shoes because in her mind she feels, they are not "appropriate shoes." Which a phrase that I never understood. I do wonder if it's a choice or if it's more a thing that they feel they have to make this change. Boy oh boy they do have some great stories in those shoes. They will pull them out for a special event or if they have something formal to attend. Either version of Mom #2 lives vicariously through other women. To them it's more a thing of, "I may not be able to do it anymore," or "I can't rock them as much as I used to, so girl you wear it for the both of us." Rarely is their hate from these moms. It's more of an appreciation.
Mom #3: The not changing a damn thing mom! She is the mom that whether she's had one kid or six she loves her heels and that is that. There is no such thing as a fun shoe or a practical shoe, all her shoes are fun and practical from the flip flops all the way to the 6 inch heels or platform wedges. Nothing is getting retired, she may get rid of some to make room for new ones but she is wearing her pride and joys. She has a passion for shoes, and it is really about the aesthetic of the shoe, and the variety of styles will blow your mind away. She is a lover of shoe fashion and nothing is going to stop her from rocking what she wants to rock. HELLO BEYONCE!!! We've all seen pics of her in both her first pregnancy and current pregnancy strutting in heels, as well as with her daughter, and never missing a beat.
When I was talking to my aunt about this blog she pointed something out that none of these scenarios take into account, the ordeal of pregnancy. Majority of women who have gone through pregnancy always say that their feet swell. This leads to them having to get shoes in a bigger size, not being able to wear certain shoes (so they are forced to retire certain pairs during pregnancy), and sometimes their feet never go back to the size they were before the pregnancy. This now calls for a whole new shoe wardrobe. Also, this change in shoe size, may be permanent and can make it very hard to rock the shoes that these they once did. Which puts some shoes in retirement for good.
This is not a science, this is just what I have observed over the years. Every woman's foot is different, including her very own two feet (the right foot can be a different size from the left foot). Yet it cannot be denied that there is an interesting relationship between motherhood and footwear. What all these moms undeniably have in common is that no matter what is on their feet they are great moms. So HAVE A GREAT MOTHER'S DAY and love whatever shoe you are stepping out in!
Big Hugs,
CCSB (Chocolate Chick Shoe Blogger)
