I’ve heard it said that only Americans can wear jeans. We invented them after all. Something about how people from other countries wear their jeans seems off.
Don’t get me wrong, everybody has their own way to wear a pair.
Jeans are so iconic. And for some women, their jeans are part of their identity. Whether you wear jeans because they feel casual and like you are ready to get some work done, or if you wear jeans because you want to say who you are a nonconformist, your own jeans can be part of how you walk in the world.
Some people invest in their jeans wardrobe, scoping out designer originals, ready to pay hundred to get that cut, that look.
Others wear their jeans until the holes appear, then patch the holes.
It really takes all kinds, and to the denim devotee, they are committed.
Part of the lure of denim is that they started out as menswear. Jeans are tough, jeans are not going to wait for someone else to come along.
So…when a jeans-packing woman becomes pregnant, there is a disconnect. The old jeans, the old paradigm, how does it fit?
Well, at first it fits. Then it fits if you unbutton the first button.
But one of the great things about jeans, is that when you wear them tight, they tighten and flatten your stomach. I mean, they’re low-rise jeans. Those work better for the first 5 months of pregnancy.
But creating that long lean silhouette?
Uh-uh. That’s not the shape of a pregnant woman.
So what’s a woman to do? She felt HERSELF in these jeans.
Pregnancy does not feel like being yourself.
It feels like a very long waiting room to change into someone else. Two people actually.
I personally do NOT want to abandon the self I created. I am proud of who I am and what I’ve made of myself.
So for a woman whose identity includes wearing jeans, it’s worth it to invest in maternity jeans.
Let’s talk about what’s going on with maternity jeans.
First, there’s that stretchy waist. That feels wrong in a jean, because it’s antithetical to the jean shape we’ve looked for our whole lives. But there it is: our shape is not what we’ve looked for our whole lives. Not this time.
So, the Belly part is a concession to the baby bump. All right.
But unless you are a rare, rare woman, the rest of your body is also reshaping itself. Thighs? Wider. Butt? Quite altered.
And the choices are a lot fewer.
Plus, this investment is going to have limited use. Will a pair of maternity jeans get holes from hard usage? Unlikely.
HOWEVER!
If you want to feel more like yourself, which is a receding goal at this time in your life, and a pair of jeans will help you feel better about how you present yourself to the world, for YOU, it’s worth it.
Think about what you want. Bootcut? Skinny? Low rise? And those ever-important back pockets. You can take a look around and see what makes you feel good about yourself.
You’ll need these jeans starting partway through your 2nd trimester, the 3rd, and then don’t forget about the 4th trimester. The belly doesn’t usually vanish for a while. You’ll need to have something that makes you feel fancy and more like yourself.
You know you. This is a time more than any other to listen to what your heart tells you. Yeah, it’s unlikely that your jeans will lift your butt while you are pregnant, but if it can lift your heart it is worth it.