CrosswordNewsletters
DAILY BEAST
ALL
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • World
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
  • Travel
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Fever Dreams
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Right Richter
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDBs Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      FOOD & BEVERAGE
        CULTURE
        • Power Trip
        • Fashion
        • Books
        • Royalist
        TECH
        • Disinformation
        SCOUTED
        • Clothing
        • Technology
        • Beauty
        • Home
        • Pets
        • Kitchen
        • Fitness
        • I'm Looking For
        BEST PICKS
        • Best VPNs
        • Best Gaming PCs
        • Best Air Fryers
        COUPONS
        • Vistaprint Coupons
        • Ulta Coupons
        • Office Depot Coupons
        • Adidas Promo Codes
        • Walmart Promo Codes
        • H&M Coupons
        • Spanx Promo Codes
        • StubHub Promo Codes
        Products
        NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
        FOLLOW US
        GOT A TIP?

        SEARCH

        HOMEPAGE
        Fashion

        Donald Trump Jr. Is Wrong. Mitt Romney’s ‘Mom Jeans’ Are Right on Trend

        Triggered

        Donald Trump Jr. wanted his insult of Mitt Romney’s “mom jeans” to be a zinger. But along with being misogynistic, the president’s son also showed he knows nothing about fashion.

        Alaina Demopoulos

        Updated Feb. 06, 2020 7:32PM ET / Published Feb. 06, 2020 3:06PM ET 

        Photo Illustration by Kristen Hazzard/The Daily Beast / Photo Getty

        Donald Trump Jr. has some thoughts—well, a lame insult really, aimed at Mitt Romney—about “mom jeans.” Like much about Don Jr., it was an embarrassing misfire.

        After Romney announced that he would vote to convict Trump on an impeachment charge—a mostly symbolic move which did little to influence Mitch McConnell’s Republican-led Senate—Trump Jr. posted a throwback photo of the senator wearing high-waisted denim. It appeared to be taken in the ’80s or ’90s, when the cut was popular for men and women. The caption read, “Mom Jeans, Because you’re a pussy.” 

        via Instagram

        His mockery of Romney, of course, makes light of the infamous word his father used while bragging about assaulting women in the Access Hollywood tape. Along with that, he chose to feminize Romney as a form of insult. Trump Jr. could have referenced dad jeans, which Barack Obama frequently wore as president, but he decided to call him a girl instead. Good one, Junior!

        Then-President Barack Obama reacts after throwing out the first pitch before the MLB All-Star baseball game in St. Louis, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.

        AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari

        Perhaps unsurprisingly for a connoisseur of plaid button-ups—who appears to use an entire bottle of Gorilla Glue to slick back his hair every morning—the president’s son does not understand that the past six or so years have made the look cool again.

        Here comes Kendall Jenner, just this week in sheer top and mom jeans! They have also been sighted on Kourtney Kardashian, Gigi Hadid, and Sienna Miller. The mom jean came to public attention in the late 90’s, but it's been around, unnamed and unjoked about by presidential offspring, since the '50s.

        Trump Jr., 42, knows nothing about fashion, which can be illustrated by the fact that he proposed to his first wife, Vanessa, with a ring he got for free from a jeweler at the Short Hills Mall in New Jersey. If he did understand trends, he would know that mom jeans have come a long way from the Tina Fey’s 2003 SNL sketch, which reportedly coined the term. 

        Today, the look is sold both euphemistically (see: Everlane’s $78 “Cheeky Straight Denim”—a mom jean if I ever saw one) and proudly. Retailers like Mango, ASOS, and Madewell all use “Mom” to market their high-waist, tapered-leg options. It makes sense they would use the phrase in their marketing, as it’s highly sought-after. According to Google trends, California, Hawaii, and fittingly, Romney’s state Utah, are the top three regions searching.

          I searched through the Getty Image archives in an attempt to find photos of Trump Jr. in the same style. Unfortunately, the first son seems to have only worn suits and ties since his childhood, pairing the boss baby ensemble with a vacant glare that makes him look like a babysitter’s worst nightmare. 

          He does wear jeans, nondescript ones, on occasion, such as when sitting, looking as if he was constipated, on a tree stump.

          This, then, is a short lesson and corrective for Don Jr. as he struggles to perfect his fashion zingers. The first time I tried on a pair of mom jeans, I felt instant, unadulterated bliss, a comfort I’ve yet to recover from. Under the fluorescent lighting of a dusty Topshop dressing room, I stared into a dirty mirror and wondered how it was possible for my butt to both look and feel so good. Was I actually wearing denim, or just a great big hug? 

          I came of age during the era of low-rise, the-tighter-the-better skinny jeans, which I wore for nearly a decade. I risked friction rash and exposed my lower back to the wind and rain for the sake of fashion. Not too long ago, being stylish meant shoving our bodies—or as much of it that could fit—into a garment made for someone at least two sizes smaller. 

          Years later, it’s de rigueur to see Billie Eilish in shapeless cargo pants or Kaia Gerber in New Balance sneakers. Getting dressed no longer means risking life or limb to squish inside rayon. The gaze has changed, too—being a mom is not a derogative, and parents can be hot, too. (Have you seen J.Lo?)

          “Jessica Simpson wore mom jeans back when that was an (unintentionally) feminist act, and for that, my flared pants and I salute her”

          Blame it on on #MeToo, the influence of VSCO girls, or sheer exhaustion with the state of the world. If we can’t stay underneath a comforter all day, at least we can dress like one. I chose to credit the resurgence of mom jeans, which Fashionista dates to Topshop’s 2014 version, as the first time the mainstream fashion industry allowed women to be both comfortable and cute.

          Les we forget: Jessica Simpson did not endure weeks of intense, unnecessary body shaming after performing in high-waisted bellbottoms back in 2009 for nothing. Is that entirely relevant to mention in this story? Maybe not, but I refuse to let it go unwritten. Jessica wore mom jeans back when that was an (unintentionally) feminist act, and for that, my flared pants and I salute her.

          Jessica Simpson, 2009

          Logan Fazio/Getty Images

          So, a word to Trump Jr. If, to quote the title of your book, you really want your insult to “trigger,” consider making better jokes. Not only was your meme misogynistic, it’s also just plain outdated. Mom jeans have been cool for a minute now, so pick a new object of ridicule. Until then, I’ll be over here, swathed in supportive denim.

          READ THIS LIST

          DAILY BEAST
          • Cheat Sheet
          • Politics
          • Crime
          • Entertainment
          • Media
          • World
          • Innovation
          • U.S. News
          • Scouted
          • Travel
          • Subscription
          • Crossword
          • Newsletters
          • Podcasts
          • About
          • Contact
          • Tips
          • Jobs
          • Advertise
          • Help
          • Privacy
          • Code of Ethics & Standards
          • Diversity
          • Terms & Conditions
          • Copyright & Trademark
          • Sitemap
          • Best Picks
          • Coupons:
          • Coupons:
          • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
          • HP Coupon Codes
          • Chewy Promo Codes
          • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
          • NordVPN Coupons
          • JCPenny Coupons
          • Nordstrom Coupons
          • Samsung Promo Coupons
          • Home Depot Coupons
          • Hotwire Promo Codes
          • eBay Coupons
          • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
          © 2022 The Daily Beast Company LLC