Who isn't guilty of this? I have rasied five boys. My "babies" are now 14 and I still find myself schlepping to the market looking like I just rolled out of bed. (And cringing when I run into everyone I know.) Life is busy and sometimes we just need a friendly reminder that we need to make time for ourselves. Investing a few minutes on yourself does wonders for your self-esteem when the day is done.

Ahh, listening to mommys turn on each other really warms the heart up, you know what I mean? I constantly rail against women who lose their own identity when they have children, and you can always pick those women out of a crowd- by the clothes they wear. We all have days when we spend in our sweats and yoga pants, the teacher conferences where we show up in pants whose laundry date is a distant memory, and trips to target in sans bra. But if that is how you live your life, don't be surprised if later in life you look back at picture after picture and can't stand to look at yourself.

For those who mention trends, no where does she mention that in the article, she says find your own style (and thus maintain your own identity).

And, last for those who doubt the author's writing skills, well, you're wrong.

I took the article for what it was meant to be: a little cute, and meant to help. It was targeted to moms who care about their look and are maybe feeling a little down about where their style has gone since motherhood took over their lives. Most of us have felt this way at some point; like we don't have time to focus on ourselves like we used to. And, the people who are acting all outraged over the fact that some moms really do care about the way they look, are interested in the latest fashion trends, and feel less confident if they can't get their haircut once a year are just as judgmental as they are accusing the article of being. Relax people, if you aren't into fashion then this topic is perhaps of no issue to you and I'm sure Hybrid Moms has plenty of other content that you will find interesting, helpful, and to your standards.

Honestly - if this was tongue in cheek, it wasn't done very well.

If the message was actually - take time for yourself even on days that you're insanely busy then that should have been stated - and I would have agree, unfortunately she mocks people who drive vans, and tells us to wear Spanks to drop the kiddies off at school.

If you have to know the author understand the real message, the article was poorly written.

I was one of the moms that Jennifer polled via social media, and we all jokingly suggested that "mom jeans" or "dumpy sweats" were our personal pitfalls. I think that a lot of us should take a deep breathe (maybe a sip of wine?) and re-read this article for the light hearted, tongue and cheek Op-Ed to which it was intended.

If we moms had not suggested these "fashion downfalls" as staples of motherly matronly aesthetics, Jennifer would never have addressed them. I write about makeovers, fashion and style 24-7 a week- but on the most days of the week, I find myself at the store thinking "wow, I wish I had put on a more attractive pair of sweats. I'd probably feel cuter right now."

Most days it won't happen for us....we're busy moms! But there is absolutely nothing wrong enjoying an article with some helpful tips, some looks to (at least attempt) to avoid- fully knowing that if we don't get out of our sweats today, we're by no means failures. But still...who doesn't want to TRY when we can and learn about how we can improve? There is never anything wrong with that.

THANK YOU for having the guts to talk about this! We sometimes get so consumed with our roles as moms that we forget to foster our individuality and that includes our sense of style. We succumb to the "too tired to care" signature mom look all too often. I know I do it at times!
As women, however, we need to realize that our self esteem and femininity needs a little vanity at times. Everything in moderation, right? We SHOULD care how we look. I am a very bright, hard working mom of seven and I still care about looking and feeling sexy. It makes me a happier woman to get a compliment from my husband or just know that I look good. There is no crime in that at all!
The author is not tearing anybody down at all, in my opinion. It seems that she is trying to offer some practical advice on helping us get our sexy back and for that, we should be grateful, not mean and spiteful. Can I get an amen?

Really people?...really?

First - if we can't laugh at ourselves, who can we laugh at. We deserve to laugh at ourselves when we look laughable. Get over it and lighten up.

Second - have we really become that determine to not let someone put standards upon us that we forget to put standards upon ourselves.

Moms need to remember that first and foremost we are women, we are beautiful, and we deserve to look like we care about what we look like.

I think the women that had problems with this article are not taking in the spirit in which it was meant. It is not about making your appearance a priority, or even about vanity. It's just about remembering that as mothers, it is OK to not put ourselves last ALL the time. Obviously, the kids come first, and obviously, we're all busy. Just means we don't have to look like something the cat dragged in ALL the time.

Jen....the article was dead on....and I, for one, am going to attempt to clean up my act. I really have no excuse. My kids are all teens now. LOL

Based on my experience, I think women can spend their time and money more effectively if they invest in themselves by taking a course, joining a club, or volunteering somewhere to expand their minds, develop new skills and connect with other people - if they have any spare time and money to do so. As much as I value the work women do in their homes, it is unfortunate that women who stay home to raise their kids may find that people in the workforce don't value the work they do raising their children. Too many women find themselves unmarketable when they are ready for full time work after spending time raising their families. In hindsight, I wish I had kept my skills fresh by taking courses.

I'm sure this was meant well, but come on. Some mothers don't give a care what other people think - they dress the way that is comfortable, affordable, and workable for them. Other moms stress themselves to death over their clothes, especially when articles like this that come off as judgmental and high school like pop up telling them that the comfortable and pretty outfit that has an elastic waist band no one sees is a no-no.

For my job, I have to do research on the latest fashion trends and hairstyles. Guess what? Braids and ponytails are big on the runways. Denim is huge this season. So what if a mom likes jeans that are a size bigger? Done right she'll look great. There's a trend some follow of wearing larger pants.

It's silly to keep wearing your maternity clothes, yes. But what about those who didn't get all that big to start with - are they supposed to give up something that no one knows is maternity but still looks great on them? Like another lady said - moms have enough to do finding something that matches and is clean than worrying about whether they are perfectly in style. And like someone else said - can we please stop laughing at the mom with the ponytail, or the one who's jeans don't fit perfectly? Maybe they're at the playground in a ponytail because it's cool in the heat. Or maybe they don't have the cash to go buy new jeans because it needs to go to bills. Why are we women always so ready to judge someone on their clothes or hair instead of worrying about the things that actually matter?

It's better to be comfortable in your own skin than it is to dress in a way that you aren't really comfortable with in order to make people see you in a certain way. At work - yes, you need to dress right. But when you're in the store or at the playground, the heck with what anyone else thinks. One woman may hate makeup and feels strange with it. Why tell her she needs it? Be true to yourself as a woman in whatever way makes you feel good, dress well for your work, and be happy. That's what will make you look good and feel good.

I know the intent of this article is just trying to be helpful, but it really comes off as judgemental to me, in a high school kind of way. We all want to be stylish, but meeting your rules of not-to-loose, but not-too-tight is a hard order to fill post-partum. Figuring out what fits (what fit last week doesn't anymore), I can breastfeed in, is appropriate for the occasion, suits the weather, has shoes that match, doesn't have spit-up stains and doesn't look sloppy has brought me to tears on more than one occasion. And it all takes time that I don't have.

Wearing clothes that make me look attractive makes me feel good. I also feel good about myself when I realize my true self is not the image I present to the world at one given moment. We can give ourselves grace by not requiring ourselves to be fashion mavens at all times.

Good reminders, I have been in my workout clothes all day the last couple days. It feels so much better to get ourselves cute! :-)
Thanks, good article.