Hi everyone! I'm really excited about this week's challenge. We're talking about something that, with a little effort, can make a BIG difference in h
Hi everyone!
I'm really excited about this week's challenge. We're talking about something that, with a little effort, can make a BIG difference in how you feel about life as you move "beyond baby" - style.
The other day my older kids were looking through photos of our family, taken about eight years ago.
They got to a series of Christmas morning shots, then paused and chuckled.
“Mom,” my sixteen-year-old son Jacob said, “Could that really be you? You looked so… old.”
Oh my goodness, was he ever right.
Now, mind you, I wasn’t old at all when the photos were taken – just 28. And if you were able to look very closely, you’d see that in those days I still had the unlined skin of a teenager.
But the whole package was definitely pretty matronly. I wore unstylish (and slightly askew) glasses. My hair hung in an overgrown bob, hitting right at the chin – a most unflattering length for somebody still carrying the telltale puffy face of a recent pregnancy. My baggy postpartum clothes did nothing to pull the look together.
Looking at the picture, I was able to laugh and give myself a lot of grace. I’d just had a baby, after all, and I think all moms should grant themselves some leeway when it comes to worrying about their physical appearance or style in the intense infant months.
After all, I clearly had bigger priorities, wrapped up in the bundle that was my little Owen, just a few weeks old at the time.
But it did illustrate something I’ve noticed: how women in their 30s and 40s often look so much more pulled-together, rested, healthy, stylish…even younger than those same women did in their 20s and 30s. The common factor seems to be motherhood, or specifically, which stage of motherhood the woman is in at the time.
All I know is that, eight years after that picture was taken, I look (and maybe even feel) better.
Sure, I’ve got some crow’s feet now, but I’ve also got a haircut that works, both for my face and the amount of time I will reasonably spend styling it on an average day.
I invested in contact lenses when I finally realized that glasses just aren’t the best look for me.
And I decided to quit waiting around for my body to be just the right weight or shape to buy myself clothes that fit and look good (and those, I’ve learned, generally don’t come off the 60% off clearance rack at Target.)
As a result I look more pulled together, more stylish and just plain younger than I did in my supposedly enviable 20s.
If you’re still rocking that baby-fog frumpiness, I get it. We’ve all been there.
But is it still a place you need to be? Or have you just gotten sort of… comfortable there?
Your assignment
Maybe now’s the time for you to start taking baby steps toward freshening your look and lifting your spirit.
Here are some ideas:
Is it time to ditch that hairstyle you’ve been trying unsuccessfully to pull off for years?
Grow it out, chop it off – try something daring and new. I coveted the pixie cut since I first saw Linda Evangelista rock hers in the George Michael “Freedom ‘90” video. It took me twenty years to actually go for it, but wow, what a difference!
Invest in a few pieces of clothing that really look and feel great, instead of “making do” with stuff that doesn’t really flatter you.
The size you are now deserves clothes that fit and look good – don’t wait around for some future weight loss to treat yourself!
I invest the majority of my style dollar in jeans and dresses – jeans, because I have a hard time finding really flattering ones and have to go out of my way; and dresses, because they’re the best look for me and provide an instant ego boost.
Get a good bra or two.
Never underestimate the power of well-made undergarments. And yes, that applies even if you’re still nursing. I gave up on the idea of nursing bras entirely with my last two babies – I just hated the shape they gave me under a t-shirt.
Instead, I wore pretty, supportive “regular” bras and either unhooked them to nurse or sometimes, just lifted them up. Yes, I stretched them out doing that and eventually had to toss them, but I would have stopped using nursing bras eventually, too.
If you’re prone to clogged ducts or just want more support while you nurse, treat nursing bra shopping like you would shopping for any bra: read reviews, prepare to invest a little money, and if possible go to the store and try them on.
Learn to accessorize.
Admittedly this is still something that took me a long time to figure out, as I’ve never been huge on frills and bling. But over the past few years I’ve gotten a lot more intentional about using the right accessories to pull my look together.
Accessorizing doesn’t have to be complicated, and often, less is more. For myself, I realized there are a few looks that look best with my haircut and face shape: dangly earrings or simple studs are the most flattering earring type for me, and pairing them with a scarf brings together the whole look.
I’d love to hear about how you plan to give your look a boost!
- Meagan
PS: We've done a few "mom-style" posts on the blog recently - check them out here!
