Thanks to It-girls like Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid the high-waisted, tapered-leg jean (affectionately referred to as the “mom jean”) has enjoyed a style resurgence as of late. But, as it turns out, the idea of a “mom jean” has evolved quite a bit over the years. Fortunately, Modern Family’s Julie Bowen, who recently partnered with Hallmark on the brand’s Mother’s Day card initiative, sat down with Us to hilariously break down the history of the denim stye. Check out all her thoughts in the video above!
From Carol Brady’s ‘70s flares in The Brady Bunch to Claire Dunphy’s dark-wash straight legs in Modern Family, TV moms have been rocking trend-of-the-moment denim for decades, and their looks have come to serve as a time capsule of sorts for the evolution of the style. And Bowen had a lot of thoughts on the topic.
While Julie was all about Mama Brady’s wide legs (and fabulous blonde highlights) from the disco-era and found Peggy Bundy’s curvaceous ‘80s style from Married with Children to be reminiscent of her current co-star Sofia Vergara’s enviable physique, she was less sure about the ‘90s iterations of the jeans.
Rocking a tapered pair that could easily be sported by today’s supermodel set, Julie wasn’t sold Aunt Becky’s wardrobe from Full House — but she sure is in awe of how little actress Lori Loughlin has seemed to age.
“The fact that Lori Loughlin looks exactly the same right now as she does in that picture is disgusting and infuriating,” she joked. “[But] I don’t know what’s happening [with the jeans]. They’re tight, and then they’re loose. Are they pleated?”
Another style that had her confused? Roseanne Conner’s acid wash style from Roseanne. “Hard pass. I know it’s back. People are into it. It’s happening now. But no. No thanks,” Julie said.
So how does she feel about the more recent versions sported by Lorelai Gilmore in Gilmore Girls (think: early 2000s low-waisted bootcut) and her Modern Family alter ego? Check out the clip above!
