Mom Jeans: The New Windows to the … Knees?
Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me! is one of my favorite podcasts, which you might remember I talked about in my recent blog post discussing my secret to a great work commute (my newest recommendation is S-Town). Monday mornings are less dreary knowing that I get to fill my car with the sounds of Peter Sagal’s and Bill Kurtis’ voices, along with their motley crew of equally witty panelists.
March 18th’s episode is a standout in my mind, with guest Paul Shaffer and panelists Adam Burke, Tom Bodett and Negin Farsad (a first-timer on the show). During the Panel Round One, where Sagal quizzes each of the panelists on the week’s news, the newest jeans trend was discussed.
Topshop has just released a line of jeans with clear knee windows … called clear knee mom jeans, to which Bodett responded, “Now, that’s marketing.”
I may not be the most fashion-forward millennial, but I know when I hear something ridiculous. Needless to say, the entire segment is hilarious (listen to it here or read it here).
I wanted to look into this trend to see how other people were reacting to it. As I suspected, the majority of the articles I read expressed that they, too, thought the concept absurd. Huffington Post’s opening line in its article says it all: “Have you ever thought to yourself, ‘Hey, I really wish my kneecaps would sweat more,’ or, ‘Man, I wish people could get a better look at my kneecaps, but I’m wearing jeans?’”
And Today reported that these $95 pair of jeans “might be the worst of all time.”
A number of websites, like Slate, are also putting together satirical posts featuring other DIY fashion looks that feature clear windows.
I’m not upset about the jeans; I find them and the conversations they have inspired amusing. If anything, I commend Topshop for trying something new. If no one ever took a risk, we wouldn’t have a vast majority of the tools, technologies and clothing items that we all love today.
I know that in this day and age, new concepts are much more heavily scrutinized in the public eye. Although I hope companies and individuals alike continue to take this into consideration when marketing a new concept, I don’t wish for them to hold back at the risk of offending someone.
This is where a solid PR team becomes valuable. As Abbie mentioned in her most recent blog post, “Communications professionals must be at the table when decisions are being made. We can provide an objective opinion and guide discussions around the possible outcomes of those decisions.”
Although clear knee mom jeans weren’t a hit this go-around, who’s to say Topshop won’t come out with the biggest jeans trend in 2018?
