'Mom hair' just another way of shaming women to be fixated with appearance

The term ‘Mom Hair’ is just another way of shaming women into fixating on their appearance above all else, according to Ruth O’Connor

Some weeks back The New York Times published an article entitled ‘Mom Hair: It Exists. Now what to do about it’. The introduction to the article explains how Mom Hair is “inescapably frumpy”. It describes the short bobs of women in “suburban malls” and the styles of city-dwelling moms who, it’s assumed, should know better just by virtue of being urbanites, but who nonetheless persist in wearing “short of flattering” hair styles.

One hairstylist suggests mothers plan their hair colour while still pregnant (because they’re not busy enough with pelvic floor exercises, buying nursery furniture, and attending antenatal classes). Another recommends opting for a shorter than usual fringe to enhance the “teenage feeling of irresponsibility and youthfulness” (because we all feel like reckless teenagers when elbow-deep in dirty nappies).