I never really thought of jeans as anything more than a basic item everyone owns. I also didn’t give out or receive too many compliments on jeans because, well, they were just jeans. That was then, and this is now, and now is the era of the mom jean.

Mom jeans consist of a high-waisted rise and loose fit throughout the leg, similar to the jeans worn by many young adults in the 1980s. (Just picture Becky from Full House if you aren’t following.)

When you pictured Becky, you probably thought of a bright, blue wash without any of the rips or patches we tend to see on today’s jeans. But with this era of the mom jean also comes a new and improved version of it. I personally own a black pair and a light wash with rips in the knee, but they still fulfill the mom-jean image.

I wore my mom jeans for the first time the first night I was living on MU’s campus. Move-in day was finally over, and it was a rainy night with a slight chill in the air, so naturally I changed from my shorts into my new pair of jeans paired with a simple T-shirt tied in a knot. I only had them on for a few hours but got multiple compliments on my new look. That’s right. People complimented my jeans.

My earliest memory of jeans becoming more than just jeans was back in my early high school days when I started wearing a higher rise and convincing my mom to let me buy the ones with the rips in the knee. Those styles haven’t gone away, but mom jeans are one of the most recent trends on the list.

I worked at American Eagle my junior and senior years of high school, so you can bet I was surrounded by denim. It wasn’t fun when I had to re-fold each pair in the store, but it was worth it when I got to see the new arrivals right when they hit the sales floor.

During my last few weeks of work for the summer, the mom jeans hit. They were only sold online for American Eagle, but since I’m always seeking the latest and greatest, I caught wind of it.

At first I wondered, “Would my mom be offended by this name?” but then I thought back to all the times she has looked at my outfit and rolled her eyes while telling me that “fashion always makes a comeback.” So then I thought, “Well, maybe she and her generation are flattered by this new trend.” After all, young people are finally wearing what their parents thought was cool back in the day.

After I got over the fact that they literally named the style “mom jeans,” my third thought was, “When is the soonest I can get a pair shipped to my house?” I like styles that are different than the basic, everyday denim that a majority of people wear, so naturally I wanted to try the mom jean.

Besides being comfortable, the mom jean looks good with crop tops or bodysuits to show off the high waistline, graphic tees to keep it comfortable or even a flannel tied above the waist. You can wear the things you wore with your boring jeans and make it more fun with your mom jeans.

I love my mom jeans because of their comfort and how they still look cute with almost anything, but most importantly because they aren’t just jeans. With the high waistline, they compliment anyone’s figure and give them that extra spice that your basic jeans wouldn’t have. So when you see someone wearing mom jeans, give them a compliment. They aren’t rocking just any jeans; they are rocking mom jeans.