Is It Hip to Be Hot?

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One mother wonders whether having kids means handing over the keys to your fashionable—and sometimes sexy—wardrobe.

I tried not to take it personally, but I couldn't help myself.

"Why can't moms just dress like moms?" whined a radio talk show host recently, following the publication of a USA Today article (and later a Today Show segment) about mothers in their twenties, thirties, and forties who still desire to be (stop the presses!) attractive.

I felt like they were, in some respects, talking about me.

After listening to callers to the show opine, I came to the conclusion that far too many people must be nostalgic for the days when housecoats were the rage and when moms submitted the keys to their sexuality to their OB-GYN in the delivery room.

But wait. We need the back story:

In a piece provocatively entitled, "Mommy Hottest," USA Today published an article about mothers who have dared to remain fashionable and, in some cases, sexy.

Here's a little sample: "Mom has come a long way, baby. Of course, she's far beyond the ironed and buttoned-up June Cleaver archetype . . . She pays attention to trends, assiduously avoiding anything pleated, tapered or high-waisted (the blueprint for the mom jeans memorably lampooned in a "Saturday Night Live" sketch)."

A color photo of a 28-year-old Virginia mom wearing a lower-cut blouse, form-fitting jeans, and heels while playing with her infant, accompanied the article. Svelte celebrity moms—from the "Desperate Housewives" to thirty-something actress Uma Thurman, mom of two, who is frequently photographed in midriff-bearing attire—were mentioned as new mommy fashion icons.

On the day the article was printed, I listened to callers on a local radio show complain that women who wear not just sexy but simply fashion-conscious clothing are selfish, are trying to "beat the clock," and are trying to tell the world that they're "on the market."