The 'muffin top' look - liberating or nauseating?

[marthamoo]

Can't remember where I read the term 'muffin top' but it's wonderfully descriptive. It refers to that look - rather popular atm - when a less than toned person wears hipster trousers and a cropped top and displays acreage of flabby, sometimes stretch marked, flesh billowing out over the top of the trousers. Seems to be mostly a look for teenage and young women though I have seen older women letting it all hang out too.

I'm torn here. Not over whether to display my less than attractive acreage myself - that's a never in a million years scenario and my midriff is never seeing light of day again. No, my dilemma is this:

The feminist part of me says "Yes! Let it all hang out! We are not all super models with toned tums, we are real women, with flab and cellulite and stretch marks galore. Let us free ourselves from the tyranny that says thin and honed is the only way to be attractive. Let us wobble our jelly-bellies proudly, let us display our stretch marks. We are women, hear us roar!"

But the non-feminist and somewhat bitchy part of me says "Yeacccck! Cover that up, it looks bl**dy disgusting!"

I could not have my tummy hanging out on display, just couldn't - it's horrid. So I want to know - is it a "this is me, and I'm not ashamed " statement? Or is it "this is the fashion and I'm too young and peer-led to realise it doesn't suit me and wear something more flattering?"

Interested in MNers opinions (as ever!)

...i blame the clothes![cop out ?]
jeans and trews these days are cut to give a cute perky bum effect...or similar...and the result is they are just too low.et voila muffin!
dresses are the way forward

I know Hausfrau - I just can't take this thread seriously. I've never heard the word used in this context before

Or dungarees! Even better! No longer maternity dungerees, no they aren't in fashion any more. Post pregnancy dungarees are the way forward. For the purpose of this item post pregnancy period is defined as being a lifetime after a baby!

I think the answer is that they look at themselves in the mirror, from the front, holding their tummies in and think they look great. Also many many many women have to wear a size 10 or 12 or whatever, even when they're actually a 12 or 14 or whatever, so they force themselves into a size too small. They are merely deluded and not even remotely anti-sizeism (the opposite in fact) - just dumb.

(My hairdresser is young, skinny and gorgeous and even she does it. And pants ½" above muff. WTF?)

Don't look, moo. You know it makes sense.

Think nauseating.

Actually I think hipster trousers and cropped tops look rather nauseating even when the wearer has a good bod. Like the dressmaker ran out of material or something.

(God, now i sound like my gran)

Does anyone have any flattering, ordinary priced jeans that are high waisted enough to avoid this problem? All I seem to find are 'low rise' or 'ultra low rise' and the only really high waisted ones are tucked away with the polyester shirtwaisters and tabards!

Or I buy jeans which fit, and either they stretch or I loos weight (depending on what sort of day I'm having!) and then my top suddenly needs more material to cover me up! I can remember when I had a tummy for a crop top .... my parents never agreed though!

Funnily enough, i was discussing this look with my sis the other day. We agreed that there is a disproportionate amount of wobbly tummy compared to toned tummy out there and it always seems that the wobbly tums on on display. I do wonder sometimes whether these people ever look in the mirror as it really does not look good.

My tummy is not as toned as it used to be but still looks better than many childless people's. But still i don't get it out anymore, i think a tum has to look really toned, tanned and fit if you're going to let it out. Also i think once you're past a certain age (late twenties, which i am - so pushing it) i don;t think you can get away with it. Unless you're J-lo or Gwen Stefani. Hope that doesn't cause offence.

i think gwen stefani has a tummy like a bloke [am i bitter?]

heh heh heh! One columnist said that women who looked too tight and toned looked liked tanned willies! Straight up and down and muscley!

Agree with the clothes being the problem. Although in my case I think I am quite long bodied so its the tops that tend to be too short, and certainly are after a couple of washes (so 2-3 hours wearing with DD's messiness).

Bozza, I meant to say that this is a problem I have too. I'm tall too and it definately does make it harder.

Flossam I'm not at all tall - just our of proportion and can't find clothes to fit. We are going on holiday in 3 weeks and all my shorts are either too big or too small. The pair I bought last year (a month after birth of DD) fall off but all my others are a bit tight and this thread has made me self-conscious. Going on a crash diet.

Have posted this before on another thread,

About 12 months ago, DS and I were in JS in the Fruit and Veg section, there was this girl, who could not have been more than 22, who was well muffined, but what was on show was white lardy with purple stretch marks.

I passed no comment, and then from the depths of a very quiet Fruit and Veg section came ...................

Oh Mummy look at her tummy, thats ascusting (disgusting)..............exit swiftly LGJ and LGJ Jr...........

A woman my DM's age, caught us up in the dairy section and said thank you, I haven't laughed that much in ages

Feeling soooo paranoid now. I don't want to look like that.