Hi ladies!
My cousin recently had a baby girl and loves to dress her up in leopard print. Leopard print onesies, leopard print singlets, leopard print hair bows etc.
I personally love leopard print just like my cousin does and we both don’t see a problem with a baby or a toddler wearing leopard print.
Although, my cousin’s mother in law does. She constantly makes remarks about how it’s “inappropriate and not suitable” for a baby or a toddler to wear leopard print. My cousin respects her opinion but she is of course tired of having it thrown down her throat!
It escalated into a big argument last night at my cousin’s house (Family Easter dinner) when my cousin’s mother in law repeatedly kept making comments on how the baby was dressed etc.
she completely crossed the line when she said, also in front of everyone, that leopard print is a sexualising print and mostly prostitutes wear it.
She told my cousin “It’s fine for you to dress like a whore but I won’t let you dress my grandchild like one!!” Also criticised my cousin by saying “She’s a baby! A baby! Why don’t you understand that this isn’t ok?!” My cousin was in tears. It was terrible.
So I’m just wondering about your opinions about babies/toddlers wearing leopard print.
Do you think it’s inappropriate? Is it honestly trashy to wear leopard print?
Tia x
25 Replies
Did you stand up to the lady and tell you’re cousin to ignore her horrendous MIL? Leopard print is cute as. It’s her MIL with the problem. She needs to stand up for herself!
Nope, I love it, my bubs also has leaped print clothes and blankets, not trashy at all and what you wear doesn’t make you a whore being a whore does, sounds like she has a very outdated view we’re in 2019 now can we not wear what we like without being judged, she’s literally slut shaming a baby for wearing a certain print. It’s insane.
Not my baby, not my decision and not my business!
My sister dressed her baby in purple. I hate purple, I shut my mouth, because not my business.
I dressed my son in knitted cardigans, hats etc despite it being very much out of fashion. He looked gorgeous (in my eyes) and he got to wear the clothes his great grandmothers had lovingly knitted.
The MIL obviously has some old fashioned ideas around leopard print. In the 1980s it was very much associated with prostitites BUT she needs to shut her trap and let it go. Times have changed as do fashions.
I think there's a line. Leopard print is just a print, and that's completely fine. But it does have a sexual connotation, especially with bright pink, black and fishnet/ stockings. And yes I have seen sexy styled baby clothes. So as I'd usually say ignore and do whay you want, on this one I would say to thank mother in law for worrying about sexualising baby, and reassure you're aware of that, but you do love leopard print and won't stop using it altogether. Meet in the middle and don't antagonize her when you're going to see her.
Not sure this poor mum would really feel like thanking her MIL for calling her a whore and embarrassing her in front of the whole family.
I didn't say thank her for that. They're going to make up and work it out aren't they.
Why should the mum change what her little one wears because her MIL doesn’t agree? Hell if I knew it annoyed my MIL I’d keep doing it because it’s my kid
Exactly, this is a non issue. I'm sure the baby was/is dressed comfortably, weather and play appropriately so why on earth should the colours or patterns those clothes have matter (unless there was an actual offensive slogan)??
This MILs actions disnt come from a place of concern, they came from being an over bearing control freak.
Thats a different choice. I'm suggesting working through it by trying to offer a bit of understanding that this really gets her, even if you don't agree, and you still set your own boundaries.
Normally I'm pretty diplomatic with the older generation but man I would've told this old biddy to fuck off! I actually had an old lady tell me that my 6 month old shouldn't be using a blanket that had skeletons on it 🙄 some people are just ridiculous!
And seriously, it's animal print, it's nothing more than a fun pattern. It's not like your cousin had her baby dressed in a tiny g-string and fishnets!
Leopard print can be classy and sophisticated too, its really on trend at the moment (when is it not!?)
Sounds like this woman needs educating about women who solicit themselves for money too, leopard print and thigh high boots on prostitutes is a Hollywood notion. It's much more grim in real life...
I hope others at dinner stood up and stuck up for you cousin because if I was that dinner I would of told this MIL to get the pole out of her arsehole and realise it’s 2019. It’s not her baby and she can’t dictate SHIT
Leopard print is on trend at the moment especially for kids so her grandchild won’t be the only one wearing it.
Just ridiculous
I doubt the husband or the poster stood up and said anything to back up her cousin, her poor cousin copping it from her MIL and her husband and family just sat there and let her say what ever she wanted without standing up for her. Did anyone at the table have a spine and say hey “she’s not a whore, her baby isn’t dressed like a whore and keep your damn mouth shut if you have not got any thing nice to say” from the way the poster avoided all the questions like this I can absolutely guess that they didn’t and they just let her get abused by her MIL like that. Shame on the poster, her husband and who ever else was siting at that table.
It’s funny how in my latest post I stood up for my cousin and I got comments saying it was nothing to do with me with what goes on between my cousin and her MIL, not my circus not my monkeys etc.
Then coming back to this post and reading through the comments, I’m seeing a lot of “I hope you stood up for her! Blah blah”
Honestly, if you ladies don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all.
It’s funny how in my latest post I stood up for my cousin and I got comments saying it was nothing to do with me with what goes on between my cousin and her MIL, not my circus not my monkeys etc.
Then coming back to this post and reading through the comments, I’m seeing a lot of “I hope you stood up for her! Blah blah”
Honestly, if you ladies don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all.
I have no problem with leopard print. Its a common and popular pattern in fashion for all ages. Its a very old fashion opion to believe it to be skanky.
I still remember going into a suprè when I was a young teen and my mum being horrified by a leopard print skirt and saying how skanky it was haha! Now she had a bit of leopard print in her own wardrobe!
It's a generational thing. A bit like that era saw knee high boots as a winter wardrobe option but my age group still refer to them as f me boots. I actually see both sides here and think your cousin should just avoid the conflict by not putting her in leopard print when visiting grandma /nan
They were in their own fucking home!!!
MIL is way out of line!
If I was your cousin I’d dress my baby myself and hubby in leopard print when I got to visit! It’s yhe MIL with the issue over a print of a fabric and I’m sorry but leopard is cute and on trend.
If she thinks it’s sexual then she’s the one sexualising the child
The glaring issue here isn't the leopard print - it's not to everyone's taste, thats entirely fine. MIL can have her opinions about it, different generations always have different views on fashion but most of us manage those feelings respectfully.
The real issue here is the fact grandma has no respect.
Telling her daughter in law that she dresses her self and her baby like a whore is abhorrent. Berating her daughter in law until she's in tears is despicable.
None of that behaviour is a "generational" thing.
I can tell you now though, if everyone just sort of sat there twiddling their thumbs while this all transpired, that would have hurt worse than what MIL said so I really hope someone spoke up. I really hope that person was her partner tbh!
If he did nothing, he needs to speak to his mother now and let her know that under no uncertain terms is she to speak to his partner that way again and they will dress their child in whatever they see fit!
That's how you resolve a conflict, not changing the way you do things to appease a woman who has antiquated views and a lack of basic decency!
Yes! Where was the partner? Did he tell his mother to pull her head in?
She is obviously very old fashioned to still think leopard print is sexual. Tell her to go for a walk through a shopping centre and have a look at what people are wearing, its everywhere! My daughter had leopard print tights when she was 5 and shes 19 now, I haven't had to pull her off any corners yet 😂
I wouldnt be going anywhere near hear again with my child. What a rude disrespect bitch. It’s her daughter and if that’s how she wants to dress her so be it. I would make her apologise also. But if she doesn’t like it then stop having the child around her. She sounds toxic.
I have two boys that idolise their Dad. Dad wears lots of black, of course now my boys have to as well (they do wear plenty of other colours to). MIL kept making nasty remarks about how children should not wear black, now they only go to visit MIL wearing black 😊 Tell her to just nod smile and send lots of cute pics in leopard print. MIL will only stop when she stops getting a reaction
In solidarity of your cousin, next family gathering I would arrange for all family members to wear leopard print. Fuck the stupid bloody MIL! There’s more going on underneath the leopard print. The MIL issues are not about clothes. I dare say she likes control, of everyone...
Where’s your cousin’s partner in all this, it’s his mother right? Or is he too scared to stand up to his mummy?
My cousin’s husband has always been a mummy’s boy according to my cousin.
He isn’t scared to stand up to her, it’s more like he can’t be bothered with this nonsense ‘he calls it nonsense at times’ Or he will turn it on my cousin and snap at her being nasty saying she’s being overly sensitive and defends his mum by saying that she’s a strong willed person always has been etc