I first heard the term “Beige Mom” when I read an article about a man who was upset with his wife. She was a social-media-Beige-Mom-darling and it was driving him crazy.
A Beige Mom is a mom who decorates her house in tones of beige, dresses her kids in natural fibers and colors, and only buys toys in shades of beige (think wood, yarn, etc.). This man’s wife had taken beige to a whole new level. Her house was immaculate, her daughter was dressed in linens and only a very few wooden toys were placed in particular places around the home. This lady did have 400,000 followers and her pictures were lovely. Her husband, however, was miserable.
He was not allowed to make blanket forts with his child (they were kept folded a certain way). He couldn’t buy his daughter a pretty Christmas dress (too bright) and he had to return the dollhouse his mom bought because “it didn’t match the aesthetic”. His tipping point came when he set a glass down to watch his child’s first steps. His wife was furious because the glass showed up in the pictures she took.
Obviously, this mom took beige very seriously.
On the other side, there’s a whole group of moms who are so tired of the beige trend that they have started a revolution. There are tongue-in-cheek websites that call the minimalist-natural-fiber trend: “sad beige”. They post pictures of angsty kids holding beige toys while wearing beige clothes and then write funny captions. Their message is clear: Add some color into these poor kids’ lives!
I will be the first to say that the photos I see of these lovely beige homes are very calming and peaceful. They make me want to go there and rest for a while. I even toyed with the idea of redecorating my home in light, natural tones. I bought a brown couch, but before a week went by, I added brightly patterned throw pillows. I just can’t “beige” right.
My own home is decorated in a riot of color. I’m drawn to color, I crave it. I love the vibrant and happy feelings color brings out in me.
iStock | YKvision
My eldest daughter has a deep blue family room, and her walls are covered in bright art. I guess the acorn didn’t fall far from the tree.
My other daughter is drawn to soft neutral colors. She needs peace and she surrounds herself with soft shades of gray. She loves the kids’ clothes that come in muted colors and natural fibers, but when I bought her daughter a whole slew of obnoxiously bright sundresses with unicorns and puppies on them, she was gracious enough to allow her daughter to wear them (and she does, even in winter!). My daughter has found a balance between her need for peace (her bedroom is calm and lovely) and her kids’ need for color and chaos.
I think finding that balance is the perfect solution for the beige wars.
Natural tones are calming, and most moms could use a little peace! I have nothing against a calm oasis in the midst of the craziness that comes with having a family. It’s when a mom’s need for calm starts to affect the rest of the family that problems arise (as in the start of this blog).
Social media hasn’t helped. For those moms with a large following, the beige trap can be strong. It’s easier to take good pictures when everything matches and there aren’t a lot of knick-knacks around. And, because it’s a new trend, kids wearing earthy clothes stand out more.
Some moms let their kids lead the way. What is Junior attracted to in the stores? What toys does he gravitate to? Does he like to paint and color? Are you letting him do that and will you hang the finished artwork on your walls? These are important questions to ask yourself to find out if you’re taking the beige thing a little too far.
So, are you a beige or a bright purple mom? How do you balance your need for calm AND your child’s need for color? We’d love to hear how you balance your life on the color wheel.
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Read more of Ann’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
