Beyonce and Blue Ivy
Becoming a mum causes women to change their relationship with shopping, and perhaps more surprisingly, alter their fashion style, favourite brands and personal care routines.
BabyCentre's Mummy Shopper Report, which polled 1,000 women before and after they had a child, reveals that while mums may still be inspired by images of celebrity mums such as Amanda Holden, Beyoncé and Victoria Beckham squeezing into designer dresses and towering heels just days after giving birth, the reality is that many new mums will adapt their approach to fashion, valuing ease of cleaning and durability above design and style.
The results show that nearly all mums said comfortable fit was the single most important factor in a new outfit, replacing style - which moves down to eight place - as the number one purchase criteria. An outfits ‘sex appeal’ - which is the fifth most considered factor for women without children - falls out of the top 10 once baby arrives.
Additionally, brand preferences change, with even the most fashion-conscious yummy mummies switching their spending from high-street favourites such as French Connection and Coast to clothes that look good and better reflect their new role as a ‘mum’ in Primark and Marks & Spencer. Luxury beauty brands also suffer, with the likes of Lancôme and Clarins losing out to supermarket own brands.
The Mummy Shopper Report, part of the BabyCentre 21st Century Mum Insights Series, also found that the whole experience of shopping changes for women once they have to bring children along. The women surveyed reported feeling more guilty, rushed and stressed when shopping, compared to pre-children and nearly two thirds of women said they would now prefer do all their shopping online.
Sasha Miller, the International Managing Editor for BabyCentre, comments:
“Having a baby radically changes a woman’s life - and while it's not unexpected to see shopping become less of a leisure pursuit once there's a baby in tow - we were surprised to see the impact on the way a woman shops for herself. These changes are not simply about price and time, but a more fundamental shift in how a woman defines herself.
"What's also clear is how the media portrays motherhood, and in particular celebrity mothers, is completely at odds with the 'average mum'. We want mothers to feel reassured that they’re not alone in wanting to adapt their style - in fact they're very naturally just embracing their inner mum.”
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