In Her Jeans, In My Genes
Upstate New York
“In Her Jeans, In My Genes” is a visual exploration of mother-daughter relationships and the threads that bind them. Through clothes, women connect with one another and share deep emotional bonds. By looking closer at my mother’s closet and the items that she has passed down to me I was able to shed light on how clothes transcend generations and trends and tie us to the ones we love.
I don't know anything about being a mother, I’m not qualified for the job, and sometimes worry that I never will be.
And I think it’s because I have such large shoes to fill. I don't know how to be a great mother, But I know what makes one.
A great mother is my mother.
A great mother is my grandmother.
Kind, selfless, and loving. But that's the easy answer because she is so much more.
When I see her closet full of clothes, I don't just see her but the story of her life. Who she was before she was my mom. The lessons she learned to know how to love me.
I don't know how to be a mother.
But I know how to dress like her.
I know how to play pretend in her closet and try on her shoes and twirl in her dress.
But I don't quite fill the shoes and the dress hangs loosely off my shoulders. Because I can not yet fill the space that she commands. For now, I can only hope to one day be like her.
I don’t know how to love myself unconditionally, how to always believe in myself, and how to follow my heart.
I don’t know how to love myself unconditionally, how to always believe in myself, and how to follow my heart.
And maybe that's the thing about being a mother. You first must learn the lessons of the women who come before you.
Lessons of love and belief and heart. To be able to share what you've learned with your daughter so one day she can do the same.
But until then I will practice. Playing dress up in my mother's closet until one day her clothes fit just right.