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A recent TikTok trend is flipping the old adage “like mother, like daughter” on its head.
Users on the platform are “turning my mom into me” by swapping out their mothers’ cardigans and leggings for their crop tops and low-rise jeans. The trend, which has taken over For You pages in recent weeks, has amassed over 230 million views.
Soundtracked by a sped-up version of rapper Skee-Lo’s song “I Wish,” moms are seen in videos catwalking down their living room floors in their children’s signature styles. Variations of the trend show TikTok users transforming their dads, grandparents and siblings.
Mothers who spoke with NBC News about participating in the trend said that it’s served as a reminder that women can wear what they want at any age, despite being pressured to dress a certain way as they grow older.
Some of their daughters echoed that reminder, adding that they think the trend has helped counteract ageism on TikTok, which has become more commonplace.
“I would say this has been a good reminder to me that, you know, fashion is a reflection of your personality,” said Heather Brown, 41, whose daughter Hannah Hinckley, 21, posted a video of her partaking in the trend.
Brown said she usually dresses up in sweats or business casual attire these days. Hinckley describes her own current style as “very Y2K, ’90s.”
After picking out four potential outfits, Hinckley ultimately decided to style her mom in a thrifted cut T-shirt, baggy jeans, an oversized purse and sneakers. Their video garnered over 20 million views.
“I think it was empowering to be able to wear something that I felt really confident in,” Brown said, noting that the trend was also a way to “reflect on who you are and where you’re at.”
Hinckley said it’s also helped her reflect on societal expectations for women.
“I’m not a mom yet at all, but just being a woman, I totally feel the pressure of once you hit a certain age, you have to dress a certain way,” she said. “I just think it’s kind of an unspoken like, thing which it shouldn’t be”
I love that … moms are getting attention and it’s also super positive.
-Bella Ramirez, 20, who participated in the trend with her mom Edsyl
Bella Ramirez, 20, agreed that the “turning my mom into me” trend felt like a shift in attitudes in how moms should dress.
She dressed her mom Edsyl, 48, in a crop top, low-rise jeans, a black jacket and a small purse in a video that received over 1.6 million views. She thinks younger generations view this trend as a glimpse into the future and what they could look like as mothers.
“I think this has to be one of my favorite trends on TikTok that I’ve participated in,” Ramirez said. “I think this is very empowering. I love that … moms are getting attention and it’s also super positive.”
In addition to the videos being inspirational, Ramirez said she thinks people like the trend because the moms “look so good.”
“I think this trend is really blowing up because once the moms change into what their daughters wear, I feel like all of them have this spark of confidence,” she said. “They look happier. They’re glowing basically.”
Edsyl Ramirez said she’s always believed “women should wear whatever they want to wear that makes them feel pretty, comfortable [and] beautiful.”
“Of course, we evolve because our bodies change after we have babies and we age,” she said. “But I think whatever you feel amazing in, just go for it and wear it. We have the freedom to wear whatever we want.”
Camryn Morris, 21, also put her mom in an outfit that her mother would have worn in college. She said she has “completely stolen” her mom’s style from the 1990s and 2000s.
As a result, Morris’ mom said she felt comfortable wearing her daughter’s clothes because she used to wear similar jeans — although they both said they “debated” the top.
Her video, which has over 721,000 views, shows her mom in high-waisted jeans, a white cropped corset and heels.
She said her mom was slightly nervous that people would think she was “dressing too young” or “inappropriate for a mom.” Luckily, Morris said the feedback was mostly positive.
“That made me feel excited because I feel like it kind of boosted [her] confidence in a way,” Morris said.
Helping get that added confidence boost is the best part about partaking in the trend, Brown said.
“Getting older is beautiful,” she said. “And it is a gift.”
CORRECTION (Dec. 29, 2022, 1:16 p.m.): An earlier version of this article misstated the first name of Heather Brown’s daughter. She is Hannah Hinckley, not Heather Hinckley.
Daysia Tolentino is a culture and trends reporter for NBC News.
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