Photo: TikTok
How much is too much when it comes to revealing outfits?
By Alexandra Blogier — Written on Feb 24, 2023
A mom from England with over 136,000 followers on TikTok who posts “Get Ready With Me” (GRWM) videos is defending her right to wear what she wants, even during school pick-ups.
Strawberry Hayes clearly prides herself on her fashion sense, regularly creating content featuring herself dressed in her curated vintage outfits.
In her videos, Hayes holds up items of clothes she found at vintage shops, describing the brand she’s wearing and the style she’s aiming for.
Her posts on TikTok show her dressing up in revealing clothes to 'get ready for the school run.'
In one video, Hayes is seen wearing a gold crop top with black flares, decorated with a golden celestial pattern.
She describes her hair as “MILF hair,” before putting on a furry hat to finish off her look.
“I feel so beautiful, and classy, and MILF-y,” she says as she poses for the camera.
The caption on the post reads “sorry but I am SLAYING lately!” She utilizes the hashtags #mumtok, #schoolrun, and #maximalistfashion.
In another video, Hayes puts on a sheer lace bodysuit with matching sheer lace bell bottoms.
“It’s kind of giving Cher,” she says after she’s dressed.
Her beige underwear and white bra are visible underneath the sheer outfit.
She finishes her look with a green and white blazer, white platform sneakers, a fur headband and oversized sunglasses.
“I really like this one,” she says. “I feel like a winter housewife.”
The comments beneath her post are overwhelmingly positive.
“Absolutely gorgeous as always,” says one commenter.
“Those trousers are so flattering on you,” says someone else. “You look like a Hollywood movie star.”
“Wish I had your confidence on a school run,” commented another follower. “Body confidence is a massive issue in my area.”
“You always look amazing, but do you ever just put on leggings and a hoodie for the school run?” one commenter asked.
Curious as to the reason why she decides to dress in this fashion when picking her kids up from school, many commenters ended up asking.
Hayes explains that she wears revealing clothes to pick her kids up because 'kids don't think like that.'
Hayes addressed the issue of what to wear on a school run head-on when a follower named Angelica posed the following question.
“What’s your opinion on wearing ‘revealing’ clothes to school pick up (boobs and butt)? Just started taking my girl and I’m stuck on what’s okay!”
“I really like this question,” Hayes replies. “I think it’s really weird when people make it weird that body parts are on show.”
“Kids don’t think like that,” she says.
“Obviously there are limits and boundaries. I’m not going to rock up on the school run with nipple pasties on.”
“But I feel like even if I did, would it be so bad? Kids don’t give a s-–t,” she states.
“I remember the uproar about my top that I was wearing that had a little bit of underboob and people were just going crazy. And I just thought to myself, do you guys cover your kids' eyes at the beach when there’s a woman in a bikini?”
While bodily autonomy is undeniably important, especially in the current sociopolitical climate, the argument could be made that the beach and the schoolyard are two very different environments.
'I grew up in an all-girl house, so it was very nude,' she explains. 'So maybe it’s my upbringing.'
“And my house now is very nude,” she continues. “But kids shouldn’t be taught that body parts are bad or weird or naughty."
“They should be taught about appropriate nudity, about safe and unsafe touches, but they should not as a kid be uncomfortable around a woman in mini bootie shorts.”
“I have yet to meet a toddler who’s friends with [my son] Jasper who’s like… your mom’s a–- is fat. Kids are not built like that.”
She claims that growing up, she had friends who weren't allowed to wear crop tops because their stepfather was home.
“It’s just adults, projecting their weird s--t onto kids, and I really don’t think it’s inappropriate.”
Hayes argues that the bras versus bikinis argument hold the same weight as hers.
Hayes delves deeper, explaining that she’s autistic, “so I’m pretty black and white, but I never got the whole thing, like, wearing a bikini top out is okay, wearing a bra out is not okay, even though they cover the same amount of flesh, they’re just made out of different material.”
Hayes does make a valid point, in that bikinis and bras cover up the same areas of the body, yet we’re socially conditioned to see the garments as very different entities.
“I just think, if you don’t think it would be inappropriate on a beach, if you don’t think it would be inappropriate on a hot day, then it’s not inappropriate,” she says in her final statement.
While Hayes may be correct in her thinking that young kids aren’t looking at adults’ outfits in a sexualized manner, those young kids will grow into teenagers, and their worldviews will inevitably change.
Fashion is a way to express oneself, and people should be able to wear what makes them feel beautiful.
Yet at the same time, context is key — and maybe school isn’t the right place for a bikini.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.