This Mom Was Shamed By A Local Librarian For Her “Inappropriate” Outfit
“Apparently, it’s inappropriate to show any midriff when you’re edging into 40.”
A mom posted to TikTok after a strange encounter at her local library story time. Hilary Flips took her two girls to the library, and what should have been a fun time turned not-so-great after a librarian scolded her for her “inappropriate outfit.”
“I just got dress-coded at our local library at Baby Story Time,” Flips begins, wearing the outfit she was shamed in.
“So this is what I wore, a little cropped sweater situation,” she said, displaying an adorable leopard-print sweater.
“It’s from, like, the teenager section at Target. It’s that, like, weird Wild Fable brand. Probably not age-appropriate, whatever. These jeans — they’re Topshop mom jeans. A thousand years old. They’re literally called, like, the mom jean, and this is what I wore. And I thought why not a sweater? It’s, like, a step up from my usual sweatshirt, T-shirt, leggings, jeans situation. So I was feeling good about myself.”
Flips goes on to explain that her young girls can get a bit rowdy during story time, not sitting still or keeping quiet, so when a librarian approached her after the event to ask if she was the “mom or the babysitter,” she figured she was going to remark on her kids’ behavior.
Flips continued: “She goes, ‘You should know better’ in like this judgey, tsk-tsk kind of tone. And so I immediately started apologizing for my girls’ behavior and I’m like, ‘I’m so sorry, you know, it’s really hard for them to sit still, like, we’re working on it, like, that’s kind of why we come here.’”
That’s when the librarian shocked the mom of two.
“And she goes, ‘No, your outfit,’ and I’m thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, like, what did I not button my sweater up? Like what’s happening?’ And she just motions to it, and I realize it’s because it’s a little bit cropped, and when I carry my giant 1-year-old, it raises up and shows maybe, like, 1 inch of my mommy belly with its cute little stretched out belly button.
“And apparently, that’s inappropriate to show any midriff when you’re edging into 40, and newsflash, I guess, I disagree.”
There is so much wrong with this!
Several TikTok users supported Flips’ outfit, assuring her there was absolutely nothing wrong with it.
“I would try to talk to someone above her about it. Not her place to shame you about your outfit… you look cute and appropriate!” one user wrote.
The OP replied, “I was so confused and then weirdly embarrassed! And speechless 😫”
“That is insane. As someone who works at a public library, this infuriates me. So uncalled for and absolutely unnecessary. Your outfit is super cute!!” another wrote.
Flips responded, “And we love our library! We go weekly for the storytimes and bc my preschooler is obsessed with books 😫 Now I feel so uncomfy”
Another user said, “You look great! That’s crazy she would even say anything to you. I doubt there is even a real dress code. Keep rocking in crop tops and high-waisted jeans because you look good!”
“I actually went on the website and checked … I figured since some restaurants have dress codes perhaps there was one I just never heard of? But no dice,” Flips said.
So, first off, this mom made an extra effort to look cute to take her daughters to a library story time and was still met with criticism for how she looked. Moms are damned if they do and damned if they don’t! If she was in sweats and a messy bun, she’d be sloppy and lazy with no pride in her appearance. If she wears a cute sweater that rides up a little bit, she’s a slut?
Secondly, she’s already self-conscious about her kids running around and not “behaving” during the story time only to be blindsided by a rude comment about her totally fine outfit.
