It was a true delight to connect with the founders of an awesome new brand, This Is A MomBod, Emily and Alexina. They are revolutionizing the way we think of parenting one sweatshirt and substack at a time!
Jocelyn: OK, so what is This is a MomBod?
Alexina: This is a MomBod is a feminist brand consisting of a clothing line and thought column that we publish weekly. We don’t give parenting advice, and instead focus on news, trends, and ideas in the realm of parenting and feminism. We also usually come at things with a heavy dose of humor and sarcasm. But we are serious in thinking that feminism is important on every level and is ultimately really good for everyone.
Jocelyn: I love that the clothing says MomBod and I seriously get compliments everytime I wear the sweatshirt and beanie since I think there’s something delightfully subversive that makes you think about feminism in a playful kinda way. But tell me, how did you come up with this name and why?
Emily: It’s our cheeky way of flipping the script on scrutiny of women. We noticed that having a “dad bod” is portrayed as cute and sweet, or even sexy, because it signals a non-threatening “nice guy” vibe. This just isn’t the same for women who are described as having a “mom bod,” so we are having a little fun with the term. Even though “bod” is in the name, this isn’t really a movement about our literal bodies. Instead, DadBod is our shorthand for the patriarchy, and MomBod is its impertinent response. A MomBod is a strong woman who stands in her power!
Jocelyn: Feels like with “mom” in the title, I have to ask…Who is this for?
Emily: This is a MomBod for anyone who will listen, ha! No, truly, it’s for anyone who wants to be part of a movement that celebrates and advocates for moms and gender equity, particularly in parenting. Our clothes have the word “mom” on them, but we have plenty of dads who wear it as well because they are just as interested in equality as anyone. We also have a line of “Made by a MomBod” clothing for kids and babies, which we will be expanding in the coming months!
Business Owners and Friends
Jocelyn: I’d love to hear about your origin story as co-founders! Tell me how this got started?
Alexina: We met in 2016 in NYC when I moved there from her home state of California. We bonded over having kids the same age and being from the West Coast since Emily is originally from Portland. I work in food policy and school food, and Emily works in the art world doing PR. During the pandemic, we both left the city – I left for Vermont and Emily for Upstate NY. We both still live in our respective new towns, where we are raising our kids – three boys for me and boy/girl twins for Emily!
During COVID, we began writing a weekly column about the absurdities, joys, and challenges of parenting, which then eventually evolved into our current business, which we launched last year as This is a MomBod.
Jocelyn: For anyone interested in taking the leap to making a small business with a buddy, tell me, what’s it like to be co-founders, friends and business partners? What’s your favorite thing about working together?
Alexina: We are such good friends that we are always able to be really open and honest with each other, and easily shift between personal and professional topics throughout any given conversation. The project also provides such amazing support for both of us, even though we live far apart from one another. We are both divorced from our spouses and work remotely in small towns, so we can really relate to one another’s daily experiences. We also never take ourselves too seriously and laugh about pretty much everything.
Parenting Buzz on MomBod
Jocelyn: What are some of your most popular topics/articles and why do you think they struck a nerve with your readers?
Emily: Probably the articles that question or reframe prevailing ideas in parenting or relationships, and make our readers laugh along the way. The narratives around parenting in particular are so subject to constant change and rebranding that it really is pretty hilarious when you take a broader view of all of it. We like to be irreverent and provide a countercultural perspective, even if our tongues are in our cheeks while we do it.
Jocelyn: Tell us about one parenting issue that you’ve researched and written about that surprised you that you’d like to highlight for the Child’s Play in Action community?
Emily: We both had kids around a time when everyone was telling us not to praise our kids for being smart, but to praise them for trying really hard. Grit was the buzzword, and we were supposed to focus on building it, for fear of overpraising innate ability and thereby raising entitled kids without a strong work ethic. But now we are hearing big questions raised around overemphasizing grit. Should we be emphasizing and expecting subject mastery – actual greatness – rather than just giving out so many trophies for trying really hard? It can really become a minefield! The rational answer is probably that the pendulum always swings, and that balance is key, but it’s a very interesting question.
Jocelyn: Something really special about the brand is that you raise awareness – and money – for period poverty. I love that even as a small business you can have a philanthropic mission. Tell me more about that!
Alexina: We really wanted to make a quantifiable contribution to something that helps women on a very practical level. There is so much research showing that lack of access to period products holds women and girls back measurably, in education and at work. We think that Period.org does great work, so we decided to donate a percentage of our profits to them. After our first year in business, which is coming up soon, we will pick a new group to support, so stay tuned!
Jocelyn: Where do you get your inspiration these days for things feminist or parenting related? Favorite authors, journalists, podcasters, etc who are giving fuel to your fire?
Emily: There are so many inspiring voices out there! We pay attention to what Emily Oster, Jessica Grose, and Dr. Becky Kennedy are saying on an ongoing basis. Some others that come to mind are Tricia Hersey for her work on rest as a form of resistance, and influencer Tova Leigh’s smart take on feminist issues. But truly, we try to keep our eyes and ears open to everything and not just people with a big following or audience. Sometimes it’s our closest friends who present a new perspective and just make a big idea click!
Jocelyn: Ok, so how do we order this amazing clothing and read your column?
Alexina: Thank you for asking! You can shop our line at thisisamombod.com. Keep an eye out for new items and styles throughout the year! We publish our column on Substack every week, and you can sign up to receive it through the link at the top of our homepage. When you sign up, you’ll receive a welcome discount code to use on our clothing line! And you can certainly find us on IG at @thisisamombod.
