Jeannie Mai Instagram – Y’all. I’m in Paris, dipped in vintage @manfredthierrymugler , and I am having a moment.
When I was little, I watched my mom come home tired—working the assembly line at Rolm (later IBM), stuck in these ugly uniforms that erased every bit of the woman she was. She didn’t come all the way from Vietnam just to be invisible. And every morning, she’d see these polished women in the front offices—shoulders squared, suits sharp, power radiating off them. She wanted to know how they got those jobs. So she went to her boss and asked. And this man had the audacity to laugh in her face, look her up and down, and say, “They want people who attract to the building, not scare people away.” Whew.
If you know @themamamai , you already know—that was all she needed to hear.
She scooped me up, took me to every vintage store in San Jose, and found the suit. A #thierrymugler . She put that blazer on, and hunnay, the transformation. Her back straightened. Her waist cinched. She saw herself the way she always knew she was meant to be seen. Took it home, tailored it to fit like a second skin, zipped up that skirt over the hips that gave birth to three babies, and sprayed her signature Tresor perfume—one last spritz from behind “so they know it the Mama Mai when she walk by.” 😩
Then? She walked right into her very same job—not to clock in, but to interview.
And she got it. Just like that.
Did she bother calling the factory to quit? Absolutely not. She just left. And the best part? Nobody even noticed. Because when you’re working a job designed to keep you small, they don’t expect you to rise. But she did.
So today, as I step out in Mugler, I feel all of it. The power in every stitch, the proof that fashion isn’t just about looking good—it’s about being seen. When the Thierry Mugler exhibit arrived in Brooklyn, I brought Monaco—barely able to talk—so she could witness the very silhouettes that had armored generations of powerful women before her, including her mama & Glamma!
And now, here I am, full-circle, tears in my lash extensions, knowing that my mama didn’t just upgrade her job—she upgraded our entire story.
And let’s be real… I look TF good. Somebody come get me. 😭✨ | Posted on 10/Mar/2025 22:49:57
