We’ve all had the experience where ordinary objects become talismans or mementos that induce nostalgia. A ’90s song comes on the radio and you’re suddenly slowdancing with your middle-school boyfriend. You pass a restaurant and you’re swooshed back in time to a raucous birthday dinner with friends. You sit on a park bench and remember the conversation you once had with your mother in that very spot.
Just as ordinary places and songs become imbued with personal meaning, ordinary objects assume double lives when we love them. To the uninitated, these objects might just look like a rosary. A pair of running shoes. A bag of cheetos. A nightgown. A trophy. But to us, they look like our mothers and mother figures. These objects serve as everyday reminders of their constant care and the lessons they’ve taught us.
In honor of Mother’s Day, five Girlboss staff members share the enchanted objects that remind them of their mothers and why.
Theresa Avila, Associate Editor
What is your chosen item?
A rosary. I come from a pretty Catholic family. My mom is very religious and spiritual, in the way that many Mexican mothers are.
What words does your chosen item conjure about your mom or mother figure?
Faith. La Virgen de Guadalupe. Tradition. Ultimately, perseverance.
What specific memories does this object conjure for you?
My mom has always gifted and been gifted different rosaries. I’ve never seen her pray the rosary and she never really sat down to teach me how to properly pray with one. But she always seems to have spare ones in purses, in her walker, in random places. There are quite a few rosaries hanging in a small wall altar in my parent’s home.
I remember during one particularly difficult episode in my life, we were talking about prayer. She asked if I had a rosary and when I said I didn’t, she offered to send me one. Less than a week later, I got a plain envelope with nothing but a no-frills rosary inside. There was no note to contextualize things. I realized my mom must have found the first rosary she could and shipped it that day from Los Angeles to New York.
What else do you like about the nostalgia that this object represents?
My mom is a firm believer in the power of small tokens and it’s something I’ve adopted into my own life.
Stephanie Stock, Editorial Assistant
What is your chosen item?
My mom’s old pajamas.
What words does your chosen item conjure about your mom or mother figure?
My mom had me when she was young and it felt like we grew up together. When I wear them, I’m reminded that she was my age once too, strutting around in her cute PJs.
What specific memories does this object conjure for you?
Besides the fact that jammies are my favorite thing in the world, I used to love when my mom would let me sleep in her bed when I was a kid. It felt like a sleepover. I have a couple of beautiful pieces of jewelry that are family heirlooms and some really nice things that she’s given me over the years, but these pajamas are the thing that I take with me everywhere. Every move, every vacation, I always have my PJs (and my mom) with me.
What else do you like about the nostalgia that this object represents?
They’ve been worn and washed so much the elastic recently came out, but that’s nothing that can’t be fixed. These pajamas are almost as old as I am and probably the only piece of “vintage” I own.
Jackie Wung, Software Engineer
What is your chosen item?
My running shoes.
What words does your chosen item conjure about your mom or mother figure?
Strength. Endurance. Peace.
What specific memories does this object conjure for you?
Outside of heels, my mom only wears running shoes. She likes the idea of exercising but not so much the act of it. We took walks in the park often when I was younger; we walked slowly most of the time, sometimes we would fast walk, and once in a blue moon we would run. I didn’t know what kind of day it would be when I put on my running shoes with her; we walked and ran based on how we felt that day. I’ve learned to be prepared to go fast, but there is peace and strength in being slow, careful, and steady.
What else do you like about the nostalgia that this object represents?
I like how plainly-colored my pair of running shoes are. Hers are always really colorful. The running shoes she got me every other Christmas became more and more plainly-colored as I became more vocal about preferring black-and-white palettes. The fade of color over time represents the birth of my own identity on top of the foundations of what my Mom has taught me.
Tania Metti, Talent & Influencer Curator
What is your chosen item?
Vending machine Cheetos.
What words does your chosen item conjure about your mom or mother figure?
Creative. Expressive. Unique. Out of the box. Resourceful. Comfortable in her own skin.
What specific memories does this object conjure for you?
My mom and I used to take figure drawing classes together when I was in high school. For me, it was the once a week I got to see my mom be totally herself; not a mom, not a business owner, not a wife, etc. During these three-hour classes, we’d occasionally break and, as the classes ran through dinner time, promptly raid the vending machine for a few snacks—usually Cheetos. There was something memorable and beautiful about using our orange-dusted fingers to draw as two women, discussing about what we liked and didn’t like about our drawings or giggling about the model’s private parts. (She was my mom after all and this was the first time I was seeing a penis in real life!)
What else do you like about the nostalgia that this object represents?
These moments in art class with my mom showed me that you can be multi-faceted and have many different interests as a woman (and as an adult), while still keeping up with all of the day-to-day, normalized demands of being a working mother. She taught me the importance of allowing space for creativity as I got older, as well as keeping humor a central part of life.
Sydney Banta, Graphic Designer
What is your chosen item?
A 1978 trophy my mom won when she was 12 for a Jr. Hula Solo.
What words does your chosen item conjure about your mom or mother figure?
Pride. Rad. Bitchin’. Happy. Love. Warmth. Aloha.
What specific memories does this object conjure for you?
It reminds me of being a kid, hanging out with my mom, and going through old photos and relics from the Filipino side of my family. I remember looking at her old costumes and being obsessed with the Uli Uli (Hawaiian feathered rattle) she used for competition because it was so pretty and something I had only seen in the hands of fully decked out Polynesian Hula dancers. It’s a cool history that none of my friends had, which as a kid, obviously made me feel so proud and cool AF.
What else do you like about the nostalgia that this object represents?
I like that this object is from an era of my mom’s history that I wasn’t around to see, but can appreciate and celebrate as an adult. As children, it’s easy to forget how badass our parents are, but every time I see this trophy (which I have proudly displayed in my apartment), I think of my mom in the young, sassy, Wahine version of herself. It represents who she is at her core and reminds me of the warm, incredibly loving mother she has always been. I know I’ve mentioned pride a few times, but I can’t help it. I’m so proud of my mom.
