--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember, when I was a kid, watching my…" description: "\"I remember, when I was a kid, watching my mother jam herself into her girdle - a piece of equipment so rigid it could stand up on its own - and I remem..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/susan-orlean-2207_coming-home_i-remember-when-i-was-a-kid-watching-my_1489467.jpg" --- # I remember, when I was a kid, watching my mother jam… ![“I remember, when I was a kid, watching my mother jam herself into her girdle - a piece of equipment so rigid it could stand up on its own - and I remember her coming home from fancy parties and racing upstairs to extricate herself from its cruel iron grip.” quote by Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/susan-orlean-2207_coming-home_i-remember-when-i-was-a-kid-watching-my_1489467.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/susan-orlean-2207_coming-home_i-remember-when-i-was-a-kid-watching-my_1489467.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/susan-orlean-2207_coming-home_i-remember-when-i-was-a-kid-watching-my_1489467.jpg) > “I remember, when I was a kid, watching my mother jam herself into her girdle - a piece of equipment so rigid it could stand up on its own - and I remember her coming home from fancy parties and racing upstairs to extricate herself from its cruel iron grip.” [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator recalls her mother’s restrictive clothing, symbolizing societal constraints on women and the struggle for freedom. **In simple terms:** Women faced restrictive norms limiting their freedom. Key Takeaway Challenge limiting expectations. Themes gender freedom history Mood nostalgic critical Type cultural personal When to use this quote - fashion history - women’s rights - family dynamics Key Concepts restriction social expectations personal struggle Questions to Reflect On - What modern “girdles” restrict you? - How can we redesign norms for freedom? A Different Perspective Historical context may differ from modern experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coming home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-home/) [Equipment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equipment/) [Equipment Rigid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equipment-rigid-5442472/) [Fancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fancy/) [Girdle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girdle/) [Girdles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girdles/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Iron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iron/) [Jam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jam/) [Jam Girdle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jam-girdle-5442471/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Racing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racing/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Remember when](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-when/) [Upstairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upstairs/) [Watching Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watching-mother-1194168/) ## Related quotes > [I remember thinking that a girdle was barbaric, and that never in a million years would I treat myself like a sleeping bag being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-remember-thinking-that-a-girdle-was-barbaric-and-that-never-in-a/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Hee that hath a Fox for his mate, hath neede of a net at his girdle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/hee-that-hath-a-fox-for-his-mate-hath-neede-of-a-net-at-his-girdle/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [All keyes hang not on one girdle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/all-keyes-hang-not-on-one-girdle/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [I just hitch up my girdle and let 'er fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babe-didrikson-zaharias/i-just-hitch-up-my-girdle-and-let-er-fly/) [Babe Didrikson Zaharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babe-didrikson-zaharias/) > [When I was younger, I wanted to grow up and be the man that my father should have been, and I learned that by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-alexander/when-i-was-younger-i-wanted-to-grow-up-and-be-the-man-that-my-father/) [Cedric Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-alexander/) > [“I've learned from watching my mother train to become a police officer that small steps add to giant leaps.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-kelly/i-ve-learned-from-watching-my-mother-train-to-become-a-police-officer/) [Scott Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-kelly/) > [My earliest memory of music has to be watching my mother play the santoor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananya-birla/my-earliest-memory-of-music-has-to-be-watching-my-mother-play-the/) [Ananya Birla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananya-birla/) > [“Watching her mother’s decline had been slow and painful: the worst thing she had ever had to witness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-jenkins/watching-her-mother-s-decline-had-been-slow-and-painful-the-worst/) [Victoria Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-jenkins/) > [They say the definition of ambivalence is watching your mother-in-law drive over a cliff in your new Cadillac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/they-say-the-definition-of-ambivalence-is-watching-your-mother-in-law/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [Spending the day with you has been marginally better than watching mother die of cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-jolly/spending-the-day-with-you-has-been-marginally-better-than-watching/) [Arthur M. Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-jolly/) > [There are a lot of sacrifices a mother makes when she's raising a child by herself. I saw it when I was growing up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-applegate/there-are-a-lot-of-sacrifices-a-mother-makes-when-she-s-raising-a/) [Christina Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-applegate/) > [“I remember watching my mother emerge from her bedroom on a night when she and my father were going out, all dressed up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/i-remember-watching-my-mother-emerge-from-her-bedroom-on-a-night-when/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [LYou can get yourself cut and stitched, or you can get a good girdle. The day before my first Emmy show, I went to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kaczmarek/lyou-can-get-yourself-cut-and-stitched-or-you-can-get-a-good-girdle/) [Jane Kaczmarek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kaczmarek/) > [I never wear a girdle when I'm on a long trip. And I climb Into flat shoes the minute I get on a plane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-ellen/i-never-wear-a-girdle-when-i-m-on-a-long-trip-and-i-climb-into-flat/) [Vera-Ellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-ellen/) > [“The girdle went from just under my breasts to the top of my knees. It cinched me in pretty tight. In fact, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-gross/the-girdle-went-from-just-under-my-breasts-to-the-top-of-my-knees-it/) [Mollie Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-gross/) ## More by Susan Orlean > [I've used Twitter now and again to try to figure something out; it's an amazing resource. But I think you have to use it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-ve-used-twitter-now-and-again-to-try-to-figure-something-out-it-s/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Who on earth is going to use 'utilize' in a text message, a whopping seven characters including the always-hard-to-type 'z,' when you can say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/who-on-earth-is-going-to-use-utilize-in-a-text-message-a-whopping/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [When my son was born, and after a day of lying-in I was told that I could leave the hospital and take him home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/when-my-son-was-born-and-after-a-day-of-lying-in-i-was-told-that-i/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I'm happy to be reminded that an ordinary day full of nothing but nothingness can make you feel like you've won the lottery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-m-happy-to-be-reminded-that-an-ordinary-day-full-of-nothing-but/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I once had a boyfriend who couldn't write unless he was wearing a necktie and a dress shirt, which I thought was really weird,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-once-had-a-boyfriend-who-couldn-t-write-unless-he-was-wearing-a/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“I, too, had set out to be remembered. I had wanted to create something permanent in my life- some proof that everything in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-too-had-set-out-to-be-remembered-i-had-wanted-to-create-something/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I think of myself as something of a connoisseur of procrastination, creative and dogged in my approach to not getting things done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-think-of-myself-as-something-of-a-connoisseur-of-procrastination/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I'm very excited about my new Spotify account, which gives me access to twenty gazillion songs any time, all the time. The day I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-m-very-excited-about-my-new-spotify-account-which-gives-me-access/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I approach stories as a private educational enterprise: I want to learn about something. I teach myself through research, reporting, and thinking, and then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-approach-stories-as-a-private-educational-enterprise-i-want-to/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [We're fascinated by animals because it's almost like having Martians living among us. We can see some familiarity in them, but they're entirely different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/we-re-fascinated-by-animals-because-it-s-almost-like-having-martians/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [My inspiration is really very simple: I'm struck by things that I want to know more about. I really do react just as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/my-inspiration-is-really-very-simple-i-m-struck-by-things-that-i-want/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I am dismayed to realize that much of the advice I used to parcel out to aspiring writers has passed its sell-by date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-am-dismayed-to-realize-that-much-of-the-advice-i-used-to-parcel-out/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I wish I had coined the phrase 'tyranny of choice,' but someone beat me to it. The counterintuitive truth is that have an abundance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-wish-i-had-coined-the-phrase-tyranny-of-choice-but-someone-beat-me/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [My ace in the hole as a human being used to be my capacity for remembering birthdays. I worked at it. Whenever I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/my-ace-in-the-hole-as-a-human-being-used-to-be-my-capacity-for/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Sometimes I think I've figured out some order in the universe, but then I find myself in Florida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/sometimes-i-think-i-ve-figured-out-some-order-in-the-universe-but/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) [Explore all 179 Susan Orlean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## More Coming home quotes > [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [I was interested in all kinds of things, whether it be Avatar, Mad Men, Troy, 300, Battlestar Gallactica, or the poems of Horace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/i-was-interested-in-all-kinds-of-things-whether-it-be-avatar-mad-men/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [Everyday happiness means getting up in the morning, and you can't wait to finish your breakfast. You can't wait to do your exercises. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/everyday-happiness-means-getting-up-in-the-morning-and-you-can-t-wait/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [To be polite to everybody except the people they love most is a nervous affectation that afflicts many families ... when they come home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-fishback/to-be-polite-to-everybody-except-the-people-they-love-most-is-a/) [Margaret Fishback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-fishback/) > [This is my idea of heaven, coming home and watching the news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/this-is-my-idea-of-heaven-coming-home-and-watching-the-news/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) > [“And when I look into his eyes there’s a feeling of something I can only describe as familiarity, a sense of safety. Like coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-james/and-when-i-look-into-his-eyes-there-s-a-feeling-of-something-i-can/) [Rebecca James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-james/) > [My greatest fear is coming home one day and discovering that the slim and sexy woman I married has become fat and shapeless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-zee/my-greatest-fear-is-coming-home-one-day-and-discovering-that-the-slim/) [MO'Zee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-zee/) > [Seeing my children makes me come most alive. I come home and I see my kids' faces light up when they see me at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-patrick/seeing-my-children-makes-me-come-most-alive-i-come-home-and-i-see-my/) [Richard Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-patrick/) > [I wouldn't just come home from school and watch TV everyday, they had me involved in lots of local theatre. I was a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-washington/i-wouldn-t-just-come-home-from-school-and-watch-tv-everyday-they-had/) [Kerry Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-washington/) > [“Where we sail and anchor our heart fill up the multitude odyssey paving to the coming home of our soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-hopes/where-we-sail-and-anchor-our-heart-fill-up-the-multitude-odyssey/) [Angelica Hopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelica-hopes/) > [I can see you through any darkness. Your light it leads me on. I'm coming back to your orchard. Coming back to my home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-wright/i-can-see-you-through-any-darkness-your-light-it-leads-me-on-i-m/) [Lizz Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-wright/) > [Coming back to your calling. I can hear your voice say. Coming home for tomorrow from my dreams of yesterday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-wright/coming-back-to-your-calling-i-can-hear-your-voice-say-coming-home-for/) [Lizz Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-wright/) > [It all begins and ends in the same place, doesn't it? Conor and me in Ballyutogue. We all come home eventually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/it-all-begins-and-ends-in-the-same-place-doesn-t-it-conor-and-me-in/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“Yes, she’s coming home for a visit. No, I will not give you a free pass. You put one finger on her, I’ll beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/yes-she-s-coming-home-for-a-visit-no-i-will-not-give-you-a-free-pass/) [nalini singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [“I let it all out: the joy and the pain. The waiting and the wanting. The future and the past. We kiss for so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katia-rose/i-let-it-all-out-the-joy-and-the-pain-the-waiting-and-the-wanting-the/) [Katia Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katia-rose/) [Browse all 1,175 Coming home quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-home/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I remember, when I was a kid, watching my mother jam herself into her girdle - a piece of equipment so rigid it could stand up on its own - and I remember her coming home from fancy parties and racing upstairs to extricate herself from its cruel iron grip.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susan Orlean" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-remember-when-i-was-a-kid-watching-my-mother-jam-herself-into-her/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Coming home" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-remember-when-i-was-a-kid-watching-my-mother-jam-herself-into-her/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/susan-orlean-2207_coming-home_i-remember-when-i-was-a-kid-watching-my_1489467.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/susan-orlean-2207_coming-home_i-remember-when-i-was-a-kid-watching-my_1489467.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/susan-orlean-2207_coming-home_i-remember-when-i-was-a-kid-watching-my_1489467.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I remember, when I was a kid, watching my mother jam herself into her girdle - a piece of equipment so rigid…” — Susan Orlean", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Susan Orlean", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I remember, when I was a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-remember-when-i-was-a-kid-watching-my-mother-jam-herself-into-her/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-remember-when-i-was-a-kid-watching-my-mother-jam-herself-into-her/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```