SHE’S had a quirky dress sense for as long as she can remember but self-confessed ‘alternative’ dresser Lauryn Roberts refuses to change her unique taste in fashion for anyone.
The 34-year-old single mum constantly faces criticism for her style with cruel trolls saying she should know better because she has a son, Saint, who is four.
Comments beneath her TikTok videos regularly include: “You’re a mum – you should dress like one”, and “you shouldn’t go out”.
She’s also branded a ‘devil worshipper’ who is ‘going to hell’.
But Lauryn is always quick with her reply: “I’m not a regular mum, I’m an alt mum,” she writes, completely owning her choice in clothes.
That’s because IT worker Lauryn insists that she doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her fashion sense – which she really started forging after being an ’emo kid back in the day’.
“I’ve had it a few times, mainly on TikTok,” Lauryn explains, adding: “Personally I don’t care, I’ll always dress how I like.”
And Lauryn, from Nottingham, feared she’d be judged when her son Saint started school, as she’d heard horror stories from other mums about people slamming those who don’t dress ‘normally’.
But Lauryn says any hostility because of her appearance is rare.
I’m not a regular mum, I’m an alt mum!
Lauryn, aka Alt Mum Cult
She explains: “I’ve not really experienced much judgement, which was quite surprising as I always heard people talking about how they were stared at on the nursery or school runs,” she says.
“In fact, the mums have been quite friendly towards me since I started taking my son to school.”
That’s not to say she hasn’t had the odd glance or stare on the school run, but Lauryn reckons that’s more to do with how she changes her hair colour every month.
She regularly finds herself being approached by men on nights out, and they’re usually complimentary about her unique appearance.
When it comes to fans of her look, no-one is a bigger supporter of her unique style than son Saint.
“He loves the way I dress and the way he dresses,” Lauryn says.
“We like to match outfits where possible and he’ll always be really proud and say he’s ‘matching with mama’!”
She does her best to stick to an alternative wardrobe for Saint too, which can be difficult considering his age.
What is an alt mum?
In Lauryn’s case, this involves embracing everything dark and mysterious in the way she dresses, the way she dresses her son, the topics and subjects she enjoys and her alt lifestyle.
She’s even taken this and used it as inspiration to start a Facebook group for other likeminded mums.
“Whether you’re a goth, emo, punk or just love the unconventional and spooky, this is your sanctuary!” the description for her Facebook group Alt Mum Cult reads.
The group is open to “all alt mums, mums to be, step mums, foster mums, those trying to conceive, single mums, LGBT mums and more”.
And those who are members of the group are encouraged to “make friends, find your girl gang, ask questions, seek advice, express yourself without judgement, share your wins and challenges in an understanding community, show off your baby bats and mini moshers.”
But she often buys his clothes from homemade brands such as Killin It Apparel and The Flash Collective.
The same goes for her wardrobe too and she’s a big fan of finding bargains on Shein aswell as Vinted.
Lauryn is flying the flag for other mums like her who love the alt style after setting up her Facebook group – Alt Mum Cult – which helps provide a support network for alternative parents.
“I guess I felt ‘different’ to everyone on the nursery run and I wanted to see if there was a community of likeminded mums,” she explains.
“When I first set it up I had like 400 members and we now have almost 8k.
“I’ve made so many real life friends from the group and it just makes me really happy to know that the group has helped other people accept who they are and learn to love themselves.”
