Whenever I think of the "working mom" stereotype, I always think of the women in TV commercials for cleaning products, with their crisp khakis and smooth single-toned hair and button-down collared shirts in a sherbet hue. Or, there's also that frequently used image of the mom in a power suit and a tight bun, usually shown getting in or out of a town car in a major city and holding a phone to her ear. However, now that I technically am one of those moms, I don't really identify with either extreme (any more than most actual humans identify with any advertising caricature of their lives). For one, I don't ride in town cars, and I don't think I even own khakis anymore. I mean, I used to but I packed them away when I got pregnant because I had to make room for maternity clothes in my closet, and then I just never got them out again because khakis: Who needs 'em? RIP, khakis. And I actually do own a couple of button-down shirts, but I prefer to wear them with jeans or leggings and boots, so people can't tell if I'm trying to be professional or casual (I don't know either you guys, please stop asking).
Since having a baby and getting back into the swing of this whole "career" thing, I've found that there have been a few more things that I've sacrificed beyond my khaki pants from 2011.