“very demure, very mindful”

For my August 15 blog post, mumtrepreneurs* from across the state of Texas responded to my question about the top customers requests in 2024. One repeating comment caught my eye:

Small mums are the newest trend.

Say what now?

Before we explore this counterintuitive trend, let’s recap the facts. Today’s mums are much larger than they used to be, and what they used to be was a simple corsage made from one live chrysanthemum flower. The end.

Now let’s talk about perception. I think it’s fair to say that Texas-style homecoming mums are stereotypically cast as ginormous. But here’s the thing. The majority of mums in Texas today are probably not as large as you think.

We inaccurately think they’re all gigantic because the photos that go viral disproportionately favor extreme mums over typical ones. When the world sees photos of these extreme mums, it collectively shrugs and says “Everything’s bigger in Texas” because it doesn’t know what else to say, and it definitely doesn’t understand why.

The difference is that the world says “Everything’s bigger in Texas” as a statement of perceived fact, but Texans also hear an embedded call to action. Over the last 60 decades or so in Texas, this has translated into one tried-and-true formula: this year’s homecoming mum = bigger than last year’s homecoming mum.

But hey, can’t this year’s homecoming mum = something else? There are signs that this is happening in 2024.

Before I go any further, please note. This is NOT me hating on any style or size of homecoming mum. I’m also not saying that Texas mums are reaching a tipping point. As a mum historian, I’m simply suggesting we could be entering a new phase of mum diversification if enough Texans are choosing mums at the other end of the size spectrum, with ginormous as one extreme and tiny as the other.

15 Reasons Why Small, Mini, and Micro Homecoming Mums are Trending in Texas Right Now

1. “Very demure, very mindful.” Aren’t they, though? When content creator Jools Lebron exploded the internet in August by suggesting a “very demure, very mindful” look for the office, she tapped into three rhetorical mainstays of young people—hyperbole, irony, and sarcasm—as well as the earnestness, enthusiasm, and sincerity sometimes hidden behind them. Demure, mindful mums are literally small, but figuratively they can mean so much more. If you’re not familiar with it, Google “very demure, very mindful” while you’re searching for images of painted homecoming overalls.

2. Unique. After decades of watching mums and garters get bigger and bigger, when we see a small mum, we perceive it as something new. Standing out is one of the reasons for wearing a homecoming mum in the first place, and small mums stand out in a sea of big ones.

3. Cute. Need I say more? Those Croc micro-mums are so darn cute that I ordered one and I don’t even own a pair of Crocs.

4. Easy to wear. Most high schools in Texas permit students to wear mums to school on the day of the homecoming game. Really big mums are difficult to navigate when changing classes and nearly impossible to wear while seated, especially if you have to squeeze inside one of those all-in-one desks. I mean, it’s fun, but it’s also tricky. Small mums present no such problems.

5. Quiet(er). A long-standing practice is that cowbells, sleigh bells, and other noise-making devices are woven into homecoming mums and garters. The jingle-jangle is part of a mum’s bodacious charm. But at some, ahem, grumpier schools, students aren’t allowed to have bells in their mums, or they have to silence the clackers during the day (only to unleash the bells later at the football game). Small mums dial the jingle and the jangle down to a whisper.

6. Easy to give. I think one of the trickiest aspects of the homecoming mum tradition in Texas is figuring out if you’re gifting a mum to someone else or getting one for yourself. I wrote a whole blog post about this. Assuming you’re buying or making a mum for someone else, small mums are customizable enough so that you’re giving something personal and clever enough to show that you’re on trend. But like I always say, be sure to get together with the other person in advance to brainstorm ideas and talk about expectations.

7. The more the merrier. Who says you can only have one mum? At some high schools in Texas, it’s not unusual to see students wearing two, three, or more smaller mums on homecoming day. At those schools, it’s a convention for students to receive mums from dates, parents, friends, and/or advisors of certain groups, like cheerleading or marching band. The point here is that small mums can fly solo or be worn with others.

8. Adaptable. There’s really only one way to wear a big homecoming mum: the way it’s designed to be worn. Big mums hang around the neck and drape across the front (and sometimes back) of the body, and big garter mums are designed to be worn on the forearm. Period. Small mums can be adapted and worn all kinds of ways: on a backpack, as a hair accessory, on the forearm or thigh, on the wrist or finger, pinned to painted homecoming overalls (Google it; it’s a thing), and as we’ve learned, dangled from a Stanley Mug or popped into your favorite Crocs. Maybe ankle mums are next?

9. Joyful. Heather is the founder of Boerne Homecoming Mums and owner of Craftwerks Ribbon. She recently told me something so very wise: Kids just want to be smiled at. Not sarcastically or judgmentally. Just a genuinely warm smile. Think how smiles like that can change, well, everything. Wearing a mum, whatever the size or style, causes people to smile at you because you’re participating in a tradition in your own, unique way. Plus it’s genuinely fun.

10. Simpler to DIY. This speaks for itself, don’t you think? Click here for a DIY how-to.

11. Quicker turn-around for custom mums. If, like me, you’re not handy with a glue gun, you might prefer buying a ready-to-wear or custom mum. You can usually order a small custom mum just a couple of weeks in advance, but high-end, mega, and elaborate senior mums can take weeks or even months to create. Click here to learn more.

12. Less expensive. Small mums may be trending, but they’re also an opportunity to lower costs while getting creative.

13. Easy to ship. For decades, Texans have been shipping homecoming mums across the country and around the world so that someone they love can be a part of this unique tradition. Small mums are much easier and less expensive to ship, and most mumtrepreneurs offer shipping as an add-on when you place your order.

14. New, and yet nostalgic. Another fun aspect to today’s small homecoming mums is that they’re fresh versions of the O.G. chrysanthemum corsage.

15. Small mums make mom and dad happy because mums make their kids happy. Small mums speak to parents in so many ways—actually, in all 14 ways listed above, plus one more way that’s the most important by far. Small mums, and mums of every size, say I love you.

Additional Resources

Click to read each article:

• Texas Homecoming Mums: 2024 Trend Watch

• What are the different homecoming mum styles or types?

• How (and where) do you get a homecoming mum?

• What are the rules for homecoming mums in Texas?

• DIY: How to make a homecoming mum

• The Top Ten most frequently asked questions about homecoming mums

• What goes on a homecoming mum?

• Senior mums are the ultimate in Texas homecoming mums

*Mumtrepreneurs (a word I made up) are all the businesses that make up the homecoming mum supply chain: manufacturers (most if not all in China), plus—in Texas and elsewhere—distributors, printers, wholesalers, retailers, and mum makers.

Shameless Plug for MUMENTOUS

If you enjoyed reading this, you might enjoy my book, Mumentous: Original Photos and Mostly-True Stories about Football, Glue Guns, Moms, and a Supersized High School Tradition that was Born Deep in the Heart of Texas.

You don’t have to take it from me. Look for independent reviews of Mumentous scattered throughout my website. Like this one:

"...Schultz sets out to explore—through stories and photographs—the culture of mums: how the tradition originated, how it has changed over the years, and what it means for the schools, students, parents, and communities who participate.

It’s a tale rooted in a particularly Texan love of maximalism but one that also tells a larger story of the human need for ritual and pageantry... The many eye-catching black-and white photographs are as instrumental as the text in communicating the soul of mum culture.

Both seasoned Texas alumni and readers completely unfamiliar with the tradition will be equally charmed by this beguiling quirk of Americana. An entertaining, brilliantly shot look at a Texas high school tradition."

— Kirkus Reviews & Kirkus Magazine