Teen Clothing and Fashion
At some time in life, little Louise looked great in her yellow hand-stitched dress. Grandma even attached a plastic carnation to the tip of the stitching for that official look. Sorry Grandma, but that yellow dress is now little Jimmy’s car rag. Truthfully, there aren’t many Louise’s left who I can say actually still have that hand-stitched piece of art. For many of our parents and grandparents who wore that hand-stitched outfit once, it sickens them to witness this era of fashion and dreaded teen clothing.
Nowadays, either the skirts are too low, the jeans are sagging far; exposing under garment, flip-flops are too bright, shirts contain vulgar, violence and promote drug usage or racism. It is disheartening! Yet, many of these clothes that young teenagers wear are remnants of the environment surrounding them.
“Where can I find reasonable clothing for my child?”
I am afraid that’s virtually impossible. Apparently, teens are handpicking their own clothing. Infact, it’s quite noticeable that more teens are now taking charge of the clothing situation. Teens are out at the mall picking their shirts, shoes, tank tops, jeans, or anything else they need. There was a time in life when parents took control of the clothing issue by carrying the money, doing the driving and doing the escorting. Today, however, teens are becoming less dependent upon their parents for those things. They have friends who have a driver’s license, they drive themselves and they are willing to do menial jobs to attain the clothing of their choice.
“What happened to the good ole days? We never had all this crap before.”
That era has faded. This is no longer 1970, or 1980 when clothing was cheap, affordable and less menacing. Infact, this generation of clothing has attributed to more violence & corruption then any other in history. A pair of Nike Air Jordan’s can cost anywhere from $125.00 – $180.00 for one pair! That’s a lot of money for a pair of shoes. That’s close to a quarter of average Joe’s paycheck. A Northface jacket can be priced anywhere from $150.00 – $200.00. Without a doubt, Northface is a hell of a jacket, but that is awfully expensive for such clothing. A jacket!? Unfortunately, teenagers and younger children consider this the only means of keeping warm for winter.
“Is there anything that we can do?”
No, not really. Unless you provide 100% of the money you fork over for clothing expenses there isn’t much you can say. If they work five days a week and can afford it, technically it is their decision. As a parent, the only thing you can do is offer some sort of guidance for the possible lifestyle they’ll have to deal with depending on the type of clothing they attain. Some teens prefer dressing with black nail polish, spikey green mohawks and boots that look like snowboarding gear. Other teens wear pants that hang so far from the buttocks area, you’re able to see exposed under garment. Other teens just wear old and outdated clothing from back during the civil war era. There are various styles that teens can take advantage off, and more are on the way. Be ready!
The only advice you can offer your teen is how he or she may be subject to certain judgment, criticisms, racism and discrimination. Of course, many teens have fight back with the argument,
“Well this is just what I wear, it’s not who I am.”
In a way it is, regrettably. From clothes, to how we keep our cars, our homes, our offices, our lives and our room are reflection of our inner-world. A poorly dressed individual reflects a low self-esteem. Nevertheless, emphasizing this to a young teenager is difficult enough. Generally, its a phase. In other instances, it may be a cry for some sort of recognition or attention. Think back a moment, many of us had a thing about doing what we wanted when we were young. On a national and international scale maybe at least 50 or 60% of us eventually grew out of that attitude. Be patient, be observant of your teen, if you played your cards right, a change is sure to come.
Don’t fall into self-doubt, criticizing, over-analyzing or forgetting that you have been a remarkable parent. As a teen, your child is entitled to his or her own opinion. The best advice is to remind them to be ready for the new world they will unfold. We already live in a poorly judged society as is. Even adults with neckties and turtleneck sweaters are misjudged. Theoretically, the only difference is that inappropriate clothing suggests that a person is still a child. And lets not get too carried away; dressing in a suit and tie doesn’t exactly make you a grown up either.
Not every teenager is capable of noticing the lifestyles associated with, “doing what you want to do.” It’s a tough, bitter and discouraging lifestyle, but if that’s the one they choose to live, they have to deal with the hardship of it. Allow them to be their own boss, “get off their back” as they would say. Allow them to see the world; see how hard it is to find good work, how hard it is to be appreciated or how hard it is to meet someone interesting. These are characteristics of life that not every teen is quite familiar with yet. At sixteen and seventeen, for many teens it’s difficult to understand a world where they were only born a shoe-size ago.
