Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Tuesday's Thoughts- Fashion Woes

I just have a teensy gripe about today's fashions. What is up with them???



I have two beautiful daughters who are different as night and day. Both encounter fashion woes on a regular basis and it just frustrates me to no end. Some times shopping becomes more of a chore than an fun pastime that girls of all ages like to do.



I'll talk about Paige first. My beautiful amazing Paige. She will be sixteen next month and I'm still in shock that I am the parent of a child who will be that old. She has inherited her petite height from her Nana and even though she doesn't want to hear it? I believe 5' 2" may be her lot in life. She is also very mature looking for her age. It's like she got all female DNA from both sides of her family and the result is a very voluptuous figure. Bless her heart. She's a modest gal and all but she still wants to be pretty and cute and all that is teenagery. Yet, the clothes for teenagers are made for those young ladies that are a size zero. You know the ones, right? They have no boobs or hips? How disheartening it has become because she just wants to wear the cute clothes other girls are wearing. Therefore, I make it my mission to find cute shirts and such that she'll feel pretty in. Thing is, I'm afraid, is that they are mostly low-cut and that just won't work. Camisoles under all she wears has become the norm. I'm betting she owns camis in every color known to man. I hate it for her and wish designers would just realize that not all teenagers are a size zero and make appropriate clothing for the gals with hips and boobs.



Then we have Makenna. My long legged blonde beauty. She just turned eleven, Fashion Designers! Why are you making clothes for her to wear that look like she should be walking the street corner? It confounds me that you go from adorable smocked sundresses and Disney Princess to Hootchie Mama. Add in the fact that she wears a women's size 8 1/2 shoe and there is trouble. Hold up now. You're probably thinking, "Wow! That kid has a big foot!" No, she doesn't. She has a long narrow foot that is dainty. What do you have to choose from in that size? Hooker Heels and Grandma's Pumps. Seriously? Tennis shoes are no problem, but try to find an age appropriate church/dress shoe and you, my friends, will be searching many stores all day long. I am so grateful that ballet flats came back in and I truly hope they stay. It is almost the only shoe that can keep an eleven year old looking eleven.



I truly hate that the fashion society has apparently made it their mission to age and mature our daughters way before it's time. I will be 39 this year. (ACK!) I remember being in my early 20's and loving life. Going to the clubs, bars, parties, and etc. Women are empowered in their 20's. Many are finishing college, finding themselves, and living life. A few might be looking for a husband and what would we do? Dress like we love life! I wore my share of short skirts and dresses (back when my butt was decent and would cooperate and not hang out). I wore the heels and low cut shirts to the club to get my groove on. I can guarantee you one thing. I wouldn't have been wearing that mess when I was 11 ....or 16. My Daddy would have turned me around at the door before I got one toe over the threshold. I fondly recall blue eyeshadow being the thing to wear in the late 80's and I did my level best to support the blue eyeshadow factory. Many times I was sent back to the bathroom to take some of it off. Especially before church. I have become my Daddy somewhat in that Miss Paige has been sent to the bathroom a few times to get a handle that godawful black eyeliner the girls favor these days. I gladly look forward to 10-15 years from now when these girls look at pictures from today and cringe over the heavy black eyeliner and duck bill lips in every single picture they take. We older ones know they look stupid because we did our own stupid pictures at that age. I can't wait until they figure it out themselves. I mean, hey, I am 5' 6" and in high school I was 5' 9" with the hair. I see pictures now and ask my high school friends, "WHY on earth did you let me walk around with hair like that???" Then I realize they had the same hairstyles I did. So, it's all good.



I just wish that people who believe themselves to be fashion designers would throw that standard mannequin out of the bloomin' window and make REAL clothes. Shoe designers? Girls have long feet at a young age. Keep that in mind, would you? I wore a size 10 in 5th grade...still do 29 years later. And let me tell you...I wore some ugly butt shoes back in the day with my Mama trying to keep it age appropriate. ~shudder~

One thought about dresses must be stated. I look at dresses today and I think...Wow. I find it sad that my daughter's have to wear a sweater to church over their dresses to appear decent. Am I old fashioned? Yeah, I guess I am. I look in stores today trying to find dresses for my daughters to wear to church and what I see looks more suitable for nightwear than walking around in public. Hey, Designers? It's really and truly okay for dresses to have sleeves and for hems to meet a knee or two. Sure, a slinky sexy dress is cool when the occasion calls for it(and you're the right age and shape for it). I'm just not cool with wearing that mess up in God's House. Get what I'm saying? Let girls be girls!!! We become women and grown ups soon enough with all the bells and whistles that go with it. Dang.

Oh, and Internets? My baby lost his first tooth and you didn't comment? Poor guy. He'll need some therapy over being ignored later in life, I'm sure.

I would love to know your thoughts on today's fashions for little girls, tweens, and teens. Am I a stick in the mud or a properly concerned parent? Remember playground rules apply. No finger pointing or sticking out the tongue.

9 comments:

Roni said...

Its not just the teen clothes that designers think everyone is a size 2-Im a bit large chested & have the same issues as Paige! Ive become great friends with my tailor so clothes will fit that region a little better than what comes off the rack!

And no you arent old fasioned. Last summer we had about 4 events to attend & I couldnt find a single dress for our 18 yr old that wasnt either strappy/strapless or too short-like mid thigh or both!!

I think we should become designers.

Jenn Rice said...

It's not just older children's clothing either. When Emali went from the infant-toddler section to the 5+ section, I about had a heart attack. Gone were all the cute smocked dresses. In their place were hooker boots, mini-skirts, and tube tops! Tube tops! For a 5 year old!

Both of my girls regularly scream at me because I refuse to buy them anything made by Miley Cyrus, The Olsen Twins, etc. Sorry Miley, but my 6 year old is NOT a hoochie momma and will NOT wear a mini skirt!

I have found that if I want to get them age appropriate clothing I have to be willing to pay upwards of $20 dollars for a t-shirt and drag my butt to places like Justice, etc.

Thanks for the insight that it's not going to get any better as they get older. I just wish designers would cater to normal children, instead of celebrities' children.

Krys72599 said...

You know what? I'm going to be 50 on my next b'day (ouch!) and it's NO DIFFERENT FOR ME! I don't have a shape that allows me to let it all hang out. (If I do that, it really WILL be hanging!)
I was trying to find a gown for a wedding last year - if I had no boobs and no hips, I'd have been fine. Of course, I could have opted to wear my great grandmother's mother of the bride dress, but I wanted to look a wee bit fashionable, as aunt of the bride!
It's the same for work - clothes that cover you appropriately look like their target audience is twice my age!
Come on, now, just a little modesty for those of us who blush easily, okay???

AND, to The BOY: OMG, you lost a tooth???? Hope the Tooth Fairy brought you a nice little something and left it under your pillow!

Dani said...

I for one, like wearing skirts and dresses that at least reach my knees. I also love the ballet flats ... otherwise I don't have that many dress shoes that aren't sandles. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about it for a few years and maybe by the time Caitlyn is old enough, the fashions will have toned down (doubtful but one can always hope).

Coty said...

Well first off, congratulations to Vitt. One of the only times in life it's fun to lose a body part. ;)

Secondly, I was looking through my closet the other day and thought of Paige. I was going through the things that were non-maternity and thinking it might be fun to send her a box. Problem? I realized all my clothes have turned into 'mom clothes' sometime in the last two years. Nothing like high-cut jeans and shapewear to make you feel sexy.

I totally understand about shopping, though. Always having been a bit bigger than most girls my age, and having boobs and hips, even in the 90's it was hard to find appropriate choices to wear to church and school :( It's one of the things that truly terrifies me about having a daughter. I'm sorry but we don't shop in the ProsiTOT sections. :S

Anonymous said...

I am right there with ya Hope. It's very hard to find "little girl" clothes. We find adult styles in kids sizes and it infuriates me! I shop alot of Childrens Place. Dresses, the girls are big on those. I just got 2 for Kelsey last night on ebay. Less than 20 bucks for both. I think the shipping cost more than the dress. I believe I paid just over 15 for both. That's what I've ended up having to do cause I can't find anything good in stores. And when I do find something good, I can't afford it. lol! So consignment shops and ebay are my friends.

Denise said...

I have resorted to buying dresses online for my girls, because nothing in the stores is decent. Hello, they are 5 and 8, do they really need to run around in a strapless sundress with cutouts? Is it really that much harder to add a sleeve?

It's very frustrating. Another problem is that the shirts often aren't long enough, and my 8-yr-old is flashing her belly all over the place. And in summer, it's too hot to layer. So when I find a cute LONG shirt, I snap it up.

I feel your pain!

Keri Alane said...

Before I go any further...
Please tell the Boy Congratulations!!! Losing a tooth is an important part of the passage and contrary to many peoples beliefs the Tooth fairy is NOT the Rock! She is a cute Lil Ole Grandma fairy who bring wonderful trinkets and gold!!! (Well this day and age it is a non edible form of Lettuce! LOL)
So onto the Fashion Crisis at hand! I so feel your pain!!! And mine is only 4!! We Shop @ Children's Place and Target and Walmart (with a picky hand) Why people wanna turn their babies into fashion models I won't ever understand! I HATE shopping for myself! I am a big girl in all the wrong places!! While we are informing said fashion and show designers in on how things really are outside of the Mannequin fantasy world they live in! We need to tell them that big girls don't always have giant ta ta's!!!! If you find any solution's that may be useful please share!!!

Busy Texas Dee said...

I know exactly what you mean. I feel the same way. It is so hard for me to find clothes for Ashley. I hate the low-rise jeans and the hip huggers. They just don't look right on young ladies like Ashley and Paige. And Ashley is the same way. Has cami's to under most of her shirts. These kids have dress codes in school and the clothes these days don't fit in with the dress code which means we end up spending more money to make the clothes approprate for school. I am not ready to see what the fashion is when Sweet Pea gets to be a tween and older. I was happy with jeans and a T-shirt most of the time. It was a fight to get me to wear a dress.