What not to wear
View PDF | Print View
by: Guest
Total views: 73
Word Count: 879
From spaghetti straps for preschoolers to ultra-miniskirts for tweens, girls clothing is getting noticeably skimpier. Kid-magnet chains, including Limited Too and Abercrombie Kids, as well as discount stores such as Target, are focusing their marketing efforts on a much younger demographic, luring young girls into ensembles that in years past had been reserved for their teenage sisters.n
GapKids recently featured a white, crocheted string bikini you'd likely see Anna Kournikova wearing on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. The bikini was for a 12-month-old. Racks at Target held several bath-ing suits perfect for a Hawaiian Tropic bikini competition. The crocheted and camouflage-designed suits started at size 4 in the little girls' section. Inseams on "classic" shorts at stores such as Abercrombie Kids and Hollister Co. are microscopic. And halter tops, shirts often lauded by fashion consultants for their ability to enhance a less-than-voluptuous chest, are everywhere for every age. Moms hoping to find anything even mildly modest have to be happy Bermuda shorts are trendy again. "It's a very scary phenomenon," says Patricia Leavy, a sociology professor at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass. "I don't think it's going to go away. I think it's going to get worse before it gets better." Leavy says the clothing trend is only piggybacking off pop culture and the toy industry, where Bratz dolls have spun off baby Bratz and celebrities such as Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan have grown up much faster than the fans who follow them. "The reason it's really happening is money," Leavy says. A matter of money There's serious money at stake. From clothing to games to snacks, parents spent $179 billion in 2006 on kids 12 to 19, according to Teenage Research Unlimited. Retailers want a piece of that pie, and they are looking for lifelong shoppers. The younger they snag them, the longer they'll have them, Leavy says. As if shopping for a teen or tween wasn't difficult enough, there now is a new category: the pre-tween. Yes, your child goes from toddler to pre-tween, skipping the "plain old kid" level altogether. Cindy Istook, a professor of textiles at North Carolina State University, says retailers aren't designing clothes for kids. They are simply making mini-adult clothes. "We all think about the JonBenet Ramsey thing (the 6-year-old beauty-pageant veteran whose killing remains unsolved) and look at how obscene it was," Istook says, "and we're all shocked, but, really, it's pretty common for kids to dress like that all the time." T-shirts and tanks are cut slimmer. Shorts are shorter. Makeup for tweens, once controlled by the sheer colors of Bonne Belle, is glittery and glossy, marketed as of-the-moment must-haves. Made for mini-adults In some cases, mini-adult is cute. Poufy skirts from the Crew Cuts line at J. Crew are impractical but adorable. Big, vintage-style sunglasses for toddlers at GapKids are fun and useful if the little ones will actually wear them. An infant-size shirtdress from Old Navy is funny, as if she's off to a big meeting. But there's a line between cute and "not in a million years." Kathleen Waldron, a faculty member in Arizona State University's College of Human Services, ran into trouble with her daughters when they hit the tween sizes. "All of the sudden, the clothing styles are not little-girl cute," she says. "I couldn't find clothing that I thought was appropriate." Waldron instead bought a sewing machine, though she was the first to admit she's no Vera Wang. Lila Metcalf says it doesn't have to be that way. As the owner of Urban Kidz boutique in Scottsdale, Ariz., Metcalf knows that shopping for girls can be a struggle. The boutique specializes in tween fashions that are trendy but include a dash of modesty. "Moms and daughters in that age group are constantly fighting a battle," Metcalf says.n
I applaud you JF71. I have an 8 year old son who doesn't give a hoot about what brand of clothing he is wearing. Why? Because I too taught him about appropriate choices. I have friends who have children who refuse to wear anything but Tommy Hilfiger, Gap, etc. and they are 5 and 7! I try to tell her that they only demand those clothes because she makes it out to be important. My son doesn't have any idea who Tommy even is, let alone want to wear his clothing. I buy a lot of secondhand clothes for my son and I'm an avid WalMart shopper. Her kids won't be seen dead in them. Truly sad. Congratulations on your new bundle of joy!n
I just had my first daughter, but I learned a LONG time ago with my two sons that it is my job to guide them toward the better, more appropriate choices in life, whether I'm popular with them at the moment or not! I'm not here to be their friend, and no parent should have that be the goal. I'm HOPING that trends will reverse a bit by the time it's something I'm battling with my daughter (she's only 2-1/2 weeks old right now), but if the world of retail is still trying to make little girls look trampy in a couple of years, I'll be using my sewing machine, too--Vera Wang or not!!
Related: What not to wear
Additional information:
From zanesvilletimesrecorder.com:
Rating:
Not yet rated
Comments
No comments posted.
Add Comment
You do not have permission to comment. If you
log in, you may be able to comment.
