Teeny Manolo

Tough economic times are hitting everyone, including teens looking for the perfect back-to-school outfits.

The LA Times recently reported that “Thrifty Chic” is now the new cool.  Teens are shopping at places such as vintage clothing stores, Ross, and Wal-Mart for their fall wardrobes.  The harder it is to find the clothes, the more they will appreciate them.  Or, at least that’s the theory, anyway. Vintage items are the most coveted, as it is possible to score stylish, well made clothing for the same price as a new, more cheaply made garment.

I have to say that I fully embrace this new turn of events.  I don’t have a teenager (yet) but it’s about time kids realized that demanding their parents buy them multiple pairs of 7 Jeans (retailing for 150.00 and up) every year was just a bit on the conspicuous consumption side of things.

Let them think they have stumbled upon something novel, something new that only their generation has thought of.  Let these teens discover for themselves the thrill of the hunt, the quest for that perfect boyfriend sweater or Jackie-O inspired wool dress.

This quote from the article warms the cockles of my shriveled little heart:

Wearing frayed shorts, ankle boots and a T-shirt that said “L.A’s Wasted Youth” on the front, Maddy moved methodically through the store, eventually spotting exactly what she wanted: a tan Member’s Only jacket for $35.

“I’m so happy,” she said, heading for the fitting room. “I’ve been looking for a Members Only jacket forever.”

You know, I can’t wait to tell my 90 year old grandfather that he is totally on-trend. 

You know, I’m wondering exactly when I turned old. When I became the type of person to mutter under my breath, “These kids today!”

I see dresses like the one that unfortunately led to a ruined prom, or ads like these for prom dresses, and all I can think is, the horror! And also perhaps, thank goodness I am not raising a girl! Because I would be sorely tempted to keep her locked in her room with only classic literature and a chess board as her only forms of entertainment.

I understand that teens are all about the shock value. That they love nothing more than to rebel and make people look at them. They enjoy rejecting the values that society at large supposedly holds dear.

I wish I could say that this has been a trend that has been going on for a very long time, but I am inclined to think it has been more prevalent since the Industrial Revolution. Teens who needed to work the field to make sure the crops were harvested didn’t really have the luxury of wondering if getting a belly piercing would help them to establish their independence from Mom and Dad. In most agrarian societies, there was no true “independence” from Mom and Dad. Everyone would live and work together to help their family survive.

And what I am also wondering is, have we failed our children?

Have we allowed false celebrity and overt sex to flourish in our society because we are too afraid to speak out? That we are a “live and let live” sort of place where we think of badly of ourselves if we trample on someone else’s right to utitlize sex and sex appeal to sell everything from cigarettes to hair products ?

Sex obviously sells, and we must be buying into it. Literally. Because if it didn’t work, they would move on to a different strategy, I assure you. It’s ubiquitous. On television, in magazines, on computer ads and billboards along the road. Name me some place that it isn’t. And then we cluck in dismay as teens are flashing as much skin as they can and worrying if they are fat? Do we truly hold the idea of the innocence of children all that dearly?

Or do we just talk a really good game?

Or perhaps soon enough, (because short of public nudity, I’m not sure there is anywhere else to go) the pendulum will swing the other way, and the showing of an anke will become scandalous.

Seventeen year old Marche Taylor from Texas found herself handcuffed and led away by police instead of attending her senior prom.

Prom chaperones said her dress violated the dress code, and told her to leave.  She disagreed, apparently an argument ensued, and eventually the police arrived.

The video below is a news clip from a Houston station covering the story.

What say you? Was the dress too much? Should the school have offered her some sort of compromise, which she claims they did not? 

Sigh. I didn’t really want to go here. I really didn’t. But…

Who exactly are we trying to kid?

All these people who are screeching in outrage at the photo above of a “naked” Miley Cyrus need to step back for a second and take a deep Zen breath. And unfortunately, it seems I must disagree with my esteemed colleague on this issue.

I happen to live in an area that is not only hot, but not too far away from the beach.

Compared to half the girls parading around the area, Miley is looking pretty freaking demure.

A year or two ago it was de rigeur  for teen girls to wear tight crop tees with micro minis, which as a combo happen to show quite a bit of flesh. I mean, go take a look at one of the dresses from Juicy Couture’s current line. Go ahead, I’ll wait for you. Now ask yourself, what is the huge difference? And then tell me, because I’d really like to know.

Is it the sheet? Is it the tousled hair? Is there an uncomfortable whiff of something post-coital about the picture?

Because I don’t remember quite this type of outcry when young Jamie Lynn Spears announced her pregnancy, and she obviously didn’t just hint around at the whole sex thing.

Why are we so surprised that young people are embracing the provocative and sexual?

I mean, we are the country of Brazilians for young girls, of plastic surgery for teens, of flaunting everything we’ve got.  The media role models of these girls are the likes of Paris “Skank” Hilton and Lindsay “Drunk” Lohan.  They see Britney flashing her hoo-ha practically every month, naked photos of Vanessa Hudgens,  and I don’t think they give it much thought.

I’m not saying that it’s a good thing, but there it is.

Frankly, I’m shocked that anyone else is shocked.

And if you truly think this picture is trash-tastic, then I advise you to never go onto MySpace.

*Hat tip to superfantastic reader Seana for alerting me to the SFGate article!

You know, I keep reading about how insecure teenagers are about their bodies.  About how fashion models have made them feel as if they fall far short of the beauty high water mark.

Well, you certainly wouldn’t know it to look at this season’s crop of prom dresses.

These little numbers are a far cry from my choices in 19(cough, cough) where I pretty much had Jessica McClintock or miles of taffeta ruffles and nothing much in between. 

Let’s take a look-see at what is hot for Prom Night ‘08.  Columns are in, and apparently so is an eyeful of flesh. If these dresses look skimpy in the front, you can be assured there is even less in the back. Mind you, these are dresses specifically made and marketed for the prom, not the go-go dancing or club crawling crowd.

This one reminds me of Jeannie on acid or something.  Maybe it’s just all the pink.  Make it stop.

Sure to be voted “Most Likely to Become a Pole Dancer.”

This one just makes me hope that those laces are tied verrrry tightly, or the date might very happily receive a free show.

At this point, why not just wear a skirt and a bikini top?  Why bother with the superfluous fabric in the middle?

Because yes, prom night is all about fun and innocence.  Right?

And the last piece de resistance is a favorite of mine, which I have dubbed “The Milk? Yeah, it’s For Free.”

This week’s fashion spotlight is shining on a designer who already has quite the few spotlights shining her way already.  I’m talking about Gwen Stefani and her line of clothing, Harajuku Lovers.

Harajuku is actually a train station in Japan.  Due to the proximity of parks as well as upscale shops on Takeshita-dori,  the station became a popular hangout for Japanese youth.  And we all know that when a bunch of young people congregate, trouble creativity is bound to happen.  The Harajuku station bathrooms became the place for teens to change from their normal clothes into the fun, spirited, and outrageous fashions that the area is now famous for.

Harajuku fashion is seen as a form of dress-up, not necessarily a lifestyle.  It is all about freedom of expression and of course, the age-old rebellion thing that teens have a well-deserved reputation for displaying. The picture below is an example of this.

Source

To be honest, I was fully prepared to hate Gwen Stefani’s line for girls.  I kind of wanted to look at it and say, “Woman, stick to the music!”   I wasn’t fond of the entourage of “Harajuku girls” that Gwen surrounded hersef with for a time. But, suprisingly, I think the clothes are cute, and unlike many clothing lines for young girls nowadays, totally age-appropriate.  The clothes reflect the colorful, cartoonish style popular with Japanese youth.  They are casual and comfortable, with an emphasis on shirts and hoodies.

Source

The original story happened quite a while ago, but it was around Christmas and I just didn’t feel right posting about questionable teen undies at Christmas.  I don’t know, call me old-fashioned.  But hey, Christmas is over and now everything is fair game!

The above panties were found in the teen section of a Wal-Mart in South Carolina, as reported originally by Feministing.  Apparently, what the article did not report was that on the back, the panties stated, “When You Have Santa.”

Yeah, like that makes it so much better.

After some grass-roots internet outrage, Wal-Mart pulled the panties.  Fine, kudos to them.  Although really, how long are three dollar panties going to last anyway?  Most of the ones that sold are probably already falling apart.  Maybe they thought that the panties were fine because only the girl would know what her panties said.  At least, I certainly hope she would remain the only one.

So are these panties just harmless fun?  Does the saying on the back make it acceptable? 

And perhaps this is the biggest question, when did underwear become reading material?