It’s summer and it has been extremely hot where I live. We’re talking high 90’s every single day. I never noticed how tween and teen girls dressed until my daughter got a little bit older and I’m telling you, I’m appalled. Shorts so short that they look like boy short underwear. And what I don’t get is, the girls wearing the shorts this short and tight are ones that really should be wearing something that is more flattering for their body type. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think ANYONE should be wearing something in public that looks like underwear.
But really, what is wrong with the parents? They have to see that their daughters are dressed inappropriately. I asked one mother and she told me that all the other girls are dressing this way so she just gave up. That argument doesn’t fly with me. I know parents that let their kids (the same age as mine) watch pg-13 and R rated movies…my kids know their friends can see those movies, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let them watch the same movie. I wanted to look at this mother and say, “so if your adult friends were jumping off a bridge, does that mean you would to”?
I was clothes shopping with my daughter recently and some of the outfits in the girls section were horrible. They were made out of the same material as clothes that you would go clubbing in. I remember when I was 19 and going to Canada to the bars, I wore some pretty questionable stuff…always getting dressed at a friends house because 19 years old or not, there was no way my mother would let me out of the house. And they are making clothes like this for little girls.
When I was student teaching there was a little girl that came in to class one day wearing a shirt that said “Property of the Boys Locker Room”. Who in their right mind would think that is OK to make for a FIRST GRADER??? But really, I place all the blame on the adult that bought it for this child. She was in first grade. That was 8 years ago so she starting her freshman year of high school in the fall. What in the world is that girl wearing now?
Nichol says
I don’t have a tween/teen yet but I won’t buy them for my daughter I worked at 14 so was able to buy my own clothes quite a bit, which is when I bought the shorter shorts and belly showing shirts. I hid them in my backpack and changed out of my parents sight. I don’t agree with the clothes I see nowadays. I saw this young (prob 12) year old the other day dressed like she was going clubbing. I was shocked. I think companies need to stop making them so the girls don’t even want them.
Leah says
I just don’t get how stores find it appropriate.
Rachel says
Property of the Boys Locker Room?!?!! My goodness. My daughter isn’t that age yet but I am surprised at how some girls in their ‘tweens’ dress – those little biker shorts are so short and tight. 🙁 I just hope and pray that I can instill some modesty into my little one before she starts buying her own clothes.
Leah says
I was appalled at that. I could not believe any parent would buy their daughter a shirt like that.
Janice says
I am a K-5 teacher-librarian. So, I see this quite a bit. I get so tired of seeing butt-cracks, it isn’t funny. So, I whisper to the kids to pull their pants up and their shirts down. I had a 2nd grader wear a T-Shirt “I’m bringing Sexxxy Back!” I think her classroom teacher called her parent because I didn’t see it anymore. I had one 4th grader wear a black t-shirt with a set of skeleton hands embracing her bust. I played stupid and acted like I didn’t think the girl knew how it looked. Her parents should have known. I pulled her aside after everyone left and gave her a mirror. I asked her to look at the hands on her shirt. She turned beet red and said she thought they were around her waist (which is still obscene). In any case, this girl thanked me and never wore that shirt again. I even see some kids with thongs showing. The most memorable one was in the 3rd grade. I knew this girl’s mom quite well and asked her “Did you know that her underwear rides over the top of her pants so that everyone knows she’s wearing a thong?” Mother said “Oh yeah, a friend gave them to her and she like them better than regular undies, so that’s what we get her now.” SMH! I told the mom that a 3rd grader shouldn’t be making that kind of choice! Oh well. I tried. I’m glad I have a boy!
Leah says
OMG…thongs in 3rd grade?!?
I am 31 years old and I don’t even where thongs. Crazy.
Karen says
My daughters are now 38 and 37 years old, but back when they were tweens and teens, they KNEW BETTER than to even ask for clothing like that. I was the most strict mother in their circle of friends, but guess what? I didn’t care. My daughters didn’t dress that way, and even now, they don’t. I think it is the parent’s responsibility to say NO and to teach their children, both boys and girls, what is appropriate and what is not. If you buy your young daughters clothing that makes her look like a slut, other people are going to think that about them as well. Dress your girls in age appropriate clothing, please.
Nicole Robinson says
I have a toddler. I, like you, am appalled at the stuff that I see young girls wearing. Actually I am working on a post asking why parents let their young daughters wear stripper type stilettos. My plan of attack is to teach my daughter that she is cut from a different cloth. She just can’t do what everyone else does.
Property of the Boys Locker Room? That’s sickening.
RJ says
When I was 12 I wanted to dress like everyone else, thankfully I have parents who realize that this type of clothing is appalling. Looking back I was so silly. I just wanted to fit in with everyone else, which is natural, but I am SO SO SO glad that my parents refused to let me wear what I wanted to wear then.
I feel bad for the girls who walk around wearing this stuff. They either want attention or to fit in. Too bad their parents cave. Trust me when I say that we won’t hate you in the future if you tell us no. We will thank you.
Jess says
I agree with you completely! I was breastfeeding my son in the van one day (no boob showing at all) and a teen walked up tapped on my window and told me to cover up, she was wearing the shortest shorts ever and a very low cut shirt. I was floored!
Sam says
My daughter is only 8 and thankfully hasn’t wanted to wear anything inappropriate. I agree that there is far too much of it out there. I went to my son’s kindergarten swimming day and all of the girls in the grade 7 class (they were the helpers) were wearing string bikinis. I was shocked!
Leah says
eww. I hate string bikini’s. And how inappropriate.