Think back if you will, to that time when you were in Junior High. Remember the discussions you had with your mom about the current styles and what you would and would not wear? I was in Junior High back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I can remember vividly telling my mother that I refused to wear those shirts with a bow tied all nice and pretty like at your neck. Ewww, gross, no way! Another thing I refused to wear was the preppy look. No one was going to get me in those Izod shirts, Khaki or plaid pants and those horrible penny loafers with the nice shiny new penny in the center. You want to know the funniest thing about that? When my husband and I went on our first date, do you want to know what he was wearing? Picture this in your mind… A guy that looked amazingly like Steve Perry of Journey wearing khaki pants, button down shirt with a sweater tied around his neck (Awww) and penny loafers with a penny! I am so not kidding! Anyway, if you have noticed, the plaid shorts are in style right now. I think they are cute! Who woulda thunk it?
So, now it is that time for me to be the parent shopping with my pre-teen for school. She is going into 7th grade. I remember that being a really tough year when peer pressure is really big. We went shopping this weekend and I noticed how much peer pressure influences what you wear. I also have a younger daughter who is going into the 3rd grade. She is just now able to wear clothes from the Limited Too. She was excited to being going in to buy clothes where all the cool girls buy clothes. No more Gymboree for Hurricane A! (sniff) So, we are looking around and Hurricane A is picking out clothes left and right. I notice that Drama Queen is only holding a shirt. I mention that shouldn’t she be looking at jeans. She desperately needs some more jeans. She gives me this look and says “Mom, no one wears Limited Too Jeans in 7th grade!” Oh well, please tell me what jeans they do wear I ask her. She said “Abercrombie or Hollister” I informed her that she can also wear some jeans from Limited Too because I refuse to buy her 3 or 4 pair of $60-70 jeans. Especially not the ones with the worn out holes in them! (I vaguely think I might be sounding like my mother!) I make her try some on and she comes out and I think she looks all cute and the jeans fit perfectly. Her first response is “These are too big in the leg!” I say “What do you mean too big in the leg? They look fine.” She says, pulling at the material on her legs, “Look at all this? They are too big.” I said, “What, you have maybe a half inch of room? I am not buying you skin tight jeans.” “But, that is what everyone wears! Mooomm, you just want me to look like a baby!” (Have I heard this conversation before about 30 years ago? UUGGHH!) After a few more exchanges of words and looks I made her buy one pair of jeans from there. So, we proceed to Abercrombie where she picks out several pair of jeans to try on. I put my foot down about the ones with holes. I bought her a pair last year that were about $70 and after the first washing she had to wear leggings under them every time she wore them! That is ridiculous! She goes to the dressing room and tries on the first pair. I hear her say “These are perfect!” She comes out and the jeans look like they are a second skin. When she walks the jeans crease into her legs like a sausage link. “Those are too tight” I say. She informs me that this is the way everyone wears them. I have already learned that by everyone, she actually means maybe one or two girls. I all of a sudden notice a pattern in what she is trying on. She is trying to look like this girl in the neighborhood who wears her jeans that tight and her shirts revealing two perky “girls” that seem too perky for a girl in 7th grade. I say “I’m sorry, you are not going to go out of the house looking like A. I can’t believe her mother lets her go out of the house looking like that.” (OMG did I actually say that? NOOOOO!) She assures me that isn’t what she is doing and I make her try on some other style jeans in the same store. After much discussion we buy one pair of jeans and several t-shirts. After that I decide I have had enough for the day and we go home.
Do you want to know the biggest lesson I learned that day? I have turned into my MOTHER!
Southernbellegirl 