Why Do Children Need Designer Clothing?
Last week I read an article in The Wall Street Journal about girls being bullied in school because of the clothes they wear. The article, entitled ‘Fashion Bullies Attack — In Middle School’, begins with the story if a sixth-grader from Illinois whose mother dresses her in designer clothes, yet she gets bullied by the other kids because she is too dressed up and has no urban clothing items like Apple Bottom jeans and Air Force Ones. Of course, this isn’t fully representative of the youth of America. In many cases the opposite is true; girls are teased because they don’t have enough designer clothing items.
This was strange to me though, because when I was in elementary and middle school the extent of designer clothing needed was a Louis Vuiton logo bag, which I couldn’t and still can’t stand (sorry Marc).
Obviously, there were trends I completely bought into. Does anyone remember platform sneakers like the Spice Girls wore? I almost sprained my ankle multiple times on the playground because of those things. Then it was ultra wide bell-bottom jeans, 70s style. And, there is the ever present trend of buying your entire wardrobe from Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, or Hollister, but I never fed into that because I couldn’t bring myself to be that much of a lemming.
My question is when did it become “cool” for girls who haven’t even gone through puberty to have a closet full of designer labels whether its Little Marc, Dolce & Gabbana, Baby Phat, or Apple Bottom. When I was that young, a pair of jeans were a pair of jeans, and the only thing I had to worry about was when I was going to get a pair of great boobs.
The Journal says this is due to designers targeting a younger audience, but at 10 or 11 I wasn’t buying my clothes. Perhaps we older women (moms, sisters, aunts, grandmothers) should take a step back. We’re the ones proliferating the who’s wearing who cycle and teaching it to the younger, more impressionable girls. Just because mommy buys a D&G dress, doesn’t mean the daughter needs one just like it for school. Perhaps, this is just a theory, we should stop giving the designer name so much clout. I know designer clothes are well-made (usually), but there is a difference between buying a designer item for its quality and buying it because it says Louis Vuiton or what-not.
What do you think?
[via The Wall Street Journal]
Photo courtesy of Danielle Hall Photography.
I grew up in the ’70’s, at the height of the designer-jean craze. i was in junior high when Vidal Sassoon and Sergio Valente graced TV ads with what I thought were really ugly models with stick legs. Either way, we all wanted them. My mom, who went to Fashion High, tried to give me the economics of how much (or little, for that matter) a pair of jeans cost of make, and how they were just selling the name. She bought me one pair of Sergio’s for Christmas, and no more after that. I didn’t feel like getting a job at 12, so I took what I got. When Lee jeans became the hot thing in high school, we were both overcome with joy - “11 a pair, and in all colors? Gimme ten!” I think I’ve grown into a responsible adult, who is really not attached to anyone’s label.
If parents didn’t buy this stuff, kids couldn’t wear it. We also need to remember that kids are listening to us - if we don’t bash people who aren’t in the most perfect physical condition, hey, they won’t do it either. I can definitely understand the decision of some schools, to have a uniform-only policy.
I don’t think having designer clothes is necessary for kids, but once and a while if your teenager wants something designer and you can afford it, why not. if it will make them happy for a little while, no problem.. As long as it’s not all the time making them spoiled, then go for it. babies on the other hand are different, they grow so fast and they get everything dirty. so no point in getting designer onesies