March 31, 2012 – YA Chit Chat

Today begins the A-Z challenge! Click here to visit all the participants’ blogs, and most of all, have fun.

My post for today: Age Appropriate Attire

Adults dressing like kids. We’ve all seen them: the middle-age man with his hat on backwards and his shorts way too short. The middle-aged woman with ‘hot buns’ tacked across her bootie. Even Kris Jenner of Kardashian fame was recently called out for wearing an outfit better suited for a 20-year old.

Call me old-fashioned, but what gives? What happened to age-appropriate clothing…to self respect…to class? When did comfy casual turn into sloppy and aloof? My kids would be mortified if I wore a pair of ‘hot bun’ shorts around the house, much less in public. Now I know some women can pull off the ‘teen’ look, but why when they could look so much better in classy attire better suited for an adult?

Not too long ago I commented to one of my mini-me’s about an older woman wearing a pair of ‘skinny’ capris (she wasn’t skinny), and a t-shirt that said “Diva Darling”. My mini-me said I was being overly judgmental; however, when I suggested I purchase the same outfit for myself, mini-me shouted emphatically, “No!”

“But why not?” I asked. “It’s okay for her.”

“Yeah, well she’s not my mom.”

Ah ha! So it’s ok for her because she’s not his mom? Do I hear double standard? Could it be my kids respect me more for acting and dressing like an adult? To test my theory, I threw the following question out to some teens at our local library.

Would you mind your parents dressing like you do?

The answers were surprising:

Nikki (age 14): Eww, gross. Not.”

Brent (age 15): Seriously? My dad would look so dumb wearing cargo shorts and a ‘I hear mimes’ t-shirt.

John (age 16): “My mom already dresses like my sister. It’s sad ‘cause she really thinks she looks great. I’d never tell her because I love her, but I think she looks ridiculous.”

Kimberly (age 15): “Yes I’d mind. My mom is so classy and pretty. I think she looks perfect in her own clothes. In fact, I want her clothes when I get older.”

Larry (age 16): I think it would be hysterical if my dad dressed like my sister and my mom dressed like me. That would give everyone something to talk about.”

Becky (age 17): My mom actually has a better body than I do and would look great in some of the clothes my friends wear. I don’t like it when she wears skinny jeans and tight shirts that show off her boobs, tho. It makes me uncomfortable to see guys stare at my mom like that. I don’t even want guys staring at me like that.”

Judging from these responses, I’d say it is pretty clear kids don’t like it when their parents dress like them, so parents – do them a favor. Pack up the ‘hot buns’ shorts and the tight t-shirts and find some nice, cute, classy age-appropriate clothes. Your kids will thank you and they may actually respect you a little more. After all, if they don’t have you, their parents, to look up to, who do they have?

Question for readers and writers: What person in a novel wears inappropriate dress for his/her character?

For me, it would be Curley’s wife in John Steinbeck’s, “Of Mice and Men”. She dresses completely inappropriately for a woman married to the boss’s son. We all know what happens to her, too.