Age Appropriate Attire

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.

Related articles

• Has casual attire gone too far? (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Am I wrong? (gracefully50.com)
• Celebrities who dress too young for their age
• Why are moms dressing like their teens?