Generation GAP (TM)

Clothes. They keep us warm. They cover up our naked skin. Pretty basic.

Not at all. Clothes have represented our status for centuries. Having nice clothes has always been important, be it flaunting the color purple, wearing ten-foot wigs, or tights for guys (both in Elizabethan times, and apparently, today, with the dawn of skinny jeans. :) And it's constantly changing. The first picture I have is from the 1970's and the second is from the 2000's. The only similar thing about them is the parents of all of the kids probably aren't very pleased. It's a form of discovery, deciding who we are. When we're little, our parents dress us, and most of the time, we all reach a point where we say we want to shop for ourselves. And our parents aren't necessarily going to be happy with our choices. Now, I am of the belief that parents should have some say in clothing choice, since they are more aware of how image is perceived. A girl shouldn't be allowed to parade around all her parts just because she wants to, if clothing could potentially endanger a person, then, by all means, parents, make the kid mad and do something about it.

Clothes change with our personalities. Like, I said, when we're little, our parents decide what image they want us to have. We won't always share that. We want to create our own image. Especially in the modern era, the options are endless. Skater, prep, goth, emo, classic, high design, retro, grunge...it's a visual tapestry walking in a mall people-watching. We choose our clothes based on the people we admire. If we like a certain rock band, we might dress like them. If we read a lot of fashion magazines, our choices may be more on the trendy, high-spending side.

It's hard to describe the connection between humanity and clothing at 11:30 at night with a cluttered brain. However, my point is: clothes aren't who we are, they represent our changing nature. Especially as teenagers, we need the freedom to try things out, and clothes are the perfect avenue. Parents, encourage clothing and not something more dangerous, like drugs, experimental sex or gangs. Set your guidelines, but be flexible. Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean it's bad, or even that it'll be this way forever. How many people still wear the clothes that they loved 10-20 years ago?

It's not a matter of life and death, for parent or teen. Teens, if your parents don't like your clothes, just remember it's not YOU they disapprove of, just the cut of fabric over your skin. Parents, your kid is going to have wacky styles maybe, YOU did, in the day. Don't forget what you were like at that age.