Apr 09 2009
Modesty making Headlines
“Tween style is taking a modest turn” says Caroline Ryder, of the LA Times. (April 5, 2009)
“Off-screen and in the real world, the “tame tween” phenomenon is already making itself felt, with both retailers and trend researchers noticing a general shift away from the edgy.
…”Kids are still buying the skimpy stuff because that’s generally what’s out there for them — but they’ll layer it and customize it to create their own kind of look,” says Jane Gould, vice president of Consumer Insights for Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group.
Most interestingly, Nickelodeon’s team noticed that today’s tweens are very conscious of not upsetting their parents with their wardrobe. And no, it’s not just because Mom carries the credit card. Rather, it’s because the cultural gap between kids and their parents is narrower than ever.
“Every piece of research we have done has shown that the generation gap is closing,” Gould says. “Girls and boys truly look to their parents for second opinions, and they want to make sure they are doing what their parents feel is appropriate for them.”
So kids don’t think their folks are square anymore? Apparently not. “Kids tell us overwhelmingly that family is the most important thing around them — it’s no longer the ‘us versus them’ mind-set,” Gould says.
Unsettling news indeed for anyone who came of age during the punk rock or hippie eras, when shocking your middle-of-the-road parents was the biggest fashion statement you could make. Now it seems like being good is gold again.
No related posts.
It could be seeing these ‘role models’ go off the deep end. For example, Britney Spears used to be mostly modest once upon a time, as were several other starlets. As they got older and more “mature”, they had fans who followed their examples. But now they’re in and out of rehab, shaving their heads, injuring papparazi, going to jail, etc, and I think that we of the younger generation realize that we don’t want to be like that or be associated with that by our clothing.
Thank G-d!
I totally agree, and there are also some better role models available to middle-school and high-school girls