For kids, nothing beats the laid-back rhythms of summer.
Sleeping late, riding bikes and afternoons with nothing to do except raid the
freezer for Popsicles.
But come
the first of August, the reality of getting back into school habits hits. Along
with that realization and acceptance comes the task of getting ready for research
papers and spelling tests. First there’s buying supplies.
Luckily schools publish a supply list, so it’s almost
hassle-free to walk down the aisle and toss folders, spirals and crayons in the
cart.
Another
big part of getting ready for school is shopping for new clothes. Quite a few
schools require students to wear uniforms, and that rule makes those
early-morning decisions a lot easier.
I
was lucky. When my boys were in school, fashion choices were easy – blue-jean
shorts, a shirt that had a super hero on the front and sneakers that allowed
them to be the fastest in Dodge Ball.
Not so for those with girls.
I’m finding this out the hard way as I’m helping my daughter-in-law
shop for clothes for her daughter who’s entering first grade this year. In my
mind, an elementary-aged girl in Texas wears sneakers, capri pants or shorts
and a T-shirt with unicorns on the front.
When I went shopping this week, I was shocked. Instead of
age-appropriate clothes for elementary-school girls, all I found were
skin-tight leggings and short shorts.
The
shirts ended where the navel begins; and instead of puppy dog artwork on the front
of the T-shirts, the designs were “I love to shop” or had pictures of Miley
Cyrus sticking her vulgar tongue out.
Disgusting and disappointing.
So I kept looking for clothing that would allow my
granddaughter to participate in recess sports yet still have a demure look. I
found one – just one – skirt with shorts sewn in. On the other hand, there was
a whole display of short-shorts that were no more than six inches in length
from the waist to the hemline.
These are 6-8 year-old girls who should be able to remain
little girls for a few more years, not grow up before their time. It seems clothing
manufacturers want to create Lolitas instead of reinforcing the knowledge that
girls don’t have to be half naked to be relaxed and ready for school.
Out of curiosity, I started browsing through the teen-age
girl section, and they have the same vulgar clothing choices the 6-year-olds
faced except the ones for the teenagers were a lot more, how can I say this
nicely, skanky.
They’re cut low in the front, have rips and tears where
there shouldn’t be rips and tears or the material is so thin, you can see right
through it. The argument is girls can wear camisoles underneath the see-through
shirts, but what’s wrong with making shirts that don’t make a girl look half
dressed?
I’ve heard all the arguments that this is how girls like
to dress, I’m being too old fashioned or I don’t understand what the fashion
industry’s all about. My definition of fashionable is wearing clothes that fit
and make you feel good about yourself, not clothes that would embarrass your
grandmother if she saw you wearing them.
There’s still a few stores, both in town and online, that
stock appropriate clothing for young girls, and that’s where I’ll spend my
money. Because I know, somewhere in the retail world, there’s a nice supply of little
girl T-shirts with puppy dogs on the front.
This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.
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