Let me just quickly set the stage for you here. So there’s Tween1 and Tween 2. Let’s call them “T1” and “T2” to save my fingers some tap-time here. They both had the statures of any other tween…lanky, under-developed, impossibly skinny, etc. These tweens were exceptional though…they were tweens with style. You have to understand that I’m not talking about scrounging about mum’s closet or make- do-with-what-you’re-given style. I’m talking style which took HOURS of idolising popular media. Style which took non-stop dedicated nagging to get your parents to buy you replicas of what’s “cool” style. That kind of style.
Anyway. So the conversation commences:
T1: So did you see what Becca was wearing at the Ekka today?
T2: I know. I couldn’t believe it. Ugly light denim washed jeans with some sort of “rainbow” belt. And some lumpy yellow top.
T1: Hah. I know. You know…it doesn’t feel like I even went to the Ekka this year.
T2: That’s because we only went to the fashion show at the Ekka.
T1: I know, right?
…..
omg, so what was Natasha wearing today?
T2: Yeah, I know. What was she thinking? Hideous.
(insert similar horrible fashion-based gossip here) x 15 minutes.
Ok…is it just me, or is there something terrifying about this? Were you striving to collect as much worldly crap as you could when you were 11 years old? Were you cutting down the other kids around you because you were pursuing ‘cool’ness? These are young girls living to gossip and clothe themselves with things the world accepts as “fashionable”.
I’m trying to figure out if I was just the same back then, but just in a different context. Let’s see…what was I doing when I was eleven?
I was drawing pictures, running wild outside, practising violin, riding my bike, playing video games, and gaining my first intense crushes on boys. During all this…was I cruel to others? Was I so consumed with any one of these activites that it defined all my clothes, my mindframe, my demeanor? More importantly, did I openly cut down other kids for not having the right “stuff”?… ….
What about clothes? I remember certain pressures, for sure. When bell-bottoms started gaining prevalence again (in the late ninetees), it wasn’t “cool” for girls to have a different cut of jeans. It sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? How can someone so young fiend after something as idiotic as flared pant legs? HAHAHA. It truly makes me laugh out loud. So yeah, I guess I was consumed with similar things as a kid too. But what made this conversation so appalling to me then?
I think it’s the extent to which these kids were superficial. They were cruelly judging and cutting down other kids because they weren’t conforming to their same silly values. Brutale.
Hearing crap like this makes me want to throw out everything in my closet that might borderline on ‘trendy’. If the world of fashion is influencing kids as young as this to morph into superficial monsters then…I want nothing to do with it.
Fashion’s there to make you feel confident in your individuality and creativity, sure. But little tweens don’t know what appeals to them anyway. They’re keenly observing confident adults and copying what they see is acceptable or praised by other adults.
Instead of asking, “what’s this world coming to?” I feel like I should be asking, “what have we let this world come to?”.
(excerpt from old blog)
Posted by: takezomiyamoto
Date: Thursday, 2009-10-29, 10:25 Am
when i was interning a few years back at the medical examiner’s office, i had in interesting conversation with this older gentleman who lived next to the house who’s case we went to investigate. while we were waiting for the homicide detectives and the evidence recovery team, he and i started getting on to the subject of people these days. long ago is the forgotten time of when we here in hawaii could till leave our doors unlocked and not worry because you knew that people respected others. moreover, we were both fascinated by how families rarely eat together at a dinner table nowadays. in hawaii, families stay together and yet, theyre divided. weird. his family still got together to eat, or at least tried to eat every night. i began to tell him how my father likes to have all of us eat together as a family at the table. its the one things he is rather…..peculiar about. i know this has nothing to do with tweens and inbetween, but i think that the structure that was once there in previous decades/times/whatever you have it be, is slowly fading away into which tweens are being left to their own…thoughts, for lack of a better word (sorry pooks, your website is my break from studying tonight lol). i think without proper bonds and structure, some tweens will eventually be lost along the way.
ironically, a friend of mine told me yesterday in response to me saying it was too hot nowadays, “dude, why do you dress up then? stop wearing nice jeans and undershirts and collared shirts!” to which i replied, “that is what im comfortable in, and i like it.” it truly is my “individuality and creatvity,” and also, gives you confidence etc, like you said. just thought it was funny.
(excerpt from old blog)
Posted by: Darius
Date: Friday, 2010-01-29, 8:26 Pm
Im going to assume, T1, and T2 are very similar. Appearance, may not be the limit to this similarity, for im sure they have some(if not many) common interests. My point being, why stop at fashion? We are born to imitate, from our first words to our first steps, its all imitation. I believe, this to be one of our greatest human survival techniques. We find commons, similarities, and if we are unable to blend(“fit in”), we use our god given gift of imitation. Have you ever noticed when in groups that people will start to dress the same, watch the same movies, even start to talk the same?(MAYBE EVEN HAVE THE SAME RELIGION?) Fashion has no morphing powers, no more then speech. It is the need to conform that has the powers to change people. This is built within our DNA, and will never change, for this is the reason we have built society.
It’s great to hear from you and see what you’ve been up to. I’ve loved everything in your blog, Thank you for sharing!