Parental guidance suggested

Pardon my lack of posting over the last few days. It's contest season, so I've been a tad preoccupied - and this is just a warning that it'll only get worse in the next couple of weeks. So if you're a loyal reader - I thank you & request your patience & understanding until my life gets back to some sense of normalcy. Whatever THAT is.

Now - with that out of the way. . . .

There's a trend out there in the world today (mostly among pre-teen & teen girls) that I just don't understand. Back in MY day (and I like to think my day wasn't that long ago) - and even now - if I owned a pair of pants that were rather snug on me, my mother would not THINK of letting me out of the house wearing said pants, much less an accompanying top that was equally too small - not to mention too short. Nor would my mother let me leave the house with my fat rolls prominently displayed through my too tight, too short, thin fabric, leave-nothing-to-the-imagination t-shirt (which I wouldn't have been allowed to own in the first place). Of course, her permission really would never have come into question, since I never would have allowed mySELF to go out there looking like that, for fear of public ridicule (yes - I have issues).

However, the trend I'm noticing among young girls today (roughly ages 12-17) is, I'm told, called the "muffin top". During my shopping excursion today - in a location brimming over with young girls & their mothers celebrating spring break with a shopping spree - I saw a disturbingly large number of girls displaying this latest look. "Rubinesque" figures, wearing low rise jeans two sizes too small, topped with a t-shirt made of some of the cheapest, thinnest fabric in existence, also two sizes too small. Underneath said t-shirt, these girls' spare tires are flopping about, some peeking out from under their t-shirts for all to see (which really wasn't necessary, since the shirt was so tight, you could make out every dimple & large navel in the immediate vicinity). It's no wonder I nearly lost my lunch.

Who told these girls that this was an attractive look? Do the mothers of tween/teen girls no longer teach the glories of holding in one's stomach? Do they not own a MIRROR or have a FRIEND, for God's sake?!?

To be honest - I'm a little torn about how to react to this questionable fashion statement. On the one hand, I applaud these girls for having the self-confidence & apparently high self esteem to dress this way in public. Had I been even half that brave at that age, perhaps I wouldn't have self-esteem/body confidence issues today. Bravo! Good for you! I'm happy to know you don't care about people like me who are judging every thread of clothing on your back & are, instead, making your own statement & being your own person. You go, girl! On the OTHER hand (where I have different fingers), however, there IS something to be said for just plain caring about how you look and putting your best foot forward. If these are the wardrobing skills you have NOW, what does this say for your future closet and the future of our office dress codes?? Does this mean that, in 10 years, "Casual Friday" will include Hooter's girls uniforms?? At the BANK?!?

Probably the most disturbing thing to me about this trend is the fact that the mothers of today's tween/teen girls are MY generation! This means the girls who once wore their bras outside their clothes, ponytails coming out one side of their heads, accompanied by the doo doo roll bangs hairsprayed into just the right angle that kept it from touching their foreheads, red leg warmers over purple leggings, t-shirts that had been "tailored" with the nearest pair of scissors, and makeup . . . that . . .would . . . .um . . . .

Wait . . . I think I get it now.