You're not going to believe this one. The Wall Street Journal reports that girls in middle school are becoming not only increasingly fashion-conscious (which we could have guessed by now), but also increasingly critical of classmates who don't measure up."Aryana McPike, a sixth-grader from Springfield, Ill., has a closet full of designer clothes from Dolce & Gabbana, Juicy Couture, True Religion and Seven For All Mankind. But... [k]ids in her class recently instructed her that she was wearing the wrong brands. She should wear Apple Bottoms jeans by the rapper Nelly, they told her, and designer sneakers, such as Air Force 1 by Nike. She came home complaining to her mother that "all the girls want to know if I will ever come to school without being so dressed up."
Meow.
Apparently behavior specialists are becoming alarmed. Girls teasing one another. Calling each other names. Ruining their self-esteem. Something has to be done. Really, you've GOT to read this article. Thank God I only had a son. Guys in middle school would attack him in the locker room, and he'd settle it the old-fashioned way, by cleaning their clocks. Then I'd get a call from school saying he was suspended for three days. I'd go ballistic: "What? You mean Paul's gotta sit there and let some kid beat the crap out of him before one of you bozos show up? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO TELL ME???"
Rather than take the expected slope into a life of crime, Paul is now an honor student at the Art Institute.
I'm SOOO glad I didn't have a daughter. Can you imagine me on the phone? "You mean I have to max out my credit cards buying only original European designs from Neiman-Marcus and NOT from Target so my little Paula doesn't get her eyes scratched out in the lunch room? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO TELL ME???"
You get the idea.
(Photo from online edition of WSJ article. Used without permission or shame.)
.
2 comments:
Oh Boy. I have three daughters, too young to be fashion conscious, though. The school uniform helps a lot, that combined with the fact that they wear jeans and discount store tops for nearly every occasion.
This article scares me, but it angers me more. Much more.
In my schooldays, uniforms were the norm -- perhaps they should be reinstated. But, unfortunately, girls will always find something to be catty about. In my case, it was my family name (non-Irish) and my weight (I was a chubby child). It was tough, and for this reason I too am glad I had sons. Sadly, the tradition continues today -- I'm still chubby and run into a lot of "weight-ism", but that's another story. Females should really learn to retract their claws the way cats do. It's so civilized! Purrr....
Post a Comment