Fashion in the Past
Back in 2015, I was a fifth grader who loved buying clothes at Justice. Cody Simpson’s “Pretty Brown Eyes” music video played on the TVs while I went through racks of shirts filled with neon crop tops, puns and glitter.
Fashion brands kept children in their youth because their items were designed for young girls and those approaching their pre teens. Girls were not influenced by social media platforms because influencers only shared lifestyle videos or clothing halls. Teenage influencers like RCLBeauty101, Alisha Marie and LaurDIY kept their videos innocent, lighthearted and overly saturated to maintain the look of perfection. Even if young girls wanted to be like the influencers they saw on Youtube, they could not shop at the same stores because the stores only carried sizes for women, not girls.
Girls wanted to age but society didn’t allow them to; however, eight years later that has changed.
Fashion Now
Girls today can go to Abercrombie or American Eagle and buy the same clothes as someone 10 years older than them. Brands put out mature clothing and do not create for younger girls anymore. Justice went out of business while some stores like Pink have rebranded into mature brands. Young girls are left to be influenced and purchase clothes promoted by older teenage girls.
How did this Happen?
This proposes two questions: Are brands the ones to blame for making it harder for young girls to access age-appropriate clothing? Or social media for influencing young girls to dress maturely?
Forbes said in a recent article, “Consumers seek honesty and rely on other sources such as influencers when it comes to making buying decisions.” Girls’ access to social media allows them to dress like the trends they see to blend in with society.
Melissa Martino, a middle school teacher for over 10 years and mother of two pre-teen children, talked about what she has observed in youth fashion today. Martino said “girls see people they look up to dressing a certain way and want to buy what they have.” Whereas eight years ago girls would simply wear what their parents bought them.
Not only are female youth style choices affected but so is their confidence.
Martino said, “They try to emulate the girl they see wearing it but do not look the same as them and get upset.” This is because there is not a store out there specifically for this age group anymore, so they buy clothes meant for adults. She said, “The cuts of clothing make it difficult for all body types, especially at this younger age where they aren’t developed and stores are making clothes for girls a lot older.” She also mentioned she sees a gap for those who cannot fit in kids or adults clothes. The combination of clothing no longer created for the pre-teen group and social media has made it difficult for young girls and surely their parents.
Conclusions
In the future, there should be more authentic representation in advertising to eliminate the negative feelings girls feel when wearing clothes for women who do not look the same. This could mean having younger models or different body types representing the clothing. Brands are aware of their age demographic and should be more mindful of it when they advertise their clothing.
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