Back to School Shopping – Let’s Not Dress Little Girls like Showgirls or Worse

When I was offered this Guest Post from Ageleke, I read it through and just about fell off my chair,

 I was laughing so hard! You may find yourself thinking of some reality TV stars 
and shaking your head too!

You may remember Ageleke from the post she shared with us about Celebrity Moms back in May!

All mother's of girls (I hope!) will laugh, remember and shudder, thinking of their own experiences in the 'young women's department'- aka the KIDS department! Enjoy!

I remember back-to-school shopping with my mom as clear as any childhood memory.  Like many things from the way back machine, it was a rose-colored PG-rated experience, another thing from America’s kinder, gentle and long-gone past.

My mother and I always shopped at the May Company for my school wardrobe.  Together we’d pick out a couple pair of jeans and pants, couple tops, skirts, a couple of dresses for church and a few pairs of shoes.  It was all relatively basic clothing, no “fashionista” here. My options consisted of what color T-shirts I wanted, as opposed to today’s lipstick wearing little ones.  Though I’m all for letting kids experiment with clothing, buying children's clothes for school has changed dramatically.  The choices can be overwhelming so as a public service I’ve developed some rules to follow when back-to-school shopping, to help steer parents clear from “7 going on 22 Day” at school.

Rule 1: If you find yourself saying "I wish they made that in my size" it's not appropriate for your child. And no, it won't look "cute" if you are both wearing the same outfit; (it's called being a mother, not their contemporary) 

Rule 2:  Just because it's loaded with sparkles and shiny gems doesn’t mean it's okay to wear.  Sparkly, glittery, silver, skintight leggings are not good for anyone, not even a 5 year old; ( or for the 50 year old.....)

Rule 3:  If it looks like something that would fit your kid’s Barbie doll, it's also a NO;

Rule 4: No questionable slogans or logos on clothes.  Do you really want to see a child wearing "Juicy" on her bottom?  I don't want to see an adult wearing "Juicy" on her bottom.  Same holds true for the dreaded "I'm a Flirt" slogan seen on too many T-shirts.  My friend was going to buy this awful T-shirt for her daughter but when the child thought it said "I'm a fart", she opted to put it back on the shelf.  And worse yet? The “Porn Star” brand of t-shirts that come for mom and daughter (Mom’s say “Porn Star”; the daughter’s size shouts out “Porn Star in Training;” (CAN I get an EWWWWWWWWWWW?)

Rule 5: No Daisy Dukes.  You remember those God-awful shorts that Daisy Duke wore on the TV series Dukes of Hazards? Daisy Duke was in her mid-20's when she wore them; ( this is a HUGE pet peeve with me- it has been SO hard to find shorts for a 6 yr old that are NOT Daisy Dukes!) 

Rule 6: Your child's closet should NEVER look like Carrie Bradshaw’s closet; 

Rule 7: Camis and pushup bras are never a good idea for pre-tweens.  But if they are going to wear them, remember, they are UNDERGARMENTS and should be worn UNDER something; (can we start with bad body image any sooner? )

Rule 8: No fishnets. Never, ever, ever, ever.  Unbelievably in a recent visit to a mall, I saw these in hot pink, foot-less tights version, in a size for a six-year old; (uh, unless it's Halloween, all I can say if REALLY???) 

Rule 9: Unless you are going for the Teresa Giudice from the “Real Housewives of New Jersey” look, avoid head-to-toe cheetah print.  This rule holds true for everyone, not just children.  Lilsugar.com had a comment on who should be wearing animal-print: “Everyone from wild girls (gross) to meek-as-a-kitten little ladies.” Hmmmm;

Rule 10:  Just because "everyone else is wearing it" doesn't mean your child should be wearing it.  Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Madonna dress to get attention.  That’s not the kind of attention you want for your child.   You are the parent.  It’s your money and your final decision.  Ultimately it’s your choice how your child dresses; (as someone recently said on BlogHer-'what if the village trying to help me raise my kids are idiots?')

About the Author:

Ageleke Zapis is author of the children’s book, Django Goes to School and A Childless Woman’s Guide to Parenting, where she sets her sights on helping parents rein in their kids… before they take over the planet.  It can be purchased at www.amazon.com