Parents of teenagers are isolated, anxious and feel that the teen years are the hardest time to be a Mum or Dad, says a recent report on the family. And no more so, than when it comes to fashion.
| If you dress like a tramp you're not exactly going to be with the best crowd. |
Children's Express was recently invited to contribute to a report on teenagers and their rules for the BBC Woman's Hour programme. Below is the transcript from the broadcast:
Adults believe teens today are far to obsessed with fashion and the way they look, but can you honestly say you don't care about the way you look?
Perhaps you've been wishing you could shed a few extra pounds before the summer holidays, maybe you were late for work this morning because you couldn't decide what to wear.
Do you spend hours in front of the mirror before a night out, when did you start feeling and behaving that way? Probably when you were a teenager!
My name's Natasha Reddy, I'm 16 years old, I'm standing in Oxford Street, London. I'm here to find out the truth about what fashion means to teens.
If you had to describe your style how would you describe it?
"It's like a ghetto style".
"It's kind of gangster".
Do you dress to fit in or do you dress to make a statement and stand out?
"I dress how I want to dress, and it usually stands out but it's just how I feel comfortable."
"I think I dress to fit in with everyone else."
Despite the size of stores, it's not surprising that this is a common occurrence among friends. Friendship groups generally dress the same because you are judged initially on the way you look:
"I don't normally dress like this, I'm normally in trainers and tracky bottoms or Timberlands and jeans, sometimes Fred Perry and things."
"With the people I hang out with, like a gang, like a clique, if you wear something fake, you get picked on. So you've got to keep yourself real."
So you think the way someone dresses is important to which group they're going to fit into?
"Yeah, cause if you dress like a tramp you're not exactly going to be with the best crowd."
I know a girl who moved into a new school and she had problems fitting in and finding friends. She started to change her style from boot cut jeans and vest tops to baggy jeans, with skulls on them, with tops that read 'Rebel'.
When she made the changes she felt more confident in that environment. But it's hard to change your style when the people around you think they know you and know how you dress. You could be accused of copying or trying too hard to be different and you could end up changing your friends all together.
How important is the way you look to you?
"Quite important."
"Pretty important. It's probably the different between getting beaten up and living."
About the team
This story was produced by Natasha Reddy, 16. It was published by BBC Woman's Hour programme.
