When has a teenager gone too far when it comes to self expression? Is it possible for a teenager to step over the line or should a teen be able to express themselves however they wish? These are questions I have been thinking about lately.
Last Monday I treated my now 13-year-old daughter to a trip to the mall. I did a lot of reminiscing, particularly when we were sitting in the food court. I spent a good deal of time just observing the people around me.
The mall is filled with teenagers. I remember hanging out there when I was a teenager. Looking at some of their styles and mannerisms, I thought back to my days in the 80’s. I went through a Madonna phase and then a punk rocker phase. At one point I also had the very high hair and wore the typical fashions from that era. I remember my parents thinking I had lost it.
My daughter has begun to develop her own style, her own self expression. She loves to wear these very funky socks with her Capri pants. These socks are knee-high and come in all kinds of crazy designs. She picked out a new pair at the mall that looks like Converse shoes. I have to admit, they look cute on her. I would never wear them myself but they are definitely her.
Then she bought these strange gloves. The finger part of the glove is open and there is only a hole for your thumb to go through. I thought they looked ridiculous. I told her it reminded me of Michael Jackson gloves and that she was not going to wear those in public. But after further discussion, I gave in. I remembered being told the same thing by my parents, that I looked ridiculous. I probably did but hey, I ended up turning out okay.
Honestly her self expression isn’t too over the top. At one point when I was sitting in the food court observing the teenagers, I saw one particular girl who was wearing one of the strangest outfits I have ever seen. She had on these black knee high socks and black shoes. Then she wore an almost tutu-looking skirt that was, in my opinion, too short. She had a lot of jewelry on and heavy makeup. I wasn’t sure what you called that look but she was definitely self expressing.
I guess there are some things I would put my foot down about. However, is that because I think self expression has gone too far or it’s just not my taste? It is something I have been thinking about. So now I’m wondering, when does self expression go too far?
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