Moms Talk Addresses Dress Code for Young Girls

This week's Mom's Talk inquiry: How do I talk to my girl(s) about what to wear in public?

When you enter an Abercrombie & Fitch store you are bombarded with bigger than life photos of bare-chested young men and scantily clad young women, often together and touching in the same poster. It seems that the low-cut, the tight and the short have hit extremes and are the "IT" of teen fashion. A perfect petrie dish in which to observe this trend is at where many skirts barely cover the derriere, and strapless is the norm. But that is high school. 

It is not unusual for such trends to trickle down to the middle school-aged kids, who are starting to shop at trendier stores and view more cable television where the shocking is what sells, whether it's fashion, language or "reality" conduct. There is a dress code at the public middle school on Mercer Island, but enforcement in this area might require one more FTE (full time employee). The girls, who are ahead of the boys in this arena, drive this train. Boys are still wearing (and will continue for quite some time) t-shirts, basketball shorts, no-see-um sox and on high fashion days, jeans.

Some concerned  parents think the sexually suggestive has trickled down dangerously far, even to elementary-aged kids. Are kids at this age more aware of boy-girl relationships than ever before? Are they wearing suggestive outfits? Do you think it's due to media coverage like MTV? Reality shows? Even Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel seems to expose younger kids to sexuality.

Let us know what you think!