Jerome: First draft of my article

Teen Fashion

Fashion is a term that applies to a person who wears clothes that are seemed to be trendy at the time. Teen fashion is a fast moving category that is often criticised by the ‘oldies’. Over the few months Step Up had noticed that fashion has become more than just track suites and trainers but different ways for us teens to look unique and fit in with our ‘own people’. Research shows that the percentage of tracksuits purchased by teens has decreased by a major 36%, as nowadays jeans is a major trend for teens, we believe that our generation of teenagers are becoming more mature therefore dressing like adults. ‘Instead of shopping for clothes or shopping for garments it is now shopping
for garmz’.

If you think teen fashion is just clothes, the your wrong, these days ‘fashion is like an art’ and we are looking for more and more ways to ‘drop’ with colour co-ordination, hats, bandannas, name brands, chains, gloves, laces, belts and bags. Even in schools we change the dress code by making ties shorter, school trouser baggy, jewellery, and black trainers. But why? It all comes down to feeling rebellious. We all remember those non uniform days when weeks before we would rush to the nearest JD, H & M, Footlocker, and TK Max. It is still about the way we ‘dress to impress’. We seem to get a buzz out of the word ‘exclusive’, highly priced clothes that will never be worn by anyone else apart from you. You’ll truly be in a ‘league of your own’. Right now Adidas, combat trousers, striped casual jumpers, and dark navy blue jeans are at the top of the hit list in teen fashion. How do we know this? Well, look around you. Although there is a very narrow choice of today’s fashion we are still unique from one another as ‘it is not about what we wear, it is how we wear it’.

Many strongly agree and say that music tends to influence fashion; ‘we watch our favourite music stars on the TV and want to dress just like them’. For example baggy Jeans worn below the waist is now a major fashion trend called ‘Low Batts’ this was originated from hip hop. Due to the rise of Eminem hair had a major impact on fashion. At one stage nearly every kid out there had bright blonde hair. Remember that? Heavy Metal fashion is another example with the leather jackets, hi-top basketball shoes, spiked wristbands, chains and long black hair. During an interview a source told us that ‘music plays a huge part in how people dress. First there are the punk kids who like punk music. And then there are the emo kids who like emo music. And then the ghetto kids who like ghetto music’. Well you can’t argue with that theory it’s fairly simple. Music influences fashion a lot. If someone listened to hardcore screamo, they wouldnt exactly be wearing the casual jeans and T-shirt look, you know? music is influenced by fashion because if you wear ripped jeans and chucks and band shirts, no one would think you listen to like.. Kelly Clarkson or anything. Although looks can be deceiving as i've seen some people i would never expect listen to mainstream rock. But of course, not everyone dresses about the music

There are many good sides to our unique adaptations to fashion but others disagree. I had arranged an interview with someone who finds teen fashion ‘absolutely outrageous’. She feels that ‘Teen fashion is becoming more of a block to individuals real identity and their type of fashion forces them to live up to the group they are in. For example hats, hoods, and bandannas manipulate teens into being thugs. Spikes, chains, black hair and black clothing force us into being devil worshipers’. This was an interesting statement but obviously stereotypical toward us teens. So to balance the argument I arranged another interview with, 16 year old Nabiel Malik, a young teen who is interested in fashion. He believes that ‘teenagers change fashion to personalise how they look so every one is unique, even the slightest change like wearing your baseball cap sideways is important. If not then every one would look the same just like wearing school uniform. And our fashion is ours so we can do what we like’ during the interview I brought up the issue about hats, hoods and bandanas, nodding his head he replied ‘hoods, hats and bandanas are a common stereotypical point, everyone thinks that because we wear these things we are doing it for an illegal reason. Okay a few people do it to gain respect because their intimidating, but I think that’s stupid and they themselves are forced to do that not because of what clothes there wearing, but how they were brought up and they just abuse fashion’. I then accused him of being a hypocrite as he was wearing a hood himself during the interview, smiling he said ‘Personally I do it to keep to my self and it makes me feel more comfortable around different people, it sounds kind of stupid but I use it as a barrier’. Fair enough hey.

Moving along swiftly both interviews shared strong views of teen fashion. I decided to focus on another area of fashion so I had arranged an interview with 17 year old Jennifer. A very attractive girl and knowing she is interested in boys, I asked a few questions on her views of teenaged boy’s fashion. Jennifer confidently sitting upright replies ‘All girls love boys who can dress, I mean who would like to go out with a boy who has no colour co-ordination or anything. Ergh! That is a total put down!’ As the interview progressed she made it quite clear that girls are totally flattered by boy who are fashionable and not just into tracksuits. She believes that’s ‘old school’. So boys if you are looking to get a pretty girl like Jennifer I suggest you ‘Get in touch with your feminine side’ ASAP!

There are all types of teen fashion, casual, street, gothic, Indie, and rock and punk. All are bold statements to represent us as individuals. Fashion is more than clothing; it is art and a personal mode of expression.