Questions about clothing for teenagers

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Questions about clothing for teenagers

Posted: 7/12/2002 6:23:09 PM EDT

Bendover's post about his nephew being over this weekend reminded me of this. Some of my sister's kids are in high school and junior high now. As a childless uncle I get the fun of spoiling them at Christmas-but this year for the first time I got a lot of requests for clothes. That's okay w/ me, but the stuff they want is expensive (read that OVERPRICED!!) for casual clothes and they have to be certain "cool" brand names i.e. Abercrombie and Fitch etc. I don't mind spending the money on the kids for attractive and well made clothes, but pre-ripped ball caps and $ 30 t-shirts? [shock]

I like spending money on the kids and like them to be happy, but I don't approve of this infatuation with expensive name brand clothes. They do live in a fairly well off suburb and I guess there is a real status symbol issue at school where the kids are judged by the name brand clothes they wear.

I remember being that age and the importance of being accepted, but I don't want them to fall into thinking that they need certain "stuff" to be happy, which I think leads to being in debt later in life. Am I turning into a stuffy old fart who forgets that "levis" were cool at 16 and "wranglers" weren't (guess which I wear now tho [:D]) or do I have a point? I don't really know a good way to get this across to them w/o seeming like a scrooge.

Posted: 7/12/2002 6:29:43 PM EDT

[#1]

I always wore Wranglers (they WERE cool, in my HS) ever since I had a choice (read: a job) about what I wore.
I wish Wranglers were seen as appropriate professional attire. [:D]

Posted: 7/12/2002 10:39:58 PM EDT

[#2]

I agree with you about the lunacy of over priced, slave labor produced, name brand clothes. Unfortunately, that's not to say that I don't wear those kinds of clothes, but luckily I have always known people who work in those stores so I never pay full price. [:)]

My suggestion is to give them all a gift certificate to their favorite store. Something like $50 or so (though that would basically only buy one atricle of clothing) sounds reasonable. I think this is your best bet, and it saves you the hassle of having to go into those stores (ugh) and picking something out, worrying if they'll like it.

Posted: 7/12/2002 11:14:50 PM EDT

[#3]

And to think I had this discussion with one of the baggy pants underwear showing too large backwards ballcap wearing 18 year old white guy that work for me.

Me: "What the fuck are you wearing?"
18: "Chill, iz FUBU."
Me: "FUBAR?"
18: "F U B U"
Me: "What is a FUBU?"
18: "For Us By Us, old guy."
Me: What does that mean?"
18: "Iz clothes designed by hip-hoppers for urban gear wearing people."
ME: "I though you guys didn't like name stuff, Tommy, Crew, DNKN, you wanted to make a statement."
18: "I iz, I am wearing the fly shiiiznet. Old guy, you don't get it. This was made by brothers for brothers and there ain't no old white guys getting rich off of it."
Me: "Oh yea, who loaned the money to FUBU to go public? Who grows the cotton or runs the plastics plants to make the fabric? Who owns the textile manufacturing plants? Who owns the trucking companies? Who owns the magazines, the radio stations, the TV stations, cable, the advertising firms? What about the stores where it is sold? Who is giving their under 18 year old white kids the money to buy this shit?"
18: (scratches his head) "Huh?"
Me: "Figures."

Hehehe, another bubble burst!

Posted: 7/12/2002 11:27:03 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
And to think I had this discussion with one of the baggy pants underwear showing too large backwards ballcap wearing 18 year old white guy that work for me.

Me: "What the fuck are you wearing?"
18: "Chill, iz FUBU."
Me: "FUBAR?"
18: "F U B U"
Me: "What is a FUBU?"
18: "For Us By Us, old guy."
Me: What does that mean?"
18: "Iz clothes designed by hip-hoppers for urban gear wearing people."
ME: "I though you guys didn't like name stuff, Tommy, Crew, DNKN, you wanted to make a statement."
18: "I iz, I am wearing the fly shiiiznet. Old guy, you don't get it. This was made by brothers for brothers and there ain't no old white guys getting rich off of it."
Me: "Oh yea, who loaned the money to FUBU to go public? Who grows the cotton or runs the plastics plants to make the fabric? Who owns the textile manufacturing plants? Who owns the trucking companies? Who owns the magazines, the radio stations, the TV stations, cable, the advertising firms? What about the stores where it is sold? Who is giving their under 18 year old white kids the money to buy this shit?"
18: (scratches his head) "Huh?"
Me: "Figures."

Hehehe, another bubble burst!

View Quote

We have had a problems afew times,but that is some funny shit there.[:D]

Posted: 7/12/2002 11:37:56 PM EDT

[#5]

USNJoe- all too funny, all too true...

thats why when there are little Hanks running around, they will know the joys of BDUs and ripstop!

Posted: 7/14/2002 12:20:38 AM EDT

[#6]

Take them to the mall and let them get those hot-pink bare-midriff tee-shirts that have "SLUT" written over the tits in red glitter.

Posted: 7/14/2002 12:25:40 AM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
Take them to the mall and let them get those hot-pink bare-midriff tee-shirts that have "SLUT" written over the tits in red glitter.

View Quote

YEAH!!! I LIKE THEM GIRLIES!!!!!!!![:P]

Posted: 7/14/2002 12:30:10 AM EDT

[#8]

Heh..

When I was in HS, Levis jeans (since I liked the fit better than ... brand) and a plain T-shirt or sweatshirt (weather dependant) sufficed for me (still do)...

Of course, I never really cared that much, so long as it fit...

My sister, on the other hand, was (is) a clothes horse (with an emphasis on the overpriced kind)... Never understood that (still don't, so she rags on me for my 'overpriced hick car' ('91 Firebird), and I (used to) bug her about her clothes habit)...

Posted: 7/14/2002 12:30:32 AM EDT

[#9]

Route 66.

Kmart brand.

Good stuff for cheap. If they are pretentious little shits, just use a razor blade to cut out the tags. Of course, I was never the trandy type, not that it mattered considering I went to a military school in high school. When they get to college they will buy shit for cheap and appreciate it, believe me.

Posted: 7/14/2002 1:36:02 AM EDT

[#10]

Purchase the guys some BDU pants or shorts in a nice solid eartht tone color and a nice t shirt of the gun mfgr of their choice

Purchase the girls some super koochie cutter camo shorts (may depend on weight and age... nah, just weight) and a nice baby doll or spaghetti strap top depending on size of breasts.

Posted: 7/14/2002 1:44:00 AM EDT

[#11]

Now this shit is why the military requires the same haircuts and clothing! It's sad that kids have to buy this crap just to keep from being ridiculed by their friends. But that is why they want it. They feel this is what it takes to be accepted and cool. My choice of clothing is still sleeveless t-shirts and BDU pants or Levi's when I can wear them. At work I will bother putting on a Polo shirt and perhaps a pair of dress pants, but damn I hate to. LOL.

Posted: 7/14/2002 5:14:32 AM EDT

[#12]

Just buy em the damn clothes and quit being cheap. If they just get one shirt from A&F instead of 10 from K-Mart then that is what they get. If you got out and buy them something that they don't like, then it will never get worn and will be a bigger waste of your money than if you had bought them what they wanted.

Posted: 7/14/2002 5:34:32 AM EDT

[#13]

Try explaining to them what a "herd mentality" is. Let them know, that "who you are" isn't what you wear, drive, earn, or material "accomplishments".......

Posted: 7/14/2002 1:02:40 PM EDT

[#14]

They're still kids, buy them what they want. In a few years, they'll learn the value of a dollar better when they're the ones earning it. You'll never get that point through to them at their current age. Once its their own sweat and hard work earning their money, they'll quickly come to the realization that the only difference between the plain $3 Haynes T-shirt and the $30 CK T-shirt is their hard earned $27 in Calvin Klien's pocket.

Posted: 7/14/2002 1:45:05 PM EDT

[#15]

Greetings,

FUBU

Farmers Useta' Beat Us

14/88

ktmhk53

Posted: 7/14/2002 7:10:33 PM EDT

[#16]

If they're smart kids - just tell 'em what's up!

Zachary, my 11 year old, will be shopping with me and he'll say something like "that's cool, but it costs too much - that price is crazy". [:D]

ripstop all the way, Hank!

Posted: 7/14/2002 11:26:20 PM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
Take them to the mall and let them get those hot-pink bare-midriff tee-shirts that have "SLUT" written over the tits in red glitter.

View Quote

Where can I see these shirts being worn??????

Posted: 7/14/2002 11:53:49 PM EDT

[#18]

Whenever I think about teen fashions, I'm reminded of the [url=www.despair.com/connot.html]Despair.com[/url] statement on conformity: "When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other."

Posted: 7/15/2002 5:04:06 AM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Take them to the mall and let them get those hot-pink bare-midriff tee-shirts that have "SLUT" written over the tits in red glitter.

View Quote

Where can I see these shirts being worn??????

View Quote

Maggie Moos at Greenhills Mall

Posted: 7/15/2002 5:15:00 AM EDT

[#20]

My 26 year old son wears clothes courtsey of his Uncle Sam. My 19 year old daughter wears jeans and tee shirts (she gets them in yard sales and consignment shops). My youngest daughter 16 makes a lot of her own stuff. They hate to spend the money.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Questions about clothing for teenagers

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