The Perils of Peekaboo America's teen peep show: Has 'slutware' gone too far?

SF Chronicle ^ | Sunday, July 27, 2003 | J.A. Getzlaff

[presidio9]

On a bustling Saturday afternoon a silent, generational war started at Abercrombie & Fitch, the teen retail clothing store in the San Francisco Shopping Centre, an urban mall at Market and Fifth streets.

A girl of maybe 15, wearing braces and hip-hugger jeans, fingered a shrunken, see-through T-shirt that coyly advertised "Hottie Brand Cocoa." Her mother, noting her daughter's interest, eyeballed the stack of shirts and grimaced. She moved purposefully on, but her daughter lingered, hope in her eyes. After a minute, she gave up.

[Darksheare]

*Chuckle*

[general_re]

The old reverse-psychology gig...I like it.

"Come on over here, kids - we need to talk. I know that all the 'cool' kids are wearing Amish-style clothes these days, and it seems like something that you want to be a part of. But let me tell you, I will not have that kind of behavior in my house. That kind of thing will not be tolerated so long as you are under my roof - if I ever catch you wearing Amish clothes, you'll be in serious trouble. Do I make myself clear, young lady?"

Yeah, that'll do it. You'll see the hip-hoppers on MTV dressing all Amish-like before you know it...

:^)

[general_re]

I dunno - there's an awful lot of ankle showing in that one... ;)

[LibertarianLiz]

She came out with one nice shirt. Literally everything else had some vile message on it. It was absurd. She actually complained to the manager, who told her that Penney had to compete with the other stores in the mall and that was their way of doing it.

I had the same experience at JCP's right after Christmas with my 15 year old daughter. I will allow a hip-hugger if it is JUST below the belly-button. However, all the pants she tried on were JUST above the pubic hair line. I said no. Finally, she came out of the dressing room, and I asked if she didn't like the last pair of pants. She said, "you wouldn't let me get them anyway".

I also complained as I checked out (with a tunic top we had found) to the cashier about the clothes. She said she got a lot of complaints from parents and that she had heard the styles were going to be more conservative in the coming season. Well, I have yet to see that, the clothing still having that slutty, skanky look to them.

Last week I walked past a young womens clothing store and on a manican in the front window was an extremely tight, short t-shirt with a sparkly 69 emblazoned on it.

[Darksheare]

Heck, I'm "only 28" and I get people far older than I asking me "Just how old are you?" at times.

So running into someone in the plus/minus bracket of my age group who says the same thing as you did is extremely rare!
I read far too much and far too often for the brainwashing to take hold. In fifth grade I wa reading about Stalin and his purges. So I always had some politics in everything I did back then. Now, I pretty much wander about and see what's going on, and how I can add a different view to it than the norm.
(It's hysterical to go to the local artist convention and mention that I am a Republican. Needless to say, I am a bit of a pariah among my local artist 'peers'. Only a handful of them actually thhnk it's cool and refreshing to have a Republican 'in house' so to speak.)

Ah yes, the "You said I cannot do WHAT?!" stage of youth. I honestly miss it, because along with it was the energy of youth and the ability to withstand bouncing one's self off of objects and recovering quickly from it!

I've seen the sheeple principle at work in many places where one would think it shouldn't be. Like in a church.
Instead of doing the right thing and condemning the wrongdoing, they are quick to embrace it and condone it. And then condemn the person in the right instead. Happens almost everywhere as well, this being only a paltry example.

Sorry about pointing out our relative youth, but we are somewhat of an anomaly of a sorts.

I'll let your eyes go, laters.

[putupon]

Uniforms are the ONLY way to go!

Agreed.

[Xenalyte]

My little brother went to Sam - he LOVED it there. Any questions about H-town, send 'em my way - I was born here and have lived here all my life, except for my kindergarten year. I'm about the only native I know who actually likes Houston.

[Xenalyte]

I would totally don that ensemble.

[Katya]

For 100 percent cotton childrens clothes in fun patterns and colors, that don't hamper a childs movements...try http://www.HannahAnderson.com.

Obviously there are enough morons that will buy the crap available. For my youngest who's a girl, I shopped jeans in the boys department....the jeans are better made to withstand what a kid puts them through, and they're definitely not low rise.

[wideminded]

My son used to wear a lot of Abercrombie stuff. To me the most shocking thing about this store (besides the prices), is that their ads and catalogs seem to be intended to appeal to gay males. These show lots of muscular, partially nude, male teens, and only a few inconspicuous women. Maybe this is due to the preferences of the people that run the company.

[Darksheare]

Did you see the victorian suit that Trent Reznor wore in teh video for 'The Pefect Drug'?
I wish I had something like it...

[apackof2]

care to revise that statement about low-lifes?

No, because your tatoos are the exception and not the rule

Also even though they are patriotic you may fell differently about tatoos when your fifty

[apackof2]

Dang lowlife sailors.

Sorry, should have made an exception for the military man.
Where an arm tatto with "MOM" is a tradition!

[apackof2]

Ones body art is not indicative of their moral standing.

You miss the point, no it is not always indicative of one's moral standing.
Its indicative of something that once was considered low class now being mainstream, like dressing like a slut or homosexual TV programs or abortion
What was once called tattoos is now called "body art"

You may feel differently about your "body art" at fifty

[Xenalyte]

Hmmm . . . I did not. I shall investigate.

[Darksheare]

It's an interesting ensemble.
He almost looks human.
But the suit is quite nice.

[Travis McGee]

I think a decent surgeon would do it on his office table in no time.

[Darksheare]

Probably, but they might freak due to it being so close to tendons, muscle, and veins.
5.5 inches down my forearm from the base of my hand, and .25 of an inch to the right of center on my forearm.
When it happened, I bled like anything.
I pulled the point out of my arm, it had snapped off, but there was still alot left in there.
The school nurse passed out after pouring hydroperox on it, so I fished around in the hole with tweezers after the rest of it, never did get all of it. There's a small hard lump somewhat deeper into my arm under the scar.
Stained grey from the pencil as well!

[Travis McGee]

I think you should have it taken out in real surgery then. Maybe it will sit there forever, or maybe something will disturb it, and you end up losing your hand in a wicked infection.

I'm no doctor, just my ramblings.

[Darksheare]

I know, sometimes it tingles, sometimes it itches.
It's been there for roughly 17 years or so.
I do fear it, and try to keep an eye on it.
Most docs I've asked about it have said, "don't worry about it."

I worry.
It's the old empire #2 pencil core that melted at low temp.
Kinda makes me slightly nervy there.
Usually I leave it alone.