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

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

[Skooz]

Last weekend, we took our 12 year-old daughter to JC Penney to buy her some shirts. My wife spent what seemed like hours (but was probably 45 minutes) going through the Junior's section trying to find something decent.

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.

We would have bought many other shirts if we could have found some sans the "I Am a Young Teen Slut, Do Me Now" messages on them.

[general_re]

Well, my wife is a highly-educated woman, but I don't think handmade is an option for us - mail-order would be helpful.

BTW, nice Pentium there, or is this the two-tin-cans-and-a-string method of internet connections? ;)

[AppyPappy]

We haven't been able to find anything locally. It's all slutwear

[Constantine XIII]

Wal-Mart, Kmart, Yard sales.

Nuff said :p

[fml]

Gotta look hard. She wears boys shorts and looks really cute.(they go to her knees, from Target). Some of her friends now do, too.

[Clara Lou]

Schools used to have dresscodes that prohibited inappropriate clothing.
Hey, you're telling me. When I see a belly-button, I send the student to the principal's office. It's just that, if I don't see that student until 3rd or 4th period, the student is angry because she's been getting away with it until she came to my class, and I'm upset because other teachers are not enforcing the dress code-- or the student has changed clothes between classes. This is a HUGE problem. Some sort of simple school uniform is the answer, but parents are totally against it, no matter how inexpensive to purchase the clothes are that we come up with. In the meantime, the girls look like beginner prostitutes.

[MissouriForBush]

Where are the parents of these dimwit 13-year-olds?

When I was a teenager, my Dad once physically restrained me from walking out the front door of our home because I was wearing a skirt that was too short. And if he or my Mom had EVER caught me wearing something trashy-looking out in public, there would have been HELL for me to pay once I got home.

[Solson]

Yep...a little laptop which runs off the diesel generator we have. As long as I'm not running the auto-lathe or miter saw for my furniture manufacturing or commercial oven for my baked goods, I can fire up the ole laptop.

Is this a problem? I just thought my neighbors were jealous of my productivity...hmmm. :)

[bedolido]

When I was a teenager, my Dad once physically restrained me from walking out the front door of our home because I was wearing a skirt that was too short.

I'm assuming you're a female. (lol)

[CatoRenasci]

My 18-year old daughter wouldn't be caught dead in most of that stuff: although she has thongs, her trousers, jeans, shorts, polo shirts, blouses, skirts and dresses are almost all quite modest. I think she has a few 'sexy' dresses, but nothing I would be embarrassed taking her to a conservative yacht or country club in. Her wardrobe is probably mostly J.Crew, Gap, Patagonia, Lacoste, Polo, and the like. Some Lands End and LL Bean, but their cuts often don't fit her well. She couldn't care less about the brands, but she wouldn't be caught dead looking cheap or sloppy.

Her 15 year old sister, who is hard to fit, has terrrible taste despite our efforts and actually likes some of the slutty stuff. We won't buy it, of course, but odd's and ends (like the t-shirt with 'tasty pastry' across the chest) slip in when we're not looking - oh, well, mom was looing for some t-shirts to convert to dust rags. She's getting better, however. Worst part is she's so label conscious. Used to be mad for Limited Too and Abercrombie. Gag. (I remember when Abercrombie & Fitch were real NYC outfitters) So, we suffer with every shopping trip.

[shotgun]

They probably got their "inspiration" from the movie "so Fine" made in 1981 and obviously ahead of their time..

[MissouriForBush]

Yes I am definitely a female.

But guess what -- right now I am in Germany where it is currently "in" among certain sloppy, multiply-pierced young males to wear skirts -- either sarong or wraparound. I am not making this up! And these guys have U-G-L-Y, wimpy thin legs.

As far as I am concerned, the manly Scottish kilt is the only "macho" skirt of choice!

[Paradox]

She calls it "display behavior" and stresses that it is "completely natural."

So is rape.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Well it hasn't stopped at teens, just look at the clothes for elementary kids that are out there. It's very hard to dress a 6 year old in "normal" clothes anymore.

Tell me about it. There are stores like Factory 2U where I started school clothes shopping for my soon to be 9 year old. I found embroidered gauze tops for 2.97 each, a short sleeved, plain black tee shirt for 2.97, and a nice (hopefully not hip hugger)jeans that are embroidered. Also a modest plaid sundress with matching kerchief for 5.97. There is a place called Susie's factory direct (nationwide locations, I believe) where everything is 5 bucks. If you sift through the sleaze and pleather, you can find quality, name brand merchandise; they cater mostly to women and children, but I found sweaters for men at Christmas. You just have to keep an eye out and hunt for clothes that are suitable.

[bedolido]

I am not making this up! And these guys have U-G-L-Y, wimpy thin legs.

I was kidding... this is sick stuff. gender-neutralism. What's next, boys wearing pads and pad-belts (yes, that's what I mean)

[Darksheare]

Welcome to my world.
I'm shocked and dismayed that women these days are being brainwashed into thinking that dressing like a prostitute doesn't make them look cheap and easy.
As well as being brainwashed into thinkng that if a man holds a door open for them he's sexually harrassing them.
And being told that it's okay to have casual sex for no reason other than to do it because you can. (The logic behind that can be used to exciuse almost any evil act as well. "Why'd you kill him?" 'Because I could.' etc etc.)

The feminist movement has done more to harm women than any man has done.

[Quilla]

As far as I am concerned, the manly Scottish kilt is the only "macho" skirt of choice!

I'll second that!

[Erik Latranyi]

LandsEnd and LL Bean are great brands! 2 of the few that still make "normal" clothing. I've taught 2nd grade for the past 13 years. For the past 5 years I've seen my female students (8 and 9 years old) dress more and more provocatively. When the mothers show up for conferences, I finally understand. The moms are dressed the same way. My husband and I have even seen this at church. A young mother and her teenage daughter are wearing strapless sundresses that barely cover their butts. Mom can't control herself when she talks about how pretty her daughter looks! Please! This particular trend has definitely become out of hand.

[MissouriForBush]

I agree with you -- it is sick stuff. But spend enough time in Germany and you will find that most of the men here are wimps (at least compared to the men in my family) and most of the women are literally as tough as nails. And the vast majority of all Germans worship the Clintons.

The teen-slut look is equally popular with German girls and women of all ages over here, along with see-through tops that totally reveal their bras. Plus they all seem to use a fake red hair dye that does not look flattering on any of them. And once you have seen the teen-slut look on a bunch of 60-year-old German women, you may really wish the "Fashion Police" existed!

[philosofy123]

How do you fight the constant campaign of TV commercials? How do you convince a little girl that her dady is not a nerd?