Teengers get influenced not only in relationship but also in fashion. Both boys and girls have their ways of showing off when it comes to trending style. It is good as a parent to understand that this is stage but should be controlled in a friendly manner.
There was a time when the concept of fashion was only relevant on special occasions. Though, it would be pointless to compare the present generation with past generation, but there is a vast difference between the present and the older generation. Fashion is the key word for today’s teenagers. Fashion is everywhere, in fact, fashion has grabbed school going students under its spell as well. The bags they carry, the watches they wear and the way they carry themselves involves so much of fashion.
The teenagers seem to be more fashionable than the adults now. In fact they can be good trendsetters themselves. There are many teens who invent their own styles and aim to become an icon among their groups.
Earlier, fashion used to be found only among the affluent class of people, but now the times have changed. Now, class doesn’t matter on the road to becoming fashionable. In fact, everybody is fashionable these days. We can hardly see anyone on the streets who isn’t fashion conscious.
One of the many factors responsible for the spread and the craze of fashion among people is the Television. Fashion or “style” can be called contagious because people get influenced by one who already is fashion conscious. Being fashion conscious not only makes you popular among your folks but also upgrades your confidence level.
Teenagers are so much focused on fashion that they don’t get sufficient time for other work. Instead of reading textbooks they prefer to read fashion magazines. They try hard to imitate the models. The time they ought to spend in their studies, they spend in watching programmes on TV, reading fashion articles or finding the recent trendy clothes on the web. Other things that influence them are:
1. Peer Pressure
Peer pressure largely affects a teenager’s daily choices on matters like alcohol and drug abuse, fashion and style, the kind of friends one has, as well as academic performance. Peer pressure can either be good or bad.
Research has shown that teenagers will dress in a particular way to stave off mocking and humiliation from peers. They feel that if they dress in inappropriate clothes they could end up losing their friends. You will notice that teenagers will go shopping together or ask for advice on how to dress up for an event, say, a birthday party.
A majority of teenagers are influenced by people around them because they feel that they somehow need to fit in. Duplicating the fashion around them gives them a sense of belonging in today’s world. Teenagers use fashion to keep friendships and bolster their self-esteem by “mirroring”. More often than not, adolescents will dress alike because this provides a sense of affirmation and a sense of belonging to a peer group.
2. Body Image
This issue mostly affects teenage girls. The media and magazines influence, in some way, on a girl’s physical look. For instance, when a skinny model is on the cover of a magazine, the teen will do whatever it takes just to look like them. This has resulted in many lifestyle changes amongst teenage girls and unhealthy approaches such as eating disorders.
Along with their peers, the internet also influences a teenager’s body image issues. Comparing oneself to what you see on the internet can negatively impact body image which is closely related to fashion and style.
3. Media and Magazines
Teenagers use magazines and media to evaluate what the upcoming trends are so that they may know exactly what to buy and what not to buy. Fashion shows/ magazines play a huge role in affecting a teenager’s lifestyle and sense of style as most of them buy clothes after looking through the latest magazines. These magazines affect, in a large way, the selection of a teenager’s clothes.
Most fashion magazines target teenagers, particularly girls. The magazines will put popular celebrities dressed in fancy clothes on the cover to attract the young girls. You will hear her say, “Oh look who it is. I totally have to get that outfit”. These magazines then endorse the stores and companies there the celebrities buy their trendy and latest styles.
4. Celebrities
Teenagers will idolize the celebrities that they love. They look up to them for some fashion inspiration. When the teenager sees their favorite celebrity dressed in something that they love, they will go and buy the exact same outfit just to look like them. They will then show off the clothes to their friends.
Teenagers watch all types of reality shows to try and keep up with favorite celebrities’ style. They will even look up to the celebrities for hairstyle ideas. Basically, teenagers discover themselves through external stimuli. Celebrities provide the external basis from which the teenagers will benchmark their opinions, thoughts, and associations.
Even though celebrities may not explicitly try to persuade their audience to go with a particular flow, they subconsciously alter their audience’s ideologies. Once a celebrity publicly endorses a piece of clothing, this creates societal acceptance and has a positive impact on the overall brand image.
5. Designer Brands
The adolescents are preoccupied with social acceptance and coolness associated with the clothes they wear. For this reason, teenagers will exhibit a more brand-oriented decision when they go shopping. Most teenagers will go shopping at stores where they sell quality high-end designer clothes.
When teenagers do not have the money to shop at the high-end stores for designer clothes, they get stressed up. They feel that since they cannot afford the clothes they will not look good, and they will not fit in. This is where parents should come in and offer guidance accordingly as this may make the teenagers do crazy things just to try to fit in her or his world.
Unlike earlier times, now the teenagers do not go out with their parents on weekends, rather they plan their outings with their friends. For most of them the prime zones for outings have now become malls because they can do a lot of shopping there in addition to having fun.
There were times when children used to dream of becoming scientists, doctors, engineers or even teachers, but the priority and taste of the children has changed. Most of them desire to be into the glamour world. They find the fashion world better than any other job. In fact, one who is not fashion conscious doesn’t get much importance. One who looks trendy in the first appearance takes away all the limelight.
But it is the duty and responsibility of the parents to keep a watch over their children. They should know whether their children are using most of their time on fashion or their studies. Too much of information regarding recent trends and styles block the minds of the children and distract them from their studies. It’s good to keep yourself updated with fashion but if it interferes in your academic performance, it should be avoided.
Parents should be watchful on the fashion their teens are craving for to make sure their morals and values are not compromised. The should give guidance and support where necessary as this will avoid conflict with the teenagers as they try to identify themselves in the fashion world.
Do you have something you have experienced on teenagers and fashion as you raise them? Feel free to keep the discussion on as you leave a comment.
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