I will preface this post by readily admitting that I'm not into fashion. I'm probably a prime candidate for the television show What Not to Wear. I've got clothes in my closet that date back to 2004 or later. I rather watch paint dry that go jean shopping. Jean shopping almost rates up there with bathing suit shopping. (However, I did have a great experience this year replacing my 10 year old bathing suit this year, but that is neither here nor there so back to my point). So I may be called a prude or a fuddy duddy when it comes to my take on this subject: skinny jeans for toddlers.
Browsing through The Daily Beast this morning, I came across this article in the Wall Street Journal about toddlers cramming themselves as well as their diapers into skinny jeans. Not only did I roll my eyes when I read the article, but I became intensely annoyed. In this social networking and reality television watching world where instant gratification trumps common courtesy (and sometimes decency), I don't know why we as a society continue to allow outside forces erode our children's childhoods. I sometimes wonder if childhood lasts beyond kindergarten.
Sounds harsh? Maybe. But since becoming a parent, one thing I've become keenly aware of is the commercialization of childhood. For whatever reason unknown to me, society is in a real hurry for our kids to grow up. Don't play on the slides or in the sandbox, kids! Run past go and collect your $200 so you can spend it in the mall!
One day standing in the check out at the grocery store, I spotted a six year old who was dressed to the nines in a very trendy and fashionable outfit, an ensemble better than any of the clothes in my own closet. I was amazed and in awe that this child was so fashionable, while I have a difficult time putting together a simple jeans and a T-shirt combination. What I see at the mall keeps me up at night: tweens dressed in outfits, in my opinion, are inappropriate. I can hear my mom's voice shout in my head: those short shorts are way too short! And I'm not even going to comment on the tightness of that shirt! And watching clips of the show, Toddler and Tiaras, makes my physically cringe.
Those keen and clever corporations know parents will be more willing to spend their hard earned money on their children rather than on themselves. Parents can vicariously live through their child by putting in them in clothes that they are hesitant to buy themselves. Heck, if their fashionista toddler looks so great in the trend of the day, parents will be more willing to experiment with the trend themselves, putting more money into the pockets of the corporations. But skinny jeans?!? Despite the company sources quoted in the article who say they they have taken care to ensure there is an element of comfort and give in the jeans, they do look strange and uncomfortable on a toddler. (If you were wondering you can also get high heels in kids sizes for those jeans, too). Plus, the name skinny jeans bothers me, especially in a day and age where girls and women of all ages feel they need to conform to unrealistic body and beauty expectations.
Skinny jeans, along with the latest must have products of the day bring up some interesting questions. Why are we willing to sell out our children's childhoods? Why can't we allow kids to be kids? What is wrong with prolonging childhood as long as we can? Why are we willing to allow kids to be branded by corporations at such a young age? Why do we want kids to look like mini-adults? What's wrong with playing in the sandbox or on the playground sans skinny jeans? I ask you, would you cram your butt into a pair of skinny jeans? If the answer is no, why would you do it to kids?
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