Clothing Fads and Peer Pressure

It is no surprise that teenagers are interested in each other’s wardrobes. Shopping malls are filled with kids trying on the latest fads, purchasing the same types of jeans, shoes, jackets, and other attire. Parents are prodded by the interest of their children to buy clothing that other kids are wearing. There is no limit on how far some children are willing to go to get the clothing they want.

School Rules

Government require that children attend school whether it’s public, private, or home school. Some children have the luxury of home schooling but most children attend public or private school. In the latter cases, meeting the wardrobe ’status quo’ set by your children’s school mates is an unspoken requirement.

It doesn’t take long for children to realize if their style of dress is unacceptable to their peers. They often learn this on the first day of school or within the first week if they are new to the school. If their peers don’t like certain items of clothing they wear throughout the school year, either they’ll personally confront them or the child will hear about it by way of gossip.

Everyone wants to be accepted by their peers even when they don’t admit it initially. No one wants to feel left out, rejected, or teased. Clothing fads are a major form of self expression in a child’s life and when their attire is not fashionably accepted by their peers, this can lead to emotional problems within them.

Peer Into The Facts

Kids feel pressured socially in every way possible, from music choices to critical issues such as sex, drugs, and smoking. They’re style of dress is yet another area that kids have to contend with among their peers. The intense pressure to ‘fit in’ may increase depending on what situation they’re in.

Adolescence is a time when kids assert their independence and are trying to figure out their identity. In the process of trying to find out who they are, they are pulled in different directions by their parents who want to protect their self esteem and by their peers to fit in certain ‘cliques’ or groups of social acceptance. They may not want to do what they’re pressured into but do not want to lose their friends.

Parents are also affected by their children’s peer pressure. The majority of money for clothing comes from parents. Although some teens may have jobs after school, their salary doesn’t always cover the cost of the latest styles of fashion, so children go to the financial support system - their parents.

Parents To The Rescue

At some point in our lives, we’ve all begged our parents for some form of material possession we wanted. It could have been your favorite CD or vinyl record, that mustang we wanted at 16, or a new style of brand-named clothing. Whatever it was, we pleaded and pleaded until we got it.

I recall my brother as a teen wanting the first Atari video game because his best friend, who was always the first kid on the block to get the latest gadgets and clothes, had one. He begged my mother every week, every day, whenever he thought about it, which was constantly, until she bought it. The problem was, we didn’t have as much financially as his best friend had. But something odd happened. The tables were turned.

We then moved away to another city that was not as ‘cool’ as the one we left. When my brother went to school, he was the one sought after. He was the one everyone patterned their style of dress after. Yes, he was the ‘cool popular kid’. So the cycle continued. Other kids were now asking their parents to buy them clothes like his.

Peer Parents

There can also be pressures from other parents regarding the dress of a child. Young hip parents want their children to dress in the latest fashion. With the help of the media, some parents adopt a materialistic life style and pass this on to their children.

The children, in turn, are pressured to form close associates only with those who are up to their parent’s standards of dress and social status. They tend to gravitate towards people with big homes, nice cars, and expensive name brand wardrobes.

Press On

Peer Pressure is everywhere. Radio and television stay up-to-date with what’s current for various age groups and pattern their programs to fit. Advertising agencies also play a major part in promoting characteristics of what’s ‘in’ or ‘out’. Fashion magazines are a major promoter in this aspect because most people want to be considered as part of the ‘in crowd’.

People of all ages are subject to peer pressure. But because of education, children spend almost 90 percent of their time with children their own age. Authors Hallie Bourne and Thomson Gale state basic guidelines adolescents can follow to help them cope with peer pressure: http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/peer-pressure

Techniques of resisting teen peer pressure include:

1. Observe people and the groups with whom they socialize. Observe what they do and the consequences of their actions. When someone tries to argue “everyone’s doing it,” you can prove otherwise. Make choices about who you spend time with, instead of joining a group just because it’s there.
2. Avoid situations that present problems-parties with drugs, being alone with a boyfriend or girlfriend who might pressure you.
3. Communicate: Say “No” forcefully and with eye contact. (If you do not believe yourself, they will not either). Talk about it. Find someone who feels the same way you do.
4. Anticipate what your friends will say or do and decide beforehand how you will react. Consider all the alternatives, including the consequences of doing it their way. Is it a matter of wearing something you do not like, or is it a matter of damaging your body?
5. If you find yourself anticipating conflict too often, seriously think about finding a new friend or set of friends. Start off gradually, spending less and less time with the person who is pressuring you.
6. Know yourself. Know what moods might make you more susceptible to negative peer influence. Know (or figure out) what activities build your self-esteem. Know why you are doing whatever you do everyday-be aware of your actions.