My teenage daughter came home wearing a mens size large T-shirt the other day, needless to say it was so big it literally swam on her, it could have passed as a dress. This wasn’t our first brush with her fascination with oversized clothing, on a recent trip to some surf shops she seemed to point out a whole array of very large baggy jumpers that caught her eye.
My daughter usually shops with me, on this particular day a few of us mums decided to let our daughters shop with some freedom. When her friends mum brought her home, there she stood in her oversized, black T-Shirt with Star Wars characters on it and a huge grin on her face. She was giddy with excitement over her purchase choice, and quite happy to tell me she decided to shop in the Men’s section. (Long gone are the days of me purchasing pretty pink dresses, or having her beg me for another Ariel costume!) Truth be told, initially her finding her own sense of style was hard to take. I wanted to keep her my little girl forever, (or at least a few more years). No amount of willing her to stop growing up was going to work, nature makes sure of that, and I can honestly say that seeing her smiling at the front door I couldn’t have been more proud!
The thing I am most happy about is that she chose to purchase something that made her feel good about herself. At thirteen I am not quite sure I was willing to go against the current trends of girly magazines, I have to admit I am immensely proud of her for being herself.
I was looking the other day to purchase her a top (prior to her coming home in her Star Wars T), when the shop assistant asked me what style my daughter liked. I smiled, and told her that my daughter is still finding her style. Sometimes she is boho, or hippy 60’s style dresses, other times she is sporty, and then other days she is happy to pull on a big oversized hooded jumper. Her style is comfort, and it’s whatever mood strikes. She read a quote from a book to me recently and I apologise as I don’t know what book it was, nor can I recall the exact quote, but it was along the lines of, ‘how do you dress like a girl? You wake up, put on some clothes, and there you go, you are dressed like a girl”! I thought it was an absolutely fabulous quote. I mean what makes the mens section of a store exclusive to men? The answer is ‘nothing’, a girl can wear whatever she likes, be who she likes to be, and be proud of who she is! (As should any boy).
In a few years, or maybe even less, her fearless individuality may fade, but I will encourage her to always be herself, to find her own style, to be herself, and to embrace her uniqueness as much as I can. I knew when I became a parent that I would have to teach my child many things, but I wasn’t expecting them to teach me so much.
I want to teach my girls, and all girls to respect themselves and their bodies, to know their bodies are theirs alone, that no matter what they wear, how covered up they are, or how much of their bodies they show to the world, that they deserve to be treated with respect, that they are not asking for inappropriate comments, or looks, that they are not asking to be violated, teased, or bullied.
So how do you dress like a teenager? Be yourself, respect yourself, love yourself and wear a big smile on your face knowing you are amazing!
Do you have any thoughts to share?
Thanks for joining me, love Mackenzie xx
27 comments
I think each kid has to find their own style as long as it isn’t too extreme.
My small one is still small (5), but I’m seeing her trying different things depending on her mood, and not a particular style. Long may it continue.
Couldn’t agree more with this! My girls are 4 and 2 at the moment, I hope they are happy to choose what they feel comfortable wearing (and doing) when they are older, rather than bowing to peer pressure (judging by their current independent streaks I think they probably will… 😂). Thanks for sharing #Satsesh
hear hear!
Love your advice for how to dress like a teenager – teaching our girls (and boys) to respect their bodies and be themselves is so important – an oversized t shirt is a good call – I love that your daughter is just exploring her own style right now! #thesatsesh xx
I was very much like your daughter as a teenager. I was always in an oversized black T-shirt (usually with a rock band on the front) or hoodie. I would buy clothes in the mens or boys section more often than not… in fact, I still have a little boy’s Buzz Lightyear hoodie that I just wear with the sleeves pushed up.
I eventually started to dress more like a grown woman, but I don’t see anything wrong with having a “goofy” or “quirky” sense of style as a teenager. In fact, it was kind of fun and always pretty modest. 🙂
If I had my way I’d still be dressing my 28 year old son, he has no interest in fashion whatsoever and waits till i visit the Uk to go clothes shopping so i can point him in the right direction, his fiance will often tell me what clothes he’s short of or needs before birthdays/christmas #tweenteensbeyond
I mourn the days of choosing the lovely outfits. But I am all for our daughters embracing their own style. There is nothing worse than seeing girls all looking the same and I am very keen for that not to happen. Like your daughter with her t-shirt, I also see some style aspirations with mine. I’m also very keen to steer her away from labels as that never seems to end well and it’s not something that I find particularly pleasant. To our girls being unique! Thanks for sharing with #tweensteensbeyond
I remember being a young teenager, experimenting with clothes and identity… I recall wanting to be a hippie on some days, a punk rocker on others, and then a goth. And I remember being stopped at Heathrow airport because my new steel toecap boots set off the alarm in the metal detector, and I had to empty my hand luggage which contained jars of hairdye in purple, orange, green and blue, plus about 25 cassette tapes for my walkman…😅
You’re absolutely right about how to dress as a teen, and a girl. And you’re daughter sounds like a fab individual! x
#ablogginggoodtime
YES!! Pressure on youngsters now is fierce compared to “my day”. I was lucky enough to be a teen in the late 80s and early 90s, wearing plaid shirts, DMs and comfortable jeans and nobody thought anything of it. #ablogginggoodtime
I’m hoping my girl will dress however she wants and to suit & please herself. Not going out purely to impress. But she’s currently 8 months old, so she has to deal with my poor choices! Haha
I was like that as a teenager. I remember my favorite ensemble back in the day was a jean skirt that came just above the knee with tights and short flat boots while wearing an over sized plaid shirt. I also had a favorite pair of velvet yoga pants (they weren’t called yoga pants back then) that flared at the bottom, a plaid blazer, and a long cross necklace. I still have a thing for the necklaces lol I’m glad to see your daughter is expressing her own style and she shouldn’t be afraid to be herself, no matte what society says. #globalblogging
Bravo!! Could not agree more. I love the way teens experiment with fashion and hate it when they are criticised for it. Long may your daughter continue to choose her own fashion path! Thank you so much for sharing with us at #TweensTeensBeyond
I can’t speak with experience on the girlish end of things, but as the mum of 4 sons, I eventually learned that the clothing battle is the least of my worries. As long as they were dressed commensurate with the level of respect the occasion warranted, I have tried (and am still trying) to pick my battles. We’ve gone through some pretty bizarre hair configurations (and colors) and a lot of individuality. Now that I have a couple of adult kids, I find that they are tougher on their brothers than I was on them . . . (smiling over this).
So very true and it can be hard for teenagers as they find their style. I remember going through so many different trends as a teenager! #ablogginggoodtime
I think your wise words are universal as you could say How do you dress like a mum or like a woman… You learn to dress for you and what suits you and makes you comfortable. Great post 🌟
I used to love experimenting with different styles and I still do – that is a fabulous quote by the way! So accurate and inspiring to young girls. Exactly the kind of thing they should be reading and believing at that age. #ablogginggoodtime
Both my teens dress as they please. It’s part of discovering who they are I think. #ablogginggoodtime
Great thoughts. The clothes do not “make” a person, but they are a way of self expression.
#ablogginggoodtime
Katelynn, hampersandhiccups.com
My step-daughter (who is now 23) went through lots of different styles before she found the ones she is comfortable with (for now anyway). Not all of them were too our taste but they weren’t distasteful. So in that respect we just let her get on with it. I would encourage mums of teenage girls to do the same. It is hard letting go because you have defined that sense of style for so long, but it has to happen and is part of their progression through life.
#ablogginggoodtime
All kids have to go through a few years of trends and they’ll look at pictures years later and ask you why you let them out of the house. As long as it’s appropriate for school and is of respectful taste, let them figure it out and give them space. Great post! Thanks for sharing!
#ablogginggoodtime
I think it’s great she has the confidence to go against the grain and express herself! #ablogginggoodtime
My 5 year old daughter has definite ideas about fashion. She wears t shirt and shorts even in winter. The clash of patterns injures the eyes! Goodness knows what she’ll be like when she’s a teen! Thanks for linking up to #globalblogging
I think comfort and the ability to express themselves is important but with the parents input to ensure they dont flash too much or to wear something you know will lead to any bullying. #globalblogging
This is such great advice – so many teenagers try and dress as celebrities or exactly like their friends. I think it’s great to be individual and happy. Su #ablogginggoodtime
It is another stepping stone on the path to independence and from my experience an interesting one to observe. Both my teens are very sure of what their fashion inclination is, but my daughter definitely errs on the side of comfort. She likes clothes but does not like to draw attention to herself. I am always excited to see what she comes back with from her shopping trips and the fact that she is so keen for my approval.
Clothes are an expression of who they are and are our first glimpse as parents into the way they want to present themselves to the world. Thanks for linking Mac. #TweensTeensBeyond
I couldn’t agree with you more on this, there’s nothing more lovely than seeing a teenager who is comfortable in their own skin. My daughters both have their own style and the youngest who is 16, is currently only wearing sporty, whereas she used to be so girlie! I think it might be a phase, just as the leopard print was age 11. We will see.
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