Youth Opinion : Teen Fashion’s Double Standard: ‘Guys Are Never Considered Sluts’
This spring, belly shirts and slip dresses have become the apparel of choice among stylish teens. But are these clothes fashionable or just plain sleazy? JACQUI MAJERS asked Southern California teens.
BRIDGETTE ESTRADA
14, Fontana
My friends like to be weird. We have our heads shaved, noses, eyebrows and other body parts pierced, wear stars on faces, platform shoes and dye our hair bright colors. We also dress in a lot of old clothes from the 1970s. I used to be preppy, wearing jeans, tennis shoes and little tops.
I think it turns off guys the way I look. But I’m not out to impress guys. Maybe I’ll calm down when I want a boyfriend. Some guys think I’m daring.
My friends and I try to be different in a good way though, not a raunchy way. Most girls who dress like sluts want to show off their bodies. But how they dress does not necessarily represent who they are.
My mom tries to pick out clothes for me, but she’s OK with anything. She thinks I should dye my hair two colors. She likes that I’m different. We share clothes too. My dad does not approve of most of my look, like the little shorts and tight clothes. I change when I am with him.
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DAVID SALAZAR
15, Southgate
When I go to parties, I look at the way people dress and I buy stuff that looks cool on other people. When I go to parties in Pasadena, I buy the clothes I see on people over there and bring the styles over here.
My parents pay for my clothes. They might give me $100. They don’t want me to dress like a gangster, just get some party clothes. My brother is always telling me to dress right, tuck-in my shirt, because he knows I’ve had guns pointed at me for the way I look and the people I hang around with.
I don’t think there is anything that would be trampy on guys. But on girls, platform shoes, short shorts, mini shirts look trampy. I like girls with tight Levis and a tight shirt. At parties, they look pretty when they wear their little outfits.
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DAVID DESOUSA
17, Sherman Oaks
I prefer a girl who dresses with more class. If I see a girl in a mini outfit, I look twice. But I’m thinking, “She’s probably not that smart.” If I had a girl who showed up for a date like that, I’d tell her she looks great, but I would think she looks ugly.
I asked one girl to change. We were going to my parents house and she was wearing a body suit that was mesh and see-though in parts with just a jacket over it. It was something that would have been OK for her to wear out, but it was too revealing for my parents.
When guys wear T-shirts that are a little bit too small or really tight tank tops, it’s not slutty. They are just trying to get attention. Unfortunately, there is a double standard: Guys are not considered sluts.
Personally, a guy’s wardrobe is much more complicated because guys have much more peer pressure. One day, I wore jeans that were too big for me and everyone was like, “Man you finally got cool, you’re finally wearing (baggy pants).” I mostly like to look more G.Q.
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JAMIE KLAUSNER
16, Santa Monica
I am influenced by what I see in magazines and on other people and that are comfortable when I wear them, like jeans and tops. I feel I look sexy in jeans and a really cute tight top.
My parents won’t let me wear my bra showing through a tank top or exposed at all. But I’ve worn it that way.
If I’m going to a party and I want to meet a guy, I’m not going to purposely wear revealing clothing. But I won’t go in a turtleneck.
Guys have like three options: shorts, pants and different kinds of shirts. Women’s fashion is way more diverse. A guy in jeans and a tight tank top at the Santa Monica Promenade on Saturday night is just trying to say, “Hey, baby I’m a stud.”
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RANDI GRAVES
13, Hollywood
I get my fashion ideas by going to department stores in the mall, Seventeen magazine and name brands.
Things like slip dresses and micro-minis would be sleazy if they weren’t in fashion. It is ridiculous to me when you see real short skirts and shirts look cute in the magazines and they look terrible on real people. Also, some celebrity fashions don’t make sense, like Madonna’s.
I think boys look cute when they have on Polo shoes, a Polo shirt with a (logo) on it, curly hair and Docker pants. Guys that aren’t attractive to me are the ones who dress thug-like.
