When I look back on my teen years, the thought is, “What the fuck was I actually wearing?” In middle school, I wanted to be really cool and have boys like me. So I replaced my glasses with contacts, I straightened my wavy hair and started exclusively wearing Hollister. Now I feel awful about the unnecessary amount of money that was spent on fake “California Cool” attire. If there’s a way to exchange the monetary retail value of manufactured ripped jeans for a college fund, I would have a completely different financial situation right now. There was nothing to do at that point in your life but force your mom to drive you to the mall and give you $40 towards your new “Hermosa Beach” t-shirt. Also, who on the East Coast has actually been to Hermosa Beach?
What I think is great about these teen changes we constantly make, is that for the most part, everyone has the same feeling about them. They’re embarrassed of what they once wore, and unsure why their taste in clothing changed so much. In order to really figure out how people felt about this, I decided to take to (teen/media) Twitter and find out what they regretted wearing the most:
@thatsnotcasual ties like I was Avril Lavigne
— dolphin (@sarahbdolphin) January 9, 2015
@thatsnotcasual @gabrielabarkho plaid skirts and fake glasses and fingerless gloves….. — Chantelle Harrison (@chantuff9) January 10, 2015
@thatsnotcasual head to toe hollister outfits, t shirts or long sleeves under tank tops, dresses over jeans, bubble hems — Leah Blowes (@leahblowes) January 14, 2015
@thatsnotcasual phat farm shoes w fat laces — colin gorenstein (@colingorenstein) January 14, 2015
I think there’s something about this significant time in our lives that actually makes everyone dress awkwardly. First, there are a lot of social pressures. We want to know where exactly we fit in our own worlds. Are you a Goth, Prep, Scene, Hipster or just a complete weirdo? The thought of not having a social identifier is actually terrifying. In order to compensate for this feeling, I would try on different roles. I would see what feels right to me, and more importantly, who would accept me for how I look. As you may have guessed, the Hollister babe role didn’t really pan out well for me. I didn’t quite get the response I was looking for from the popular boys or girls. In fact, I think I was noted as a total “Hollister poser,” which is even more embarrassing. However, as a teen, I was able to do a quick 180 into a completely new role.
Towards the end of middle school, and way too far into high school, I began my path of becoming a full-blown scene queen. The best part was that in the matter of time between 7th and 8th grade, I could already recite all the My Chemical Romance lyrics and make fun of you for just finding out about Panic! at the Disco. The only real way to describe this time of my life is to picture a giant Hello Kitty necklace, short layers on top of longer pieces of hair, little tiny tiaras and green eyeliner from Hot Topic. I would show you a photo of myself in my prime scene girl stage, but I can’t get into my MySpace or Xanga account. However, you can visit this link for a visual reference: http://www.dobi.nu/yourscenesucks/
As I reflect on what would seem like poor choices in my outward appearance, I am not ashamed of my past — not only because I feel like most people can relate, but also because I found that these steps are necessary in developing how anyone dresses as an adult. If I didn’t figure out green eyeliner was a bad idea at 14, when was I going to find out later in life? You’re really only given one opportunity to dress completely crazy (unless you are Björk) and that’s during this early discovery of your physical identity. Even today, I am aware that one day I am going to wonder why I only wore beat up, white, Nike Airmaxes in my twenties. Or why I would only cut my own hair.
Obviously, the only right response to any of this would be: “Idk, it’s my life. Let me live, Mom.”
