Our Closets as History

Having taught history, I loved bringing in popular culture, music, and clothing of the time periods into lessons. It captured my students’ attention and engaged them with the material; it seemed like all teenagers have something to say about clothes and fashion. In particular, I loved discussing the fashion of the 1920s with my students and helping them understand how clothing of the 1920s was a strong cultural shift against society and prohibition. I would even wear some of my grandma’s old flapper hats and 1930s dresses during class (she was born in 1912) and teach kids the Charleston dance. Flappers were the rebellious teenage girls of the 1920s. They dared to wear the “bob” haircut, wear short skirts, sleeveless dresses, and hats. To help kids understand the 1920s “flapper era," I had kids list all of the popular clothes of today. After having them analyze pictures from the 1920s along with a few video clips, they created a double bubble map to compare and contrast the 1920s clothing with today’s clothing. This made them create some strong generalizations about the meaning behind clothing and helped them realize clothing was a way to express their individuality and in the case of the 1920s, to dance and have fun in speakeasies.

Shift ahead to today and we still see clothing that makes us go “WHY???? Consider clothes (or the lack of clothes) that Britney Spears or Miley Cyrus have worn on stage and in music videos. While some may take clothing as superficial and non-meaningful, I think we can pick up some significant political and cultural meaning in clothing. I also think that clothing goes hand-in-hand with music trends; musicians and celebrities tend to set the stage as to what is popular; and oftentimes, we can link this music back to the politics of the time.

My closet....

When I was in elementary school, it was all about the tight-rolled Girbaud jeans, hyper-color t-shirts, and florescent scrunches. I just had to have the name-brand jeans or else you weren’t “popular.” Those jeans were a status symbol for all teenagers. In high school, I experienced the “grunge” look. Grunge of the 1990s has been viewed as the “return of the hippy era.” The grunge music scene from Seattle pushed ahead into mainstream culture. I just HAD to have a pair of “Doc Martin’ boots. I remember wearing flannel shirts and even raided my mom’s closet to find some pretty cool bell bottoms and wide-legged jeans. My friends and I always took shopping trips to Ragstock and Thriftstores to find baggy and clothes with the “worn-look.” The mid-90s were definitely a “baggy look” and guys and girls tended to look…well….grungy. Perhaps Nirvana and Kurt Cobain influenced our ideas to rebel against looking preppy. Maybe the grunge and hip-hop look of the 1990s was in response to violence of the 90s or the liberal political era??? With a president facing charges of sexual misconduct and school shootings increasing, I think many teenagers lost hope in the government and carried a “whatever” attitude about authority. I think many teenagers in the 1990s wore clothes that would go against any authority, but then again, isn’t that the way it always is? (maybe I’m just over-analyzing the connection between fashion and politics!!)

Britney and Miley show all!

I will never forget watching Britney Spears in a pretty-much naked outfit at the 2000 MTV Video Awards. Watch out! Sex is back and sex sells! I think this contributed to a shift of sexuality, both in music, and with teenage girls. Sometimes I think the clothes girls wear are just too much! The past few years have revealed a more sexual look in girls’ clothing. Skinny jeans, tight minni skirts, and skinny-strap tanks show too much for 13 and 14 year-olds. Skip ahead to today and Miley Cyrus does a Vanity Fair magazine shoot wearing….well….a sheet. For being 15/16, she sure promotes sexuality in clothing choices. Have you seen her “Party in the USA” music video? It’s a hit with the middle-school crowd, but she’s wearing short shorts, shows lots of cleavage and is wearing cowboy boots. Too sexual for a 13 year old to be idolizing, in my opinion.















Prom....a.k.a High School Weddings

Prom takes on a whole new meaning for today’s teenagers. It’s as if they are getting married! Girls spend enormous amounts of money on dresses, hair, make-up, shoes, getting nails done, etc. WOW. I oftentimes wonder if the moms are re-living their high school proms through their daughters…..or trying to create a mini-wedding out of prom. Even more shocking are the dresses….they are shorter and skimpier! I remember a very controversial prom dress that was shows in Seventeen Magazine a few years ago. I remember this because I had a discussion about it with some students in my homeroom. This Prom Dress was just too much with strips of cloth only covering the front; it’s as if they are trying to create an adult out of a teenager….or maybe a stripper out of a teenager! In May 2008, a girl was kicked out of her prom for wearing a too revealing dress. I actually commend the school for taking a stand on prom dresses. High Schools should promote a High School Prom, not a strip-joint. See the article here. It has been noted, however, that proms are shifting towards a more conservative look. More full ball gowns are in style, which illustrates a return to the elegant and classic look. Hopefully dresses are creating more of an innocent look rather than the stripper look. Perhaps we’ve seen the end of the stripper-looking dresses for awhile. We can only hope!

Eco-Fashion: Trend of the Future?

Our culture and society today is definitely trying to create a more sustainable and earth-friendly environment through recycling of products. We promote reusable materials, such as reusable grocery bags, and encourage energy efficient light bulbs. There is also a greater shift in buying local, organic foods. Have you noticed this trend is starting to take hold in clothing? We can express our political and social beliefs through buying organic and fairly-traded clothing. Organic and natural clothing is much more readily available, particularly with cotton t-shirts. Why not wear sustainable clothing to help the environment? You can even buy recycled bags that are made from juice cartons! If you feel strongly about the environment, make a statement about it through clothing!

Socially-Conscious Teens=Socially-Conscious Clothing

The millennial generation has been noted to be the most progressive, most socially conscious, and most likely to make world change since the baby boomers. I have noticed that young people’s attitude to “make a difference” has transgressed into clothing. Some young people are buying and wearing Tom’s Shoes. If you buy a pair of Tom’s Shoes, another pair will automatically go to an impoverished child in need. So, now, teenagers and adults can shop for a cause and purchase clothing that is meaningful and makes a difference. You can showcase your concern for world issues through your footwear.
Check out Tom’s Shoes Here: http://www.tomsshoes.com/default.asp

While I think that clothing definitely reflects personal attitude and individuality, I think one can easily pick up some cultural and social meanings in clothing. Teenagers’ worlds tend to revolve around wearing the “latest” clothing item. While they may experiment with their sexuality and adult-roles through clothing, we can also hope that some clothes can reflect more meaningful considerations, such as with Tom’s Shoes. I look forward to telling my grandkids about the clothes I wore in high school! I have definitely saved a few shirts and accessories that epitomize the time….our closets can be history!