The sweet smell of ourselves

In the last post I wrote something about kids' fashion, and how some parents are partially responsible for it. I'd like to bring this down to earth a bit more, because it's something that concerns everyone. You'll notice I'm not standing outside the ring here.

Back to Economics 101: Supply and demand. If enough people want something, someone's going to put it up for sale. If not now, it's just a matter of time.

Let's take something popular - dresses, for instance. Women don't want to wear what all the others are. And they may not want to look like their mom, either. So pick out that sun dress that's cut just a little bit higher and lower in the right places. Hey, it gets the guys' attention.

You have just entered the Wardrobe race. Like the arms race, but without the fallout shelters.

*Poot*

Now Bob sells clothes. He notices those sun dresses are moving like crazy: "Hey, why not oonch it just a little bit? Same prices, less material. More profit - sold!" Next year, Bob launches his special line of dresses with a big ad featuring Fergie in one.

*Poot*

Carol, your best friend, runs out and picks up the latest thing that Fergie's wearing.

*Poot*

Ted, my honorable competitor, will not be outdone. He gets the best designers money can buy, and releases his fall collection.

*Poot*

Alice wants to make it big in fashion. She reads the trends, pulls out her sketchbook, pitches the designs to Saks, Bloomingdales, H & M, Penney's, K-Mart, and Filene's Basement. K-Mart bites, fronting the money for next year's back-to-school skivvies.

*Poot*

Laverne and Shirley snatch up the skivvies and make the boys sitting behind them in Algebra II very happy. (That's right, Lenny and Squiggy - you know 'em. Maybe you are 'em.)

*Poot*

I see Laverne and Shirley coming out of high school. I say to myself, "Hubba-hubba. I shouldn't look, and yet...Well, as long as I don't act on them fantasies, it's OK. Right?" Do I speak out for or against? No. And so it goes.

*Poot*

What this boils down to is - Pimpfants didn't just pop out of thin air. Skimpy girl's clothing isn't just something foisted on us from above. To a certain degree we've brought it on ourselves. We're born into a world not of our own making, but once we're there, we make it in our image as much as we can.

It's in the air.

"Dude, was that you?"

(Image of your classmates triumphantly nicked from nostalgiacentral.com.)