Skinny Jeans

School shopping this year has been quite a hassle because the styles this year have changed dramatically. It is like I am in the seventh grade all over again. Boys are having shaggy, layered hair, tight jeans (that sag in the bum of all ridiculous things), big ugly sneakers and huge band t-shirts. I remember being afraid of those boys back then and my sister being in love with them. When I see those same boys walking down the street, they still creep me out. Girls are wearing super tight jeans that you have to lie down to pull on, large shirts with belts over them. Dresses that look like something from Madonna or Cindy Lauper, and of course big ugly sneakers. I am wondering when leg warmers or socks pulled up over the pants legs are going to come back. Anyway, I personally do not like the style at all and neither does John. I am not even sort of tempted to try skin tight jeans and baggy shirts. I have fat legs and a thin top. So that sort of outfit would just emphasize all of my bad parts and de-emphasize all of my good parts. Reguardless, I do not wear skin tight clothing and John and I do not allow our children to wear skin tight clothing. I like nicely fitted clothing, but not skin tight. We want our children to look clean and conservative and to wear nice clothing. This has been really hard to do this year. I think mostly, my daughters have been fairly stylish until this year when pants are very tight and shirts are fairly extreme in the color and style. I think Ruth and Kate are a little upset by this. I do not think they want to wear skinny jeans, but they do not want to be so totally out of fashion either. John and I talked to the girls about how 15 years ago tapered legs were the style and only the very fashionable and people who chose to wear extreme styles wore the boot leg and straight cut jeans. They could hardly believe that this was true. We said, that it looks like tapered legs would be back in style shortly and that we would no longer be able to buy boot cut and straight leg pants. We told them that we would be just fine with them wearing tapered pants and jeans, but that we needed to be modest in how tight our clothing is. So we went to Macy's and tried on a few different styles of pants. I left feeling rather depressed. There aren't any tapered legged pants that are not skin tight as well as boot cut that are not skin tight in the thigh. We tried on skinny jeans a size too big. I think that just looked ridiculous. We didn't buy anything. I am thinking the time is coming that we are going to have to choose to be different than the world in clothing as well as in speech, and music and all media (Of course we have always been different in not wearing tank tops and low cut tops.). We will see. Maybe girls will get tired of having to lie down to put their pants on. But on this matter, we will not falter. John and I do not think that skin tight clothing is modest and fits with how our daughters should dress. I need to add one point here: our daughters have some good friends that dress in tight jeans and band t-shirts and they are good kids and good friends for our daughters. I just think the style is unfortunate and immodest. I am okay with other good people who do not think so and I do not think less of them. But, I do want to quote Elder M. Russel Ballard from his talk to mothers and daughters last April. He said, "For example, they need to understand that when they wear clothing that is too tight, too short, or too low cut, they not only can send the wrong message to young men with whom they associate, but they also perpetuate in their own minds the fallacy that a woman’s value is dependent solely upon her sensual appeal. This never has been nor will it ever be within the righteous definition of a faithful daughter of God. They need to hear this—clearly and repeatedly—from your lips, and they need to see it modeled correctly and consistently in your own personal standards of dress, grooming, and modest living."