By Ylan Q. Mui
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 4, 2007
There is a line of decency that falls somewhere between the knee and the top of the thigh. Exactly where it hits is debatable, but the teenage shoppers made one thing clear: Stores have definitely crossed it this season.
"All the shorts are soooo short," said Mary Anne Daymont, 13.
"Shorts are too short," concurred 13-year-old Jessica Marino.
"Micro shorts," offered Nicole Madden, 14.
The steamy days of Washington summer may be upon us, but these girls, all from Burke, were definitely not getting skimpy. For a generation bombarded with news of pantyless celebrities, most of the girls we interviewed were surprisingly modest, more Hilary Duff than Lindsay Lohan.
"I try to stay with styles that look good. I try to go for classic styles," said Kate Bolton, 17, of McLean. "My mom has really slammed that into my head."
William Strauss, co-author of "Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation," said teenagers are faced with the opposite social problem of their baby boomer parents. They are growing up at a time when sex is talked about freely -- perhaps too freely.
"Modesty is a reaction against the sexualization of the culture, including fashion," he said. "What tends to happen in history is generations correct for what they perceive to be the major excesses of previous generations. . . . They're trying to reestablish a zone of privacy."
Reyna Dunlap, 12, of Burtonsville thought some of the tank tops didn't have quite enough top to them. She showed off a white one with spaghetti straps and royal blue flowers that she'd just bought from Forever 21. Then she pulled out her second purchase.
"This," she said as she held up a black T-shirt that could go under the tank, "is so I can wear it to school."
But Jessica didn't find anything she liked at the store and was distressed at its selection of flimsy underwear.
"They're too skimpy," she said. "There's no point."
Many of the girls described their personal styles as clean-cut or preppy. Several listed shorts as must-have items but specified the longer Bermuda styles. Margot Sidman, 15, of the District turned up her nose at the form-fitting fashion at Wet Seal.
"It looks like it's for partying 20-year-olds," she said.
Her friend Emily Haynes, 15, of Potomac was even more cutting: "No, it looks like it's for middle schoolers."
When the remodeled Victoria's Secret opened in Tysons two years ago, the feathery-thong-clad mannequins sparked heated debate over the appropriateness of the display, especially for impressionable teen eyes. (The store later toned it down, but the mannequins remain.) Gulmeena Khan, 12, of Sterling, who is Muslim and came shopping in a head scarf, delivered her verdict on the store without a second thought: "Gross."
Nadine Gibson, 16, of McLean usually avoids that entrance to the store and heads straight for its Pink section, which sells collegiate-inspired loungewear.
"I like this part of the store because it's not like regular Victoria's Secret stuff," she said. "I don't need the lingerie."
Nadine also stopped at Macy's and Lord & Taylor to search for prom dresses. A junior in high school, she said she realizes she's growing up.
"I want to look nice, so I'm beginning to shop at more adult shops," she said.
Daisy Diaz, 17, of Arlington was on a similar mission as she browsed for prom dresses. She said her mom always wants to look at what she comes home with, mostly because she likes to borrow her daughter's clothes.
"My mom trusts that I won't buy anything really slutty," she said.
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