I'm reading over this thread (somewhat...I'll go back after I post this, so as not to be swayed one way or another), and pardon me all you momma's out there...but I can't help but think of myself and my girlfriends when we were 12-16ish or so.

I wore belly shirts (we just bought smaller shirts or shrunk our sweaters cause they didn't have a line of them back then) and hip huggers and mini skirts and went braless etc. etc. and my mom didn't really have a problem with it all. But...I knew girls who's parents would ban clothing of this sort and so they would have their friends (me and a few other girls) hold some clothing for them to change into when they got out of the house in "acceptable" garb. They'd change back before going home...sometimes forgetting something and getting grounded for sneaking around looking like a slut (or whatever the parent thought she looked like).

Seems to me, I remember these were the girls who got in the most "trouble" as far as running away...doing bad in school...fighting...sassing their parents...disrepecting their parents...resenting their parents...etc. etc. I mean...these girls were exactly what the parents were trying to get them NOT to be!


I will admit (and most of you already know) I did get pregnant at 14 and carried the baby to term and gave him up for adoption. But, I don't attribute that to my wardrobe expression!!!! I attribute that to my lack of sex education as far as when a girl can and can't get pregnant...and the fear of asking for birth control pills (assuming I needed parental consent) or going into a drug store and asking the person behind the counter for condoms (they never put them in the isles in my day). And I attribute my pregnancy to LOVE. Regardless if anyone believes one can love at such a tender age...I am here to tell you I was IN LOVE and I knew that having sex was the expression of that love that I wanted to do at that time. It was a pure and true accident of uneducation...one I never repeated...that I got pregnant. Matter of fact...there was a boom of unwanted pregnancies in my day...no matter the clothing style...and there still is a boom of unwanted/accidental pregnancies to this day! I think it's due to lack of education and fear of what someone would think if they knew they had an interest in sex. If a parent is clear and educates a young girl on sex...it sticks with them. I had friends in my time who's parents were so open and gave them all the knowledge they needed...and therefore the kids respected the parents teachings and took that knowledge out into the world with them daily.

OK...so they still might have dressed "in fashion". Who hasn't ever been under some form of peer pressure? But...with knowledge on their side, they never got pregnant or disrespected or resented their parents in the long run.

I loved and respected my mother despite the fact that she hadn't loaded me up on sexual knowledge! It never occured to her...or me...that my clothing had anything to do with the unexpected pregnancy. She knew my heart and knew her values were instilled in me and that I was my own person and not some tagged whore of the neighborhood! She knew that accidents happen and that she was partly to blame for not talking to me and giving me the education I needed at my age.

Now...here I go assuming again (cause, as I said, I haven't read the whole thread of replies)...

Is the connotation of this clothing biz...that a girl will be considered a bit of a whore and could/probably will be taken advantage of if she shows some skin? It's a double edged sword here, if that is the gist. Try and remember that most defense attorney's try to argue that point when trying to get their rapist clients off!

If I've missed the point completely...calm down! I'm going back to read it all NOW!

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~