Skank: The New Trend in High School Fashion

Dear High School Girls,

After living your entire life next door to a high school you start to compare and contrast the generations of students that use your lawn as a gateway in and out of the large brick building that, for four years, is their universe. While I have only really started to pay attention to the trends that preceded and followed my short stint at Grant High School, what I observe passing by my windows becomes more and more unsettling with each day.

High school has always been so much more than a learning institution; actually, in most cases the learning falls second to the social aspect of those critical four years. High school is about defining the kind of person you want to be, this process is different for everyone, but almost always manifests itself through a series of choices. Fashion, for high school students, tends to be one of the most easily controlled aspects of defining yourself, and one of the easy choices to really run with. Therefore fashion has always been a huge component of the whole “coming into your own” process.

The problem is that the “coming into your own” process has become more of a “cumming into your own” process. The first thing that you think when you see a group of 16 year old girls on their way to school should not be “I wonder whose bed she just rolled out of?” And while we all love a little attention from an older man, when you’re 16 you should not be showing enough skin to make your friends’ dads seriously consider jail time. The whole “bar whore” look only really works once you’re old enough to actually get into a bar. It appears as if these girls are participating in some eternal, group walk of shame, not on their way to first year Spanish.

My years at Grant were plagued by sweat pants, designer jeans, and whatever name brand item you could find on sale at the Rack. Today, I look out the window and all I can see is high-waisted leather mini skirts, which have to be only centimeters away from peaking ass cheeks, four inch stilettos, and cleavage provided by Victoria’s Secret. Today’s girls must reside in a world where nip slips and vag flashes are a daily occurrence; a world where instead of showing your status through the latest handbag, you show it through your most recent bikini wax. (I hear the popular girls are sporting Brazilians these days!) While I am all for the occasional wardrobe “slip” on the weekends or even at the homecoming dance, and have always been a believer in cleavage, ladies, let’s put the kitty away during school hours.

While this look may be acceptable at community college, let’s remind ourselves that you are all still children. This is not a “what have kids today come to” kind of note, honestly, I’m just a little annoyed I have to see a parade of teen lady bits every time I look out my front window. We all understand that you have really hit puberty, and we all understand that you’re not a virgin, you don’t have to show us your breast buds or your lack of hymen to prove it.

Sincerely,

Lauren Elisabeth