Okay, this could be kinda long, and I'm probably going to bash some of your favorite clothing styles. So, I went shopping with my mom (Little brother tagged along. He's so patient.). I'm sort of strange in this area. I love to shop with my mom. She's got a good idea of my tastes and we share a lot of views. Anyways, it's fun. We went to Kohl's, my favorite store because it usually has things that fit for a good price. I needed a black skirt, a white top, and an Easter outfit. We find this black dress, cute but modest. We add a white, short-sleeve cardigan and voila! Band concer uniform. Add colorful shoes and a necklace, and you've also got Easter. Arch went and found some slacks and this really, really neat shirt. I had $47 dollars in birthday money, and I was hoping to find a Batman T-shirt. However, that plan changed when I found this adorable checkered orange ombre shirt. It was $16, so I could get a pair of capris or jeans that were on sale. It took forever to find a pair that weren't pre-faded or had holes and wrinkles. (There's going to be a rant about this at the end of this post) My mom found a pair of Mudd capris that worked, so we went with that. Now for shoes!!! My favorite! We went to Payless, but there wasn't much there that suited our needs. I did, however, make the salesgirls' day. I was asking Arch's opinion on something becuse Mom's in another aisle., and he says, "They're shoes. I don't care about shoes. I don't think shoes are cute." My reply: "That's because you're a guy. You're not supposed to think they're cute. We bring you along only so you can fetch and carry." "So I'm just a donkey." "No. You're a guy." By the time we left the store, they were on the floor rolling with laughter. Unsuccessful, we went to Shoe Carnival. Not my favorite store, but we managed to find a pair of black flats that will work for band, and this really funky pair of 6-inch stilletos with denim and zebra stripes. I may break an ankle on Monday, which is when I'll wear them for a while. I'll post pics tomorrow or something. Now it's the rant time: The whole time I was in Kohl's looking for a pair of pants, I kept running into the same old problem. Everything looks trashed or they're skinny jeans. Let's tackle the 'fashionably worn' stuff first. It doesn't look cool or anything. It looks trashy and tacky. So, my question is why do people WANT to look that way? Do they want to look like they don't take care of themselves? When my clothes start looking like that, it's a sign that I need some new stuff. I mean, if people look at clothes so much, why don't they take care to project a positive image? Speaking of positive images, it's no wonder so many girls think they're fat. I have weighed 113lb for over two years. I have an almost perfect hourglass figure. Yes, I know, I'm blessed. So, if Skinny jeans make ME feel fat, just imagine how it makes other girls who are are the heavier edge of the spectrum? Yet if they don't wear them, they're not cool. When they do, they're laughed at for being fat. My dearest friend wears them all the time, and I'm trying to figure out how to tell her that they are wrong for her. (Any suggestions, let me know.) It's just so frustrating to watch all of these girls hurt themselves in such a vicious way just to fit in.

And if you read all that, awesome points to you.

I read it all, how many points do I get? [quote]So, if Skinny jeans make ME feel fat, just imagine how it makes other girls who are are the heavier edge of the spectrum?[/quote] Like a flippin mushroom! ;) And would you look at that, I'm not cool... Rock on bootcuts! I suggest a mirror chica, one of those 360 degree ones! Oh dear I'm in a giggly mood over your post, so true! You need to come over here, we have this one store where you can get 2 pairs of jeans for $100NZD ($70USD). They have heaps of different styles and they fit like a glove and are really comfy. They're the first place I've found where jeans fit me properly and I don't have to get them taken up! Sadly my smaller pair are a bit too small (heh, I need to loose some weight) so I'll give them to Mum and talk Dad into buying me a new pair or stealing a pair of my sisters if they don't fit her. That's one good thing, my Mum, sister and I are all roughly the same size so we swap clothes all the time! [quote] It's just so frustrating to watch all of these girls hurt themselves in such a vicious way just to fit in. [/quote] Agreed. I had an interesting conversation at uni the other day with this girl in a couple of my classes who I've been getting to know (turns out I've known her cousins and Aunty and Uncle for about 8 years!) about fashion and stuff. She was saying how she has to wear the latest/be in fashion and hinted at it even when it may not suit her. Like, she wears those shirts that are really baggy and look like boys shirts (but boys who are rather over weight). It honestly looks like she's wearing a tent! Whereas, I only buy my clothes on special or when they're cheap (ie. under $25NZD and I'm having a bad day/week and I actually HAVE money! Heh...) or if I desperately need them in which case my parents will buy them because I generally don't have more than $10-15 in my account because I live off $40 a week. [quote]We bring you along only so you can fetch and carry[/quote] Logan is really good at that, bless him! Except last time he did he got talking to some random guy who was waiting for his girlfriend and I was trying to grab his attention to give his opinion but cause I was shy/self conscious I ended up calling his cell phone :pinch: the best time though was when he did it for my mum! Talk about gaining brownie points! Though my mum loves him so that's not hard! ;) And as for clothes looking worn out, I agree. I do however love the crinkle look, especially since I can never be bothered ironing (and currently don't own one)!

Yay! Awesome points! :D I agree with you on the jeans. I shop the same store, but i'm now in the women's section, not the juniors. Yeah, my jeans still end up ripped at the knee and pockets and have paint splatters, but that's because I'm a theatre kid and that's what happens to all my clothing. XD However, I'd rather do it myself. I think it's because everyone's so concerned with the "girl next door" that no one wants to be the really dressed up person anymore. Beauty took the face from cheerleader to casualty. Now it's a competition over that. Instead of "Who looks the best dressed" it is now "Who feels more comfortable with themselves/ really casual!?" Thus, everything looks trashy. That's my view on it. What it probably is: We're returning to the 60's 70's. (i love that era, but i wish we wouldn't mass mock them.) And they had a lot of faded jeans and really careless dress. A lot of them lived homeless lives to "be one" with whatever. Unfortunately, when those are the pics we know and see, those are what we think the times were. (Goodness knows if 30 years from now will be an imitation of "Lady Gaga" and a bunch of rappers. ) Anyway, thought string over.

Oh, and with the friend situation, aren't there a lot of health issues that come with skinny jeans? The fact that they restrict movement, restrict blood vessles, cut off circulation (even if you can't immediately feel it)... Look some up. I bet showing her some of these will help.

Actually, I didn't feel any cut offs or anything, just ridiculous. My brother did offer an opinion on this point: I said, "I feel like a mushroom." "No offense, but you look like one." XD Does my brother rock or what?

^So am I. And I have tiny legs, so skinnies are the only ones that fit me without looking like parachute pants. Plus, I just like skinnies. They're really comfy. Also, I'm guilty of wearing torn jeans. *shrug* I found a cute pair of ripped skinnies with an adorable belt at Kohls one day. Couldn't resist.

Okay, pictures are uploaded. Now if only some nice, wonderful, magnificent admin would approve them.....

They've been approved :)

Awww, I love you Kezi!!!!