Tweens and Designer Labels
Designer Labels and Fitting In
On Christmas Eve, my tween announced that her once-favorite store, Justice, was no longer cool.
What was cool? Aeropostale.
So, off to the mall I went to return the clothes I had bought at Justice and to wait in line for an hour at Aeropostale to buy a T-shirt and hoodie whose claim to coolness was that they were covered with the word “airmail” in French.
A few weeks later, my daughter informed me that the Emus (UGGs, just cheaper) she had happily worn for almost a year were so not cool. She needed, needed, needed a pair of UGGs. Everyone at school had UGGs.
Really, everyone? This time, I did not drive to the mall. Aeropostale I can afford, UGGs not so much.
Brand fever has hit my house and my daughter’s goal is to be a walking billboard for the latest tween brand sensation.
I tried lecturing her about how brands are meaningless, not necessary for happiness . . . you get the picture. Her eyes glazed over. Intellectually, she gets it, but emotionally these brands are important to her. Because, of course, it’s not really about the brand but about fitting in.
I find myself in one of those parenting moments where I need to ride that time machine back to being an eleven year old. Tretorn sneakers and Polo shirts were the rage then–and I needed, needed, needed to have them.
My mom did get some of these brands for me, but not always. She wasn’t willing to pay twice as much for a pair of jeans, just because they had the Gloria Vanderbilt swan (remember that!) stitched on the pocket. Sometimes I used my own money and sometimes I went without. I survived.
This is my approach for now.
And when her feet stop growing, I might consider those UGGs.
What do you think?
UGGs are hideous and I can’t wait until that trend is past. But what is worse money-wise are the purses! Why do teens need Coach purses that are hundreds of dollars?? I always thought of Coach as a brand only my wealthy grandmother would sport at the yacht club. My step-daughter works at McDonald’s and will spend 3 months worth of her earnings on a purse. A purse that she can then carry on her way to work — wearing her McDonald’s uniform. Quite the ensemble. Lol.
Well, how we have handled this is letting my oldest (the one who cares about this stuff) know what our budget is, for example $50 for a winter coat. If he wants a North Face coat for a bajillion dollars, he can save his allowance or get a job to earn the balance and buy the coat himself. He also can go to Goodwill and see what they have there, and perhaps he can find a brand he wants for $50 (or under or something he can afford). This has worked quite well, as once he discovered that North Face is a bajillion dollars he quickly changed his mind
He is saving for an iPod Touch, however, and I bet he is successful, which is just fine by me – he’s learning the value of a dollar and how to budget!
Not sure how my other kids will be, but we’ll fine out soon enough
My oldest is a boy and not yet into name brands, but this is a topic that I have been tuned into lately. I feel like I walk around and everyone is dressed in a uniform — UGG boots, Northface jacket, fancy purse of some sort. The thing is the parents are dressed in the same uniform. I never cared much about labels. Still don’t. I think it’s because my mom never cared much about labels, only quality. Perhaps we parents need to set a better example. But, again, I haven’t encountered this at home (yet) so it’s easy for me to say…
I agree with setting a budget for specific items and letting the teen know that if they want something more expensive they will have to pay the difference.
This puts the burden on the teen and makes the item more valuable in their eyes. When they lose it or give it away they know that they paid the extra price and will have to come up with that money again if they want another one.