The Teenage Fashionista
When Rhea schooled her mom on how fashion works
Published in The Lark Magazine
Rhea was a 14-year-old precocious teenager who wanted to go shopping and nagged her mother to take her to the mall. She’d made a list of items she wanted: black skirt, blue jeans, and winter boots from Zara, cute tops from H&M, a blogger on her Instagram wore these amazing jackets from Aritzia and earrings, hairbands, and other accessories from Claire.
The list continued endlessly.
Her mother Cynthia gaped in dismay when she saw the items her daughter claimed she ‘absolutely had to have’ and objected vociferously. Since the pandemic all of Rhea’s classes were online…why in Holy Heaven did she need new clothes when she barely wore any of the clothes she already owned? And to prove her point to her daughter, Cynthia opened Rhea’s jampacked wardrobe with a flourish and gestured towards clothes that were threatening to burst out of its seams. Rhea did not just have clothes hanging on multiple hangers but each of the hangers held multiple hangers, which, in turn, held more clothes.
Cynthia looked at her daughter’s list and went through each one. Black skirt? Rhea already had two. But, mom! They’re old. Like two years old and no one wears them anymore. Blue jeans? Rhea had at least 20 pairs. Well. You can never have enough jeans, Rhea muttered under her breath. Cynthia also showed her daughter winter jackets that she never wore, shoes that still had price tags, and never mind the hundreds of hair bands, earrings, silver and gold bracelets that literally fell out of the dresser drawer.
“Why do you need more?” Cynthia asked Rhea.
“Because mother, dear… it’s not about ‘needing’ to shop. It’s about ‘wanting’ to shop,” Rhea drawled.
“Spare the rod and spoil the child,” Cynthia muttered. “This is what happens when you try to be friends with your child. They take advantage of you.”
Rhea rolled her eyes. “Come on, mom! Sure, you spared the rod. But, really… I’m still waiting for the spoiling to happen.”
“Apart from everything in your room — you also have the newest iMac, the latest model iPhone, and an iPad. Between me and your dad — we take you to Gap and Forever 21 at least once every six months. This is over and above the allowance we give you. Which, strictly speaking, you should use to buy yourself what you need… sorry… want. I’d say we’re spoiling you an unhealthy level.”
Rhea tut-tutted and gave her mom a tight hug and said, “Oh, mommikins! You’re so cute getting all bent out of shape. What you’re doing is not called spoiling. It’s called the life of an average urban 16-year-old these days.”
Cynthia shook her head and continued with her rant. “Not to mention when you buy your own clothes or shoes… it’s never the right size. The last time you bought boots they pinched your feet.”
“That’s because everyone has to make sacrifices for fashion, mom. Always buy one size smaller clothes because that is the motivation you need to lose the extra weight you don’t have. And, a pinched shoe is the sacrifice you make for having dainty feet and the pain you go through wearing one size smaller creates a pinched and constantly angry look on your face which the world of fashion loves. This is what you need to do to be hailed a fashionista. Get with the program, mom!”
