Role Modeling by Tween Celebrities. According to TrendCentral, when Hannah Montana the Movie debuted in theatres in April, modesty as fashion trend became official. The Chicago Tribune (“Tween Style Takes a Modest Turn”) reported “star Miley Cyrus wasn't even allowed to wear leggings while the cameras were rolling. Spaghetti straps were verboten, as were bare bellies, micro minis, one-shouldered tanks and anything resembling a camisole.” Other tween pacesetters have also moved to modest apparel (notably iCarly and High School Musical.) When tween celebrities pronounce a blessing upon a fashion style by wearing it (be it Britney Spears a decade ago, or Miley Cyrus today), kids clamor to dress like their idols.

A Closing of the Generation Gap. Trendcentral reported recently, “tweens these days are much closer to their parents and are hyper-conscious of anything that could upset them. As the generation gap closes, tweens are truly looking to their parents for second opinions and are seeking parental approval in their clothing choices.”

I freely admit that I didn’t see this positive factor emerging. I don’t know if it’s a fleeting trend, or if the pendulum has truly swung toward an ongoing, overall improvement in parent-child relationships. I certainly hope for the latter. But, the result has been a pronounced movement towards more modest clothing.

Also, it’s worth noting that parents often have more influence on their tweens and teens than they realize. No matter what pop culture and retailers may say or do in the future, keep building positive relationships with your tweens and teens and don’t underestimate how much of an impact you really can have on your own kids.

So, modesty has made a comeback! It’s a rare happening these days when pop culture actually moves in a more conservative direction.  Parents, utter a sigh of relief and enjoy the moment while it lasts!

Sources:

Marketing Daily 

USA Today 

The Chicago Tribune  

Trendcentral 

Published May 20, 2009