Modesty in young girls’ fashion?

[Mel15sa]

I’m honestly quite shocked at what I keep seeing lately. So many young girls from those walking with their mums to groups of older teens wearing these high-waisted, skin-tight gym shorts that are basically leggings chopped off mid-thigh. They leave nothing to the imagination.

When I was that age, yes, we wanted to look fashionable too. We wore jean shorts, maybe a crop top on a hot day, but there were still some boundaries. Now it feels like modesty has completely gone out the window.

I can’t help but think: is this really just “fashion”? Or are girls dressing like this for attention, because it certainly draws the eye? It makes me sad that such young girls feel they have to put their bodies on display like this.

I know people will say “times change” but is this really a change for the better?
Are we doing girls any favours by normalising clothes that show off absolutely everything?

For context, I’m not bitter or jealous. I get compliments, and I could wear the same if I wanted to. But I choose not to, because I believe in dressing modestly. Even in the gym, I don’t dress in skin tight clothing. What worries me is seeing younger and younger girls thinking this sort of exposure is the norm.

What on earth has happened to modesty? Am I the only one concerned about this?

YABU. I'm guessing you judge people who wear appropriately "skin tight clothing", or, ya know, gym clothes at the gym too.

There's nothing wrong with the shorts pictured, so to me your argument is lost.

I agree to an extent, as I don’t let my young teen daughter wear things I would consider too old for her in that way, and I hate this trend of rolling up school skirts so short that their bum cheeks literally show. I don’t actually see anything wrong with those shorts though!

I think those shorts might be the wrong choice of image to try and make your point. They look fine to me.

They are fine, not revealing anything, around here they are shorter than that, as bum cheek revealing. Nike pros I think

youre going to get your arse handed to you on a plate because mumsnet doesn’t like theses discussions but FWIW I don’t disagree. There was a child walking in front of me yesterday wearing tiny Nike pro shorts and a bra top. In the city centre. She looked freezing and slightly ridiculous but this is apparently the fashion.

What age are you talking about?

I don't think any girl under secondary school age will think of "dressing like this for attention, because it certainly draws the eye? It makes me sad that such young girls feel they have to put their bodies on display like this."

I see girls dressed in these shorts because they come from or go to clubs, lots of dance schools use them for non-ballet classes or they have gymnastics. Or the girls like to wear them because they are comfortable. Often the mums/older sisters also wear gym style clothes out of the gym.

If they had half a bum cheek sticking out the bottom of them then I could get where you were coming from, but there is nothing wrong with the shorts you’ve posted. My very active dd (12) wears them all the time paired with big baggy t-shirts and trainers because they’re comfortable and non-restrictive.

They are currently fashionable.

lots of pre teens wearing them around where I live.

i wore similar in the 80s.

I remember wearing cycling shorts out at my DD’s age (12) — but we did wear big baggy T-shirts on top covering our actual bums.

I think there’s an element of both, OP. Lots of past fashions were pretty revealing. However there are a few current fashions that I do think are a bit eye-stretchingly OTT — super short mini dresses and shorts showing bum cheeks, bum scrunch leggings, thong bikinis and so on. I definitely wouldn’t let my DD wear a few of the trends I see out and about! I also don’t like brands that use porny advertising and photos focusing on young girls’ bottoms (White Fox, I’m looking at you…)

On the other hand, I’m pretty relaxed about run of the mill miniskirts and strappy tops and shorts and so on — not any different from the stuff I was wearing at that age. Luckily there is enough fashion around like long comfy trousers and skirts, baggy jumpers and suchlike that means girls can avoid the too-tight bum displaying stuff as well.

Like this sort of thing….

Why do you find shorts so offensive?

YANBU. Sports clothes belong in a gym/on the court for a start. Seeing young kids wearing skin tight/hardly there clothes is grim. My DC weren’t permitted to dress like that, it looks like there are no parental boundaries.

I think YANBU. It’s the toxic Kardashian culture and I think it’s overly sexualising. I don’t even think the kids know this tbh; it’s the celeb culture x

I totally agree with you OP.

I've been pilloried on
MN before for my view but I fail to understand, why in these days of supposedly equality, boys and teenage boys, and young men generally dress stylishly and appropriately whilst girls - and increasingly young girls- teenage girls and young women are wearing less and less clothing.
And what they do wear is very often not good quality, not flattering and appears to be chosen because of the amount of flesh it reveals. And is quite often not suitable for the occasion.
And it's nothing to do with " body positivity " no matter what the cool brigade try and sell us. It's to do with the age old problem of women being sold the line that they need to look sexy to have any value.
No wonder so many men disrespect women when so many women reduce themselves to bodies rather than actual people with brains and personality.

I saw a lot worse at Reading festival, all the girls were wearing little frilly shorts with their arse cheeks hanging out. Nothing wrong with the cycling shorts above!

many of the Nike pro shorts mentioned here are quite a lot shorter than the ones Op has put in the picture! X

I quite agree and will also be roasted on here. But I see young girls walking around in little more than bra and pants. I think it is all rather sad.

Yeah except nobody would have actually gone out in town in these. An aerobics class or on a TV fitness show yes; but nobody was actually out in M&S in 1987 looking like something from an Eric Prydz music video!

Historically there has been a disproportionate focus on "modesty" for girls and women (rather than for young people or people in general), to their disadvantage. However, outside of actual sports/workout context or immediately around that (e.g., walking home from the gym) leggings of any length with the crotch exposed look bad on everyone, are generally inappropriate, and should be discouraged.

I did!

quite a few of my friends did as well!

we had neon leggings and neon tops.

thought we were the bees knees.

They were at Leeds too, they look just like the frilly over pants I used to put on my daughter to hide her nappy when she was a baby 😆😆

I’m in my 50s and I remember my best friend wearing shorts that looked like knickers out. And I had hot pants. And mini skirts. And those were around in the 60s FFS.

Shorts like those pictured give a strong, sporty and confident look. Fine in my opinion.

Personally I don't like ultra short shorts, crop tops (unless for actual athletics), clothes with 'adult' slogans on pre-teens. But the sporty look is fine. Glad they feel confident!

"They leave nothing to the imagination"??

What the fuck is wrong with you.

In the old-fashioned Northern town where I grew up people would have literally been pointing and staring 😆 Maybe you grew up in some modish place Down South where the locals were far more sophisticated! 🤣