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?

Also why does a 2 year old need a black leather skirt??? From M&S, age range 2-8 Years!!

But as far as the op is concerned, I don’t agree with the term modesty, it’s ridiculous to say girls need to dress a certain way because they should “leave things to [men’s] imagination”.

i don’t like the look of skin tight revealing clothes on ANYONE, male or female and certainly not sexualising young children.
So I do agree that they look ridiculous and would not like my DD to go out with her arse hanging out, but maybe that’s my issue not hers? Idk. I just wish it wasn’t fashionable!

Do you see many boys wearing shorts like that? I don't. But so long as their arse cheeks aren't hanging out it's fine 🙄

Well, exactly. Why are you imagining what children look like under their clothes?

I was a 1990s teen and we all had low jeans with our thongs coming out the top and corset tops. They’re wearing gym shorts 🤷🏻‍♀️

No, they just walk around topless, or with their pants under their bum.

I don’t think any of those were remotely as suggestive as the skin tight bum scrunch leggings and shorts that are currently around, where the entire point is that you actually see a fair bit of the actual bum or (with the leggings) all the contours of the bum crack!

The use of the 'modesty' word is a dogwhistle for the 'traditional values', 'Nigel farage is an okay guy actually' lot 🙄

I do prefer modest dressing on basically everyone if I'm honest. That's just my taste. So some of the clothes I see young women (almost always young women) wearing are a bit too much of an eyeful for me. But it's not my body, so not up to me.

I do think it's mostly fashion 🤔. I certainly remember those horrible (just my opinion) tops which are like a lacy, baby doll, nightdress thing, with a big split up the front, being de rigueur when I was a teenager in the early 00s. My friend used to have one which was a mini dress, split up to the bra line at the front, which she wore with cycling shorts. I also remember there being people in see-through, lace hipster flares, and (even more memorably) pvc hotpants on nights out.

Possibly OF creators being a lot more visible than sex workers were in the past, porn being a lot easier to get hold of, more body parts on display on shows like love island, naked attraction etc etc, might also make it more acceptable now to show a lot of your body.

My DD9 lives for tiny lycra clothes. She's really athletic and spends most of her time upside down. She does dance and gym and likes to wear her clothes for them day to day.

I agree.

Women’s fashion is bizarre.

As is the fact that we’re conditioned into accepting showing ourselves off, otherwise we’re somehow not “liberated”.

An out door event I was at in August had loads of girls from about 9 years old upwards sporting white cowboy boots, bum cheek level cut off jean hot pants and a variety of bra tops with tassels hanging off. The older teens were wearing similar with see through t shirts without bras, and quite a few teens seemed to have bought their outfit directly from Ann Summers.

Finally, I truly felt old and muttered to my mate that I wouldn't have let my daughter go out looking like that. More specifically, I wouldn't have let her go out looking like a sort of cowgirl sex worker at the age of 10, 11, 12.... As an adult, she can do what she likes. But, I am clearly well old.

Some would say that pushing boundaries with fashion is just part of exploration as a teen and I agree somewhat. I remember when teenagers would wear different coloured bra straps and have them on show. It was a trend as was boys wearing low slung jeans so you could see the waistband of their boxers or worse have the jeans under their pants.

There is a balance in view between rolling up the waistband of your skirt and having your arse on show. However, I think it is up to families to manage this. My eldest is 9 and so far I just emphasise that clothing should be appropriate for the setting you find your self in and the same chat has been had with her brother.

Those shorts in the pic are quite tame compared to some I’ve seen. I have seen actual bum cheeks before now. Never the boys though.

A festival has a slightly different vibe - a bit like wearing a bikini on the beach but not in the street.

What I did find extraordinary the other day was a young girl aged around 14/15 wearing frilly denim shorts that truly were stuck right up her backside with three quarters of her buttocks on show... going into Waitrose.

I can only assume she didn't leave the house like that!

I mean no one in the 1960s or 1980s was going around out and about wearing something like this, unless at the gym or pool/beach, no?

In 1989 pre-teen and teen girls and women absolutely were wearing outrageous cycling shorts and crop-tops. Although the fashion perhaps wasnt quite as tight and the fabrics slightly thicker and less clingy. No scrunch bum either.

Laughing at everyone who ‘can’t see anything wrong’ with the shorts - most reasonable adults can’t see that they are not appropriate for young girls, awful.

You only need to look at photos to know that's bollocks - of course they were.

@Mel15sa you don’t fancy coming back and joining in with the discussion do you? Or is it another light the touch paper post? …

And yes I do agree with you but you chose the wrong shorts.

I agree! They show every crack and crevice, just horrible.

But why is it acceptable for " girls " -I don't know what age group you are referring to but " girl implies anyone up to the age of 18, because after that they are adults and therefore women- to walk around with their arse on public view whilst boys and men have more self respect, or sense of decency, not to do that?

What are we teaching our daughters that they think their only value lies in the amount of flesh they display. It's just so sad that they have so little self worth and self respect.

Where i live there is a pub popular with young people and the young women seem to take great delight in going up the stairs with the shortest skirts ever. You can see everything if you are unfortunate enough to be sitting at the tables at the bottom.

It’s a tough one because I think everyone should feel free to wear whatever they want, whether it’s hot pants or hijabs.

But I have to admit to wincing when I see young girls baring so much and men’s lascivious gazes on those girls (when they’re often young enough to be their daughters.

What nonsense.