Girl Stuff

Here is an article I wrote that appeared on The Radical Revolution blogsite today....thought you might like to share it with your pre-teens and teen daughters:

I have a friend named Maddie who is 13 years old. I love her style. She’s the type of girl who,

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when you see her, is dressed a little funky, with jeans that may have a big flower on

the pocket, and a wrap top that’s layered with a few tanks of multiple colors underneath.

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She'll add a shrug on top of that and finish it off with a scarf draped around her small neck, terrific earrings and colorful bracelets. On her feet you’ll find pink high top converse tennis shoes one day, and fashionable wedges the next.

All of these items she’ll have found at the local Goodwill or maybe even a community yard sale.

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A few weeks ago she came home from attending a new youth group. Naturally, she went dressed in her usual style. The following week, as her mom was taking her to the same youth group, she noticed Maddie was dressed differently. She looked like the typical girl that you see anywhere.

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Heather, her mom, thought it a little odd, but she didn’t say anything.

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When Maddie got home that evening she told her mom that she dressed that way because she wanted to fit in. She said the week before, all the girls complimented her on her fun look yet she felt “different.”

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So she made a decision to go back to that youth group and dress “like the other girls.” But what Maddie told her mom next was interesting.

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She said that as she had tried to dress like the other girls, a few of the other girls came dressed like her!

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Yep, that’s right. They got a little more daring, a little more expressive and creative and tried to have more fun in their clothing choices.

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Isn’t it funny how much we want to be accepted by others so we try to look like them?

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Society has taught us that we need to look like, act like and talk like everyone else, otherwise we’ll stand out.

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And be different.

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Isn’t that a good thing, being different?

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I’m not sure what the fashion magazines would call it but I like to call it “Radical Style.”

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Be true to who you are without compromise.

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The next time you get dressed try something unique. Add an accessory you’ve always loved but haven’t worn before. Borrow a shirt from your dad or brother and tie it up at the waist and then add a broach from Grandma. Pair this with jeans and tennis shoes or ballet flats. Wear two or three colors that you normally wouldn’t wear together and then pull it together by wearing a few bead necklaces, one in each color.

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Be bold, have fun, find your own style and show the world who you are by the clothes you wear!

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Have a fashionable day,

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Shari

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Special Note: The Radical Revolution Blogsite is a place for teen girls and preteens to go to and get devotionals and fashion advice just for them...have them check it out!