A few weeks ago, I took my nieces shopping at a mall back home in the Midwest.  As we walked through the shops, I noticed a few teenage girls wearing mini skirts and flips flops when it was snowing outside.  We ended up in  Hollister, a store geared toward teenagers with low lighting and lounge chairs with magazines.  My nieces lurched toward the clearance rack while I took a gander of the sort of clothes they sold.  I saw a mother dissuading her daughter from buying a shirt that said “I want a boyfriend.”

I looked up Hollister on the net and yes I went to wikipedia’s entry.

Hollister Co. is a California-inspired apparel brand that attracts patrons ages 14-18 for not only its colorful clothing, but also its moderate prices which were meant to compete closer with, but still not as inexpensive as, other brands such as American Eagle Outfitters and Old Navy. Hollister stores have a worn and washed out impoverished beachside boardwalk theme, the façade resembles a dump-front shack made from driftwood, and dimly lit interior with surfboards mounted on the storefront wall and a wood floor that looks like aged western red cedar shingles.

Not only did I feel so much older next to younger people rifling through the sale items, but I didn’t get the “point” of the store.  All of the saleswomen were wearing tiny little outfits, some with thongs hanging out.  Of course, I think role models for young women today aren’t that impressive with barely there outfits (no underwear!) I don’t think stores that sell provocative clothes should be shut down and banned.

I DO think that clothing stores in addition to advertising and marketing companies should reevaluate the images they are selling to young men and women.  Sex does sell but it also opens up all sorts of questions to younger people about what they’re wearing.

I remember when I was in middle school and shopping at Urban Outfitters.  My mom saw a shirt that had a little girl and a birthday cake with the words BLOW on top near the breasts.  I was embaressed because I knew it referred to fellatio.  My mom just rolled her eyes and we kept on looking at other clothes.

Thankfully I didn’t have to explain any overtly sexual sayings or innuendos to my nieces though I’m sure they’ll want to know some day.