THE NEW FAD

Today was the last day of school in our area. I could sit at my computer and observe all the latest youth styles and trends from the comfort of my living room.

The largest church in the area organized a citywide community Party at the Pier event for all Junior and Senior High students. We are four blocks from the pier and the traffic has been steady all day. Since the hosts commandeered the parks parking lot for various activities parking has pushed out past The Home.

My daughter warned me about the event on Saturday. The church she attends is the big push behind the event. They gathered the support of many area businesses so the event would be free. They had five area bands, three on three-basketball tournament, break dancing competition and dozens of other activities. The events were to run from noon until 5:00. Kids are mostly leaving as I write.

I was out this morning picking up prescriptions and drove by the park on my return to The Home. That was about 11:15. The police were out in force with piles of volunteer security to keep everything under control. There was already a crowd a block long waiting to get in. We were expecting window shaking noise from the bands, but my upstairs neighbor said she never hear them at all. I did hear them, but it was soft.

I was thrilled with the event. What a cool thing for a church to do. They already have over 300 teens to begin the crowd of 2,000. My oldest granddaughter is part of their group and no doubt was there all day. She never misses anything they do. I know my son-in-law was there, I saw him pullout out of the parking lot across the street from my window. I should be ticked off. He never looked this way, never stopped in, never knocked on my window or even honked. He must hate me. I’m joking. He teaches at one of the local high schools and attends the sponsoring church. He must have been involved.

Anyway, back to the styles I noticed. On the whole, they were just typical kids with a very normal look. Boys dressed in jeans and a T-shirt with most wearing a baseball cap. Girls were much the same. Several had shorts.

We actually had the sun today. It is suppose to be the first warm day of five or six more. Some guys were in shorts. The funky shorts were the basketball shorts hanging below the calves. That was paired with a lovely pair of long knee length socks – usually black – so their leg was completely covered. The black socks seemed to always have a stripe near the top that clashed with the strip in the black shorts. The nylon shorts were whapped around their lower body and appeared to be a sarong hung below their butts so all could see the beauty of their plaid boxers. Most often the shirt of choice was a very oversized sleeveless nylon with a number or name that could have mated the shorts. They never did. The combination of what they wore looked like they were borrowed from their 300-pound 4 ft. tall uncle Squatty. The hairstyle was long, scraggly and hung below their dirty cap and helped to push their ears out like Dumbo.

Mostly pants were no longer under their butts. The guys were just sloppy and dirty looking. I would call it the homeless look. Girls who were strangely dressed were still mostly dressed in black Goth - like death warmed over. I guess this is still popular somewhere. You know the type – all dressed in black with pins in their ears and lips. I thought that look was over. There was no brightly colored hair. Yeah! There was also the layered look. Clashing colors of socks, leotards, short skirts, lacy blouses under various torn, ragged jackets and always some funky hat. One could not help laughing at this sight. All reminded me of Carol Burnett’s washerwoman.

The newer accessory was a pipe. The favored look was a copy of the Sherlock Holmes Pipe. There were still lots of cigarettes smokers, more smoking girls than boys. But pipes were new to me. Not lots of them, but enough to take notice.

These are all fads. This too will pass. Clothes will change hair will be restyled. None of it will last – except the tattoos. Since so much changes with teens I do wonder all long it takes before they hate the skin adornment they choose. I’m tired of them already.