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affordable clothing?
I’m 14 and I’m really pissed because I have next to no decent clothes. I’m not exactly wealthy, but my family’s *far* from being poor. Okay, I have about 8 blouses that I’ve collected through the years, two skirts and two pairs of jeans that fit, and that’s it. My mom grew up in a really poor part of Asia and immigrated here about 15 years ago, but even still, she has no idea what teenage girls are like. I asked her to let me get a nice pair of shorts from American Eagle (which was $40) and she got really mad and gave me this lecture about how I should be thankful that I have any clothes at all because when she grew up, she only had, like, two pairs of cotton pants throughout most of her childhood, and how she breaks her back trying to support our family and I’m just being a greedy spoiled brat. She refuses to buy me any article of clothing over $30. What makes me even more mad is that she still buys $50 worth of earrings for herself (she gets loads of really cheap jewelry on those TV jewelry channels) when she doesn’t NEED any new jewelry, yet she won’t let me buy a $40 pair of shorts.
The worst part about all this is the other kids at school. I go to one of those expensive private schools and all of the other girls at my school who have entire wardrobes filled with those fancy designer clothes from stores like Abercrombie, Hollister, American Eagle, etc. I feel really ashamed next to everyone else because I don’t have many nice clothes at all. While all of these girls make monthly shopping sprees, I’m allowed two shopping trips a year. But even during these shopping trips, I can hardly find anything under $30 because nothing ever fits. Seriously, I’m way too skinny….my waistline is like, 22 inches and my hips are 27 inches. No, I’m not anorexic, it’s just the way I am. I don’t need any eating advice or anything, because there’s no way I’m going to diet and put on weight just to wear clothes. My pants size is 00 and my shirt size is XXS, and the only stores that carry anything flattering for really skinny people in those sizes are the expensive places, like Abercrombie. I would’ve ordered things online, but my mom doesn’t believe in shopping online-----she’s afraid someone will steal her credit card number.
I know this question might make me seem whiny and ungrateful and vain and spoiled because there are people dying in Darfur and I’m concerned about a pair of shorts, but still, it really makes me feel bad that I’m the only person in
What should I do about this? I tried talking to my dad, but he won’t make her understand. She’s got a one-track mind.
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i would suggest that you mix and match your wardrobe. maybe get a few basic T-shirts at Wet Seal and some neclaces from Forever 21 and use those to mix and match. also, Aeropostle has really cute things just like american eagle exept everything is like $10. and have you tried the 15$ store? thay have designer brands for 15$ no joke.
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My only advice would be to get a job and pay for the clothes yourself. Then you'll see what your mom is talking about. You can get a job babysitting or maybe as a dishwasher that can earn you some decent money. That way you can spend it on the clothes you need and your mom won't be able to interfere.
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That's a little bit crazy. usually hollister has things on sale for smallll sizes - you can get shirts for like $10 and pants at $20 sometimes. ask if you can just have some maney for the year and buy things when they are on sale, now when you have a shoppin trip. really, you don't have to spend $40 on shorts... i'm one of those girls that has a nice wardrobe and i DON'T pay full price. get them on sale a week later - that's how AE is. Try to look fr good deals not just the brand and if it fits. you can try charlotte russe and stuff too. if you need anything else, lemme know. <3
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Try to go shopping with ur dad, he seems to be more understanding than ur mom.
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Clothes are really quite important to teenage girls, I know. But in sll honesty it won't matter too much in the long run, however knowing that this is something bothering you I suggest one of two things.
Firstly, get a job. It doesn't have to be a Part-time job, babysit, do odd jobs. My sister was fourteen when she got her first part-time job, so jsut put your resume in,even if you don't have any work experiance.
Or secondly. Shop at Thrift Stores.
People actualy envy my outfits, and are surprised when I tell them that abotu 3/4 of all the clothes I own are from Goodwill or Value Village.
The point of thirft store shopping is to ONLY get clothes that you really like, and I'd go for orignality over brand-name.
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You are right dearie, your question does seem whiny and ungrateful, but that doesn't make you a bad person. What it means is that you are a person who is sitting around stewing instead of working to solve her problem.
You need to talk to your mother, but I would suggest, rather then rehashing the same old argument over and over again about value of clothing and your desires, you ask for something different. Ask for a clothing allowance.
Ask your mother and father (it might be good if you get them both together, they will probably help each other stay calm and paying attention) for a set amount of money each month to put towards clothing that you yourself can choose and control. Maybe $40 dollars is a good place to start. That way, you can pick your own clothing, and save for a month or two if there is something special you want. If you do it this way you'll be spending your own money, rather then being dependant on making your mother agree with each purchase. Just make sure you make the deal clear and write down whether your clothing allowance has to include shoes, underwear or winter jackets. If it does include those things, ask for more money.
If this doesn’t work, you can either go back to the same old routine of bugging your mom and fighting with her and bitching OR you can find ways to make your own money to buy clothes. Those are really your only options. If you can't make your own money and you can't convince your mother, well you are just sort of stuck. Sometimes parents just suck like that, and they are allowed to suck and do stupid things. Teenagers just have to suck it up and deal sometimes (God knows I had too).
Find a job, baby-sit, take care of pet or a neighbor’s lawn and use your own money to for clothing. You aren’t a child anymore. Your parent’s aint going to solve all your problems. These days, they will probably cause more problems then they will solve. Learn to work around it.
(This is just a note, because this is one of my pet peeves but Abercrombie, Hollister, American Eagle are not designer clothes. They are off-the-rack mass market clothing. Don't let people look down on you because they buy some off the rack stuff from those places. Fendi, Mendocino, Vera Wang... those are designer clothing lines. It really bothers me when vicious little girls call mass market stores like those ones 'designer' just to make other girls feel bad. They aren't designer. They never were, they never will be. They are just 'popular'. If you like them, that's fine, but please don't buy the bullshit those girls are trying to sell you. They are just trying to make you feel bad. Jerks.)
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ask for $30 and go to platos closet. its a resale shop. you could find anything there. probly even thoes shorts! i go there a lot the clothes isnt bad its a good store everything is around like $3-$10 shirts mainly $5 i think its good go there with ur mom. she could buy some jewelery there to save money and maybe the money could go to clothes that you need. think she doesnt want you walkin around naked you need clothes. try it she would like it.
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Hey dont worry about it I go through same stuff. My parents are also from Asia so ha I know the same old lecture about all that stuff :D
It's pretty impossible to convince moms to let you buy clothes like that unless you go to mall with your friends and you just buy the clothes with your own money and tell her you bought it off sale rack or something (which works quite well if you have a good money saved and have good relationships with your friend's parent which will be source of your ride XD)
or you can literally buy the clothes when they are on sale. Shirts that are usually 30 dollars goes down to 15 dollars or so in Aeropostale and AEO. Hollister as well.
Or you can go to outlet stores like Ross Dress for less, Bells Outlet.
Hope this helped and good luck!!
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