Parents’ Guide to Teen Girls’ Clothing Choices, Plus How to Handle Changing Finances

Ask Rachel anything

Can you imagine a TV presenter wearing the same blue suit on-screen for 12 months and nobody noticing, or commenting?  Well in Australia, Karl Stefanovic did exactly this to make a point about the different standards men and women are held to.  He says whilst his female colleagues were often messaged about what they were wearing, in his case nobody even mentioned his clothing. All the messages were about how he did his job.

This is the difficult world our teenage girls have to navigate. So they soon realise that what they wear has immense power, but also marks them out and exposes them to criticism. It's a tricky path to tread even for an adult woman. Given that our teen girls are growing up in a world in which many of their icons dress in a very provocative manner, the question of how we talk to our own daughters about the clothes they chose has never been more important.

So how do we tread the line between making sure that they feel confident about themselves, without triggering our own fears and prejudices?

Also, a housing crisis in Sarah's area has meant their family have had to downsize their home. She's concerned about how she should talk with her teenagers about the situation. We look at how she can handle it in a way that stops the situation from having more of an impact than it needs to.

RESOURCES USED:

Girls clothing

• https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/teenagers/teen-talk/why-you-should-let-your-teen-wear-what-they-want/
• https://bellamag.co/dress-code-conversation-teen/
• https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/what-youre-wearing-too-revealing.html
• https://www.choosingtherapy.com/how-to-talk-to-your-daughter-about-clothes/

Change of circumstance

• https://hbr.org/2016/09/how-to-get-better-at-dealing-with-change
• https://thebounceblog.com/articles/bouncing-back-from-financial-grief-and-loss/
• https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/aug/03/sacrifice-your-civility-and-make-a-start-how-to-talk-to-teenagers-about-money
• https://adc.bmj.com/content/101/10/917 Family income and young adolescents’ perceived social position: associations with self-esteem and life satisfaction in the UK Millennium Cohort Study
•  https://parents.au.reachout.com/common-concerns/coping-with-the-drought/talking-to-a-teenager-about-money-issues
  
  

Support the show

Please hit the follow button if you like the podcast, and share it with anyone who might benefit. 

You can review us on Apple podcasts by going to the show page, scrolling down to the bottom where you can click on a star then you can leave your message. 

Please don't hesitate to seek the advice of a specialist if you're not coping. There's no shame in reaching out for support. When you look after yourself your entire family benefits.

My email is teenagersuntangled@gmail.com 
My website has a blog, searchable episodes, and ways to contact me:
www.teenagersuntangled.com

Find me on Substack: https://teenagersuntangled.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teenagersuntangled/
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/teenagersuntangled/

You can reach Susie at www.amindful-life.co.uk