The Brand and Consumer Insights Department at Nickelodeon Kids & Family, make a living out of understanding the importance of kid’s culture. They constantly track and identify the trends and explore what it means to be a kid today. Although these consumer insights are comprehensive I want to focus on fashion and style. We know kids’ sense of personal style is very important to who they are. In fact, it is one of the most obvious ways for them to connect to peers and define their individuality.
The terms ‘fashion’ and ‘style’ are defined very differently by teens and tweens. Fashion is synonymous with supermodels, runways, trends and brand-name clothes. Style, on the other hand, evokes an emotional connection. If asked most teens would agree that style is a representation of themselves –” a way to express who they are to their peers and grown ups.” Fashion is more about brands and is considered to be the vehicle used to create and inspire personal style.
Style takes on different meanings depending on age and gender.
Girls
- Girls believe indicators of their style are clothes, as well as everything from shoes to hair accessories, and jewelry to purses.
- By age 10 girls start to conceptually think and shop with an entire look in mind.
- Girls are able to easily label their personal style in one statement, using descriptions such as ‘girly-girl,’ ‘casual’ and ‘comfortable.
- Tween girls are the most impressionable when it comes to admiring styles they see on celebrities, in stores and on their friends.
- Girls are driven by brands in both the clothing and accessories categories, using labels as a tool to tie them to friends.
Boys
- Boys only have two major indicators of personal style – clothes and sneakers.
- When asked boys (age 8-12) claim that personal style is something they claim they don’t care about, ‘I’ll just wear whatever my mom gets me.”
- Boys have difficulty putting a label on their style, oftentimes saying, “I’m just me.”
- Boys are driven by the quality of clothes rather than the brand name when it comes to importance, and use other interests outside fashion to bond with other kids.
Both boys and girls believe that hair is a significant part of their overall styles. Though personal upkeep obviously vary between the two sexes, both say that hair can “make the look.” The way their hair looks is also a reflection of how much they care about their overall appearance. By age eight, kids start to care about the way they dress and look. Their mom’s ability to choose what they wear becomes less prominent and is almost non-existent once kids become teenagers. While parents may still be the primary purchaser, kids have strong opinions (which get more intense with age) about what they want and don’t want to wear.
When exploring the importance of personal styles, almost all kids express a need to be “original” among their friends and peers. A kid’s definition of original can show itself in one of several ways. Being the first to buy a hot new brand, popping shirt collars, distressing jeans or buying purple furry boots when everyone else bought them in white are examples. Regardless of how originality is defined, kids and teens need to feel unique when the conformity of styles is such an important issue. Overwhelmingly, kids and teens agree that they hate it when others “copy” them and that it takes away from their efforts to be original. As one 12-year-old girl explained, “I like to keep up with popular styles, but I like to make my style my own.” Although both boys and girls would agree that the driving force behind clothes is comfort, the truth is the most important thing to both boys and girls is how they look in their clothes! This behavior is typical and predictable when you consider the narcissistic attitudes that teens and tweens are experiencing.
The end is near! By the time kids reach their teens, there is a need to break away and explore individuality. Teens will have often gone through one or two style transformations in trying to figure out which works best for them. By this age, there is more tolerance and acceptance about being bolder with individual style choices. Soon the work place will dictate professional dress, uniforms, or casual Friday apparel choices and the years of making a statement will fall behind the days ahead of identifying with the group!
—————-
** Jeff Yalden is one of the most sought after teen motivational speakers in the world today for teen events. From high school assemblies that want to stop bullying in schools to leadership and character development, Jeff Yalden is the teen motivational speaker that your high school students want to hear. As a youth speaker, Jeff has been speaking professionally for 20 years. He’s delivered his message to every province in Canada, all 50 states, and to teens in 48 different countries. Known as the “Veteran”, Jeff Yalden is the youth speaker for school assemblies and teen leadership conferences that your teens will thank you for hiring. Visit www.JeffYalden.com today for more information.
