It’s a tween thing

So here’s my sweet angel, my sister. She’s 11 (going on 12 in October). Now, notice she’s wearing makeup (eye liner and a bit of lip color). I’m not big on little girls wearing makeup to go out BUT we were at BeautyCon that day so I let her have a bit of makeup fun (yeah, I’m kind of strict). I was actually surprised she asked for a makeover at all. She’s very particular about what she likes, which I learned during our shopping trip to Forever 21 the day before the conference.
< When she first arrived to LA, I bought her a few dresses from Target. I wasn't really sure what she liked. She didn't want to impose so she seemed happy with what I picked out. But I can tell there was something else she would've preferred but was too shy to ask. After spending several days with her, I learned that she listened to a lot of indie rock (some pop, but mostly on the rock side). When I said I was going to take her to Forever 21, she said her friend gets clothes delivered to Ecuador from that store. I thought "OK, now we're on to something." We looked around the store several times. I pointed at tops, shorts, dresses to no avail. I randomly pointed at the Rolling Stones tank and her eyes immediately lit up. She said she loves the Stones, and that she listens to a lot of their music. I started picking up on her style and what she liked and it's pretty much the 90s all over again. I think I lived in tees, Levis and a black hat all through college (mc boots and dr. marten's). So I totally got it at that point - All we needed was the hat and a bit of silver to complete the look. As you can see, she was happy and loved the way she looked when we headed to BeautyCon.
Although my sister wears a uniform to school, I think this is a good lesson in back to school shopping. Allow the kids to express themselves, collaborate in the shopping experience and let them feel that their choices matter too. Our tweens and teens notice all types of things about themselves that we just don’t get because we see them as perfect and beautiful. And as much as we tell them they’re amazing, it’s still a very awkward time. I’m not an expert in shopping with girls, I’ll admit. But my son is the exact same way. He likes what he likes, and can’t fathom much of the trends he sees today. He likes a classic suit or sweats, and that pretty much sums it up. I simply cannot get him into outfits I think would look great on him, but it’s not for me to dictate my personal style on him. Same for my sis. She looks a-dor-a-ble in a dress but a bit of edge is more her thing. I will admit, I did draw the line with makeup after that day. There’s plenty of time for that!