My oldest is a senior in highschool. From what I have observed, appearance – especially for teenage girls – is less about self expression and more about seeking approval from other girls. Clothing is entirely a status symbol.

There’s often a few girls who are the “trend setters”, a much larger group of “followers” that basically look like carbon copies of one another, and yet another group that doesn’t follow the latest “trend” because they either can’t afford to or (much less often) don’t care.

My daughter is obsessed with looks, as are most of her peers. Trying desperately to fit in because she’s not yet mature enough to realize that it doesn’t matter if all the other girls “like” her. It only really matters if she likes herself.

I’ve told her, only half joking, that she will know a guy is good boyfriend material when he asks her which books she’s read lately.