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Jessica Hieber
Mrs. Lester
Advanced Composition
11 October 2011
Teenage Girls are Dressing Provocatively
In her article, "Media and Clothing Market Influence on Adolescent Girls:
Warnings for Parents,” Katie Hawkes explained that young women are “Fueled by
influential media and an overly provocative clothing market [that is] rocketing [girls] into
adult behavior... and multiple risks are along for the ride.” Teenage girls feel the need to
dress provocatively because of the world they are growing up in (Pidd). Specifically, the
media plays a large part in why society has come to accept young women in provocative
clothing. For example, music videos and their lyrics portray women in negative ways
(Hawkes). Teen magazines, as well as society’s view on what is acceptable behavior and
what is not, are not clear and is hypocritical (Gibbons). Teenage girls are growing up in a
world where dressing provocatively has become the acceptable thing to do.
Trying to understand the female mind and to why young women are dressing
provocatively has many people confused and questioning the younger generation’s
thinking. As teenage girls are looking to find themselves, they “look to women they
admire, in pursuit of a lifestyle to mimic” (Hawkes). Teenage girls look to older women
and celebrities for advice on everything from what to wear to how they should act. If a
teenager wants to fit in, she will look to a woman who is “cool” who will often times be a
celebrity (Hawkes). Society glamorizes celebrities in an unhealthy manner. There are
websites, magazines, and books dedicated to famous actors, singers, and models
(Carney). Young people may feel inclined to look up to the celebrities, because American

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society places such an impact on how the famous live (Hawkins). Girls often try to
become like the models and teen pop stars who incorporate sexual imagery into their
career. Celebrities and models are often seen as role models when it comes to fashion, so
young women want to dress like their idols in order to come off as glamorous and
fashionable to their peers (Carney). Often, advertising agencies and the music industry go
with the “sex sells” approach and have scantily clad models when marketing to teenagers
(Pidd). Teenagers are viewing sex everyday when they turn on the television (Hawkes).
Teenagers are used to seeing sexual activity on television, so they view it as a fun, past
time, more “recreational rather than relational” (Hawkes). Nowadays, it is hard to find a
show marketed to teenagers that does not show the young girls dressing risqué and
provocatively. If teenage girls are being exposed to sexual situations and seeing
immodestly dressed women everywhere they turn, then that will begin to affect
everything from their clothes to the lifestyle that they choose to live.
In addition, the media’s and society’s view on attire greatly impact a teenage
girl’s choice of clothing. In her interview “I Do Feel Pressure to Look Older,” Helen Pidd
asked a fourteen-year-old girl, why she dresses provocatively and she stated, “Girls are
under pressure to appear sexually available at an increasingly young age.” Teenage girls
feel the need to fit in with their peers (Pidd). Girls will “police each other” on sexiness. If
a girl does not adhere to the current trends in fashion, she is considered “uncool” or
unattractive (“Sexualization of Girls”). For example, if the current trends are racy, then a
girl who wants to fit in and seem in style will dress in an inappropriate way. Dressing
inappropriately will not only distract others, but may also, bring unwanted attention to the
girl from boys. Young girls are not emotionally or socially mature enough to respond to

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males’ unwanted advances (Carney). Because of its sexual image, the music industry
impacts young girls lives with the type of provocative music videos they make. A study
on the impact of music and teenagers revealed that “...as much as 81% of music videos
contain sexual imagery” (Hawkes). The saying “actions speak louder than words” comes
to mind when reading the statistic. Hearing a song on the radio that is sexually suggestive
is not the same as seeing the artist act out the lyrics in a video. The sexual imagery in
music videos often show women dressed in barely-there skirts, low cut tops, and lingerie.
Clearly, women are shown as sex objects. Teenage girls view the music videos and see
the women dressed in a risqué manner and think that they will be powerful and attractive
if they dress the same as the women in music videos (Hawkes). Even clothing that seems
childish and safe for young women can be “sexed-up” by the music industry. In her
article, “Media and Clothing Market Influence on Adolescent Girls: Warnings for
Parents,” Katie Hawkes describes a popular music video: “Clad in... a skimped-down
version of the standard plaid and button down ensemble, (Britney) Spears paraded in her
pigtails for her youthful audiences viewing pleasure” (Hawkes). After watching Britney
Spears’ music video, teenage girls will associate childishness with sexiness and therefore
the lines between what is acceptable for children and women are blurred (Dumas).
Another study found that “adolescents ranked magazines as a more important source of
information that their parents, peers, or schools” (Hawkes). Teen magazines are a source
of information for teenage girls on everything from what clothing is in style to how to
deal with boys. Magazines give girls tips on “how to look hot and sneak lip-locks with a
beau at the school locker” (Gibbons). The context of the magazines seem to contradict
one another. One article is telling girls to be sexy while another is telling a girl that she

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needs to resist the sexual activities that her clothing provokes. (Gibbons). If the materials
found in magazines are the only source of information that a girl has been receiving, then
she can become conflicted on which choices are the right ones and which will hurt her.
Teenage girls are being brainwashed by the media and society into thinking that a girl
needs to dress provocatively in order to be accepted by her peers.
Young women do not have to succumb to the media’s and society’s views on
clothing. For one thing, parents should make checking their teens’ clothing choices a part
of their daily routine (Manley). Parents should not complain about not liking the way
their daughters dress, but try to help them make smarter choices in their clothing. Some
ways that a parent can help her daughter is to research and point out women in the media
who dress conservatively (Dumas). Also, adding an undershirt to low cut tops, wearing
bermuda (knee to mid thigh length) shorts, and using slips when wearing a dress or skirt
are all possible ways to avoid not exposing too much skin, yet stay fashionable. If parents
help their daughters choose their clothing, then they could both be satisfied with the
daughter’s clothing and therefore have a better relationship. Katie Hawkes, author of
“Media and Clothing Market Influence on Adolescent Girls: Warnings for Parent,”
criticizes parents stating that “Parents are too reluctant to criticize sexual trends or
attitudes because they fear being accused of being judgmental”. If a parent is fearful of
being judgmental, she will not confront her daughter about her true feelings on how she
dresses. Not speaking to her child about the way she dresses is the exact opposite of what
a parent should do. It is the parent’s responsibility to make sure that her daughter is
dressing appropriately. If rules and discussions about dressing modestly are not
established, then a girl has free will to dress in any way that she chooses (Dumas). If a

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teenage girl is allowed to dress in any way she chooses, then she may fall victim to the
media’s influence. Another way that parents can help prevent their daughters from
dressing provocatively is to monitor their music by installing television filters to check on
their music purchases” (Hawkes). Because the media plays a large role in influencing
teenage girls, it is important for parents to keep an eye on what their daughter watches on
television and listens to. Parents should know that it is impossible to monitor every type
of media that their daughter comes in contact with. Thus, a parent should make sure to
explain to their daughter why a particular television show, artist or movie is inappropriate
and why her parents do not approve. By explaining the reasons behind their watchful eye,
parents can help establish a healthy relationship with their daughters (Lewis). If parents
are showing interest in what their daughter is involved in and who she hangs out with,
then their daughter will be less likely to dress immodestly and make negative decisions.
If a teenage girl feels connected with her parents, then she will try to please them
(Hawkes). Teenage girls do not have to dress immodestly, because there are ways to keep
a girl’s clothing fashionable without sacrificing her dignity.
The future of young women's clothing all depends on if society’s views on what is
acceptable and what is not have changed as well as the media’s influence (Manley). One
young woman, who is fifteen, stated, “teenagers are easily influenced by the media” and
when asked about why teenagers dress in sexual ways, she blamed the media: “we all
watch TV and movies where celebrities are immodestly dressed...” (Lewis). Teenagers
are seeing television shows and movies where the characters are dressing immodestly and
by seeing the characters and celebrities dress that way, teenage girls are under the
impression that dressing in a sexual manner is acceptable for the real world (Lewis). If

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television and movies continue to show scantily clad characters, then teenage girls will
continue to dress immodestly. The gap between what is intended for children and what is
for adults is becoming smaller. Girls as young as four are being introduced to lingerie
(Dumas). There is not a single reason to explain why children need to worry about
wearing panties that do not show underwear lines. Adult women should be concerned
about this, not young girls. Young women are growing up thinking that how their body
looks is the only thing that matters, and in turn girls will dress to show off their figures.
Society has the attitude that they want young women to be sexual. But once the young
women, such as Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus, act in a sexual manner and give into
society’s views, the media and society hypocritically “condemn them immediately”
(Luscombe2). It is as if society wants to see young women make mistakes and regret their
life choices; in a way, making mistakes makes celebrities and teenage girls more normal.
Society’s view on how a teenage girl and a grown woman should be acting is completely
wrong. Wanting a young woman to hurry up and mature and be sexual is unhealthy. Yet
when society then condemns a girl who has acted in a way that society seemed to have
wanted, she is left confused. Unless a movement or parents can change the media and
society’s views on what is acceptable attire and behavior for teenage girls, then girls will
continue to dress immodestly.
Young adults who want to pursue a career in the fashion industry should not feel
discouraged because of the current immodesty in clothing. If anything, the trend towards
immodesty would fuel a person’s desire to make a difference in the fashion industry.
Teenage girl’s clothing has become more about showing off the body than trying to show
people their personality. The fashion industry needs to have more designers creating

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modest clothing for teenagers. To change view points, it only takes one person, who just
has to be ambitious enough not to give up. Knowing that a young designer could make a
difference in clothing styles and change the minds of the entertainment industry is a
powerful thought. Anyone who is looking for a career in fashion should not be
discouraged, but encouraged to go into the field.

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Works Cited
American Psychological Association. "Sexualization of Girls." apa.org. American
Psychological Association, 2007. Web. 29 Sept. 2011. <http://www.apa.org/
pi/women/programs/girls/report.aspx>.
Carney, Susan. "Sexy Fashion Trends and Teens: When Girls Want to Look Like Pop
Stars." Suite101. N.p., 2 Nov. 2007. Web. 9 Sept. 2011.
Dumas, Daisy. "'It's entirely inappropriate': Fashion industry outraged after
French label launches lingerie for girls as young as FOUR."
dailymail.co.uk. N.p., 17 Aug. 2011. Web. 11 Sept. 2011.
Gibbons, Sheila. "Teen Magazines Send Girls All the Wrong Messages."
Womensenews. N.p., 29 Oct. 2003. Web. 10 Sept. 2011.
Hawkes, Katie. "Media and Clothing Market Influence on Adolescent Girls: Warnings
for Parents." Forever Families. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2011.
Lewis, Julianne. "Immodesty vs. Humility." My.HighSchoolJournalism. N.p., 8 Oct.
2009. Web. 10 Sept. 2011.
Luscombe, Belinda. "The Truth About Teen Girls." Time Magazine 11 Sept. 2008: 2.
Print.
Manley, Reece. "Teenage Girls Dressing Too Sexy to Fit In: Acceptance by Peers
More Important than Sexuality." Suite101. N.p., 21 May 2009. Web. 9 Sept.
2011.
Pidd, Helen. "I do feel pressure to look older." Guardian.co.uk. N.p., n.d. Web.
13 Sept. 2011.