Are girls once wild going mild?
Which 13-year-old girl is more rebellious: the brunette in a miniskirt and 3-inch heels who lost her virginity in middle school, or the blonde wearing a long-sleeve shirt and an ankle-length dress who is freaked out by the condom demonstration in health class? Some might say the latter girl has more gall. After all, that 13-year-old keeps her arms and thighs covered in the era of kiddie thongs and Vanessa Hudgens’s topless shots. She not only defies her generation’s dress code – she spits in the face of societal norms. But she might be on to something. Soon, retailers and companies peddling their wares to teens and tweens may feel the pressure from parents, educators and even young people whose attitudes are changing, and whose buying habits are, too. A market correction like this, when the pendulum swings heavily back in the other direction, can be tidal. For example, Bratz, one of the most popular lines of dolls for young girls, is feeling the heat. In September, Scholastic announced
