FADS

My children have joined the recent crazy fad called Silly Bands. My daughter has an armful of them. It has made me think about fads and fashion. Who is it exactly that decides what is "in" and "out" as far as fashion goes. Why is it that in my teenage years that members only jackets were the thing to wear but today that are OUT. Even more dramatic is that what was acceptable last year is not so this year. It is crazy. My children tell me all the time that i am out of style. I refuse to buy into all that. I dont buy it for the kids either. No way am I gonna buy $100 shoes just so they can be in style. My daughter actually saved here money to buy a columbia jacket but I would not buy it for her- she has five perfectly good jackets in her closet. The funny thing about that is though she waited until they went on sale and bought it.
The sad thing is that it is not just our kids that are buying into all of this. Many adults are going into debt so they can be in style and keep up with their friends. It is a sad fact of our Country. I just think my money would be better used in other ways then buying too high fashions and supporting that whole industry. I refuse to pay out hundreds of dollars for things that will be considered "out" next year. I hope I am able to teach my kids what is actually important in life and help them escape this cultural need to keep up.