Brenda Sharman, who became national founder of the teen girl group Pure Fashion in 2006, already knew public sentiment was on her side when she launched her “modesty mission.” However, she did not think there would be much interest about how low necklines plunge and how high hemlines rise in a time of overwhelming economic pressure, and spiraling unemployment, but now she believes the economy has, in fact, benefited her mission. "Fashion's in our court right now," says Sharman, a former model. (“Thank you!… Pat Stevens) Pure Fashion has about 700 members who work as models at spring teen fashion shows, which attract about 11,000 people. The group has affiliates in 10 countries, and is signing new groups on its Web site, www.purefashion.com. You guessed it, Pure Fashion is an offshoot of a Catholic missionary organization (whatever happened to the Leniency of Decency?), but Sharman believes its message resonates from Muslims to Orthodox Jews, to parents who simply believe it should not be hard to find shorts that completely cover the rear end of their 12-year-olds. "Girls need to understand: What they wear sends a message," Sharman says. (Clearly, she has not read Greer’s, “The Feminine Mystique.”) Preparing to address a group of teen girls at a Pure Fashion camp last year, Sharman had props ready to convince them just how far into the gutter fashion and our culture have gone. There was an 8-in.-long skirt from Abercrombie & Fitch, one of the store's shopping bags with a near-naked man on it, and a "Bling Bling Barbie," who looked suspiciously like a prostitute. (Honestly, I have not seen a prostitute with blue eye shadow and a ponytail since Kennedy was in office). Sharman also showed a camisole that is now sold as a top, but was considered lingerie at the time Sharman modeled it in the 1990s, when she says bras and underwear "were more full coverage." I guess she never modeled for Victoria’s Secret. Sharman did not have to go any farther than her local mall to collect her examples. A floor-to-ceiling photo graphic of a young man with his pants unzipped has greeted many visitors to Abercrombie & Fitch stores. (“Dear Ms. Sharman, If your done with the graphic, I’d love to have it!” )The home page for the chain's lingerie line, Gilly Hicks, has seven men with bare behinds posing with a young model in a bra and underwear. American Apparel's Web site home page recently featured a topless model wearing see-through leggings (no underwear).
Please do not squeeze Ms. Sharman, she is not alone in her quest. Evangelical tween group Secret Keeper Girl was founded in 2004 by author Dannah Gresh, in response to a 2003 Time Magazine report that $1.6 million was spent the year before on thong underwear for girls ages 7 to 12. (Note to mothers everywhere: if your 7-year-old is asking for thong underwear, you may need to lock them up until they turn 18.) Secret Keeper Girl group is circulating a petition that it plans to send to the Council of Fashion Designers of America and the Apparel & Footwear Manufacturers Association, urging them to consider modesty in their designs. (Trust me, the CFDA and AFMA is not holding their breath.) Gresh is hoping to have 50,000 signatures by fall. She says 5,000 have come in on their Web site, www.secretkeepergirl.com. When they do, Gresh plans to organize a day of shopping at the few stores they think offer appropriate fashion choices for pre-teen girls, including Old Navy, Gap Kids and Children's Place. Gresh, who also started teen group Pure Freedom, which hosts fashion events in up to 80 cities annually, says the parents of her members are relieved the movement is getting traction. "When clothes get skimpier and skimpier, moms get angrier and angrier, but it's harder to appeal (to retailers) when it's become the norm, and you're just one mom trying to hold the line,” says Gresh, who has written several books including, “And The Bride Wore White."
Modest or not, young people tend to prefer specialty stores to department stores, and that trend was evident during recent "mall missions" conducted by Pure Fashion. During these trips, groups of girls who are ages 14 to 18 fanned out across shopping areas to rate retailers on their apparel and store atmosphere. They awarded Pure Fashion seals of approval to those that passed muster on at least seven out of 10 areas on their checklist, which includes appropriate apparel, mannequins and music. (Just what we need, 14-year-olds setting standards.) American Eagle, Anthropologie and Banana Republic got the Washington, D.C., group's highest ratings, while Delia's, J. Crew and Ann Taylor all got the Pure Fashion thumbs up elsewhere.
Still, stores' sales suggest sex does often sell. Although Abercrombie's sales have plunged with the economy--February's sales dropped a record 30 percent from February 2008; it is widely attributed to the chain's resistance to discounting, not a conservative backlash. Lines for A&F on Fifth Avenue are out the door. Moreover, along with sister store Hollister, Abercrombie remains one of the stores teens most often list as favorites. American Apparel, which sells basic cotton tees and other casual wear, had a stellar 9 percent sales increase in February, and is often cited as one of the retail’s greatest success stories of the economic downturn. American Apparel says its ads are all done in-house and feature employees. "Sometimes that means our ads are more controversial than other companies, but they are at least, always sincere and genuine," says company spokesman Ryan Holiday, who says provocative ads are at the "core of many fashion brands." (Note to readers: CEO Dov Charney is still under litigation for alleged sexual harassment charges. See the Portfolio Magazine, November 2008, cover story)
While she is pleased by the response her cause is getting, Sharman suspects some of retail's embrace of modesty may cycle back out of fashion again in a few years. "Fashion has been so sexy for the past seven to 10 years, they wanted to do something different to keep sales going," she says. Still, all her members really want are options. Hoffmann says most stores these days are acceptable for girls who "know how to shop" with an eye toward modesty. "Everybody's seeing their bottom lines shrinking, so they want to sell to those who wear modest clothing, as well as those who want to wear it in a more risqué manner," says Hoffmann. "And that's fine with us."
--Ron Knoth, Guest Blogger
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