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The School Girl Fashion Trend: It's So Britney Spears Coded

by Samara Morris

Is it a lack of originality or are the girls just paying homage? 

Most of us remember the infamous hit song "Hit Me Baby One More Time" airing on MTV in 1999. Here’s this young pop girl from a small town donning pigtails, a pleated miniskirt, and a button-down shirt tied in the front, dancing in a school hallway alongside her peers. What’s so special about this? Well, it soon became a new fashion trend, making its way onto the big screen in the 2001 film "The Princess Diaries."


Prior to Britney Spears, this look was simply just for Halloween or Valentine’s Day dress-up, but without a doubt, this look contributed to the success of the song and Britney’s career as a whole. Let me explain… there’s something sinister about it. Although we can take it at face value as a simple, cute look, the reality is that sex sells—and not just sex, but the oversexualization of adolescents.


Since Ice Spice debuted on the scene, we’ve seen her reclaim this level of sexuality through her schoolgirl dress trend along with the small ginger afro, which heavily resembles that of the fictional character Annie, a ten-year-old orphan girl. Are you picking up what I’m putting down? In the music video, Britney Spears is wearing pigtails, which is another adolescent hairstyle.


Why are we putting adult women in children’s hairstyles accompanied by schoolgirl outfits? Are they selling music or a fantasy to pedophiles? Sure, it could be nothing of the sort, until I recently saw Cardi B performing wearing a schoolgirl outfit and pigtails. But she’s taken it a step further; her skirt is so short that her derriere is practically exposed. Here we have a grown woman pandering to both pedophiles (when she’s facing forward) and hypersexual masculine men (when she’s turned around).


WHEN DID FASHION BECOME SO PROVOCATIVE?

A woman gaining her independence and reclaiming her sexuality shouldn’t mean that her look is downright tasteless. There’s a time and place for sure: music videos, movies, and art where there are usually intimacy coordinators present to help choreograph intimate scenes, advocate for performers’ rights, and facilitate open communication between all parties involved.


Nude scenes have been a part of entertainment for as long as we can remember, but not in this manner where it’s being replicated by not only one musician, but a multitude of them. It’s almost as though there’s an agenda being pushed. Individuality was once something that helped artists stand out among their peers; now it’s almost as though everyone wants to be seen as the same.


There was once a time when designers would make unique pieces for one artist—Jennifer Lopez and Versace, cough, cough—and that would help to catapult both the designer and the musician to new heights in their careers. Google Images was created off of that collaboration. Nowadays, there isn’t one person doing something memorable or unique; it’s all a replica of past events with an extra dazzle of raunchiness. It seems we’re caught between the eras of a sexual revolution and minimalism. Which one will dominate?


HOW TO GET IT RIGHT?

Tinashe’s new song "Nasty Girl" is getting the recognition it deserves, with her look and music video heavily influenced by Mya’s "Case of the Ex"—that was my song. While it’s not frowned upon to seek inspiration from those who came before us, it is considered a slap in the face when the style is taken from innocent and exciting to sleazy and raunchy.


Other artists like Normani (Aaliyah influence in her music video and song "Wild Side"), Chloe Adadi (Selena Quintanilla influence in her outfits and some Aaliyah influence as well in her music, "Hello," for example), as well as Chris Brown and his Michael Jackson influence, do it right. Their goal is not to eclipse the artists they admire but to subtly pay respect to their legacy by honoring them in a respectful way. It’s new enough that fans can feel a different experience, but it’s replicated enough that fans can spot the similarities.


While we don’t expect the schoolgirl fashion trend to die out anytime soon, with both Latto and Rihanna now sporting the look, it’s safe to say that it needs some substance behind it. Otherwise, you’re just pandering to pedophiles, and the whole trend seems insidious. This trend has the potential to generate a bigger problem across the United States, not only for women but children as well.

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