Show's over, Hannah Montana. Time to turn the tassel, Vanessa Hudgens.
Sasha and Malia Obama are taking center stage. And their fame - and influence on young girls - has not come a minute too soon for many mothers and children's boutique owners who do not condone the 7-going-on-17 look so popular of late.
The Obama girls' classic, conservative style, seen in campaign appearances, and most visibly when they wore custom J. Crew on Inauguration Day, has won over area boutique owners by a landslide:
"Adorable. They are presented like little girls," says Suzanne Jones of Spring Flowers in Palm Beach.
"Very girly, very nice," says Sonia Peralta of Pastel in Palm Beach.
"How kids should dress," says Diane Inderlin of Sweet Pea & Me in Palm Beach Gardens.
That's not to say the daughters of a president championed for ushering in a new era are dressed in costumes from the past. Consider the $110 bright red silk taffeta dress with bubble skirt and costume jewelry belt by Biscotti Inc. that Malia, 10, wore on Election Night.
"It's not traditional at all," Peralta says. "It's very modern, contemporary." But certainly, she says, within the realm of good taste.
And the $72 Gerson & Gerson dress that Sasha, 7, wore the same night was of classic styling, but in a color - black - that is a nontraditional choice on children.
First lady Michelle Obama is dressing her children "in very classic looks with a trend to it, but not overly trendy," says Jones, of Spring Flowers.
'Funky stuff'
The boutique owners agree that a tastefully dressed young lady wears tailored clothing - in either traditional or contemporary styling - and is dressed with consideration given to her age, the degree of formality of the event and the season.
That is not the most popular approach to dressing little girls, says Inderlin, of Sweet Pea & Me. "We see some funky stuff out there right now. A lot of girls are looking up to the Hannah Montana image, and I think that's where everything is going wrong. Girls have the rest of their life to be funky."
She favors "pretty" dresses, with or without smocking, and says miniskirts for girls younger than 10 are "out of the question." Ditto for glittery garb, rhinestones and leggings worn without a dress.
"It would be great," she says, "if girls begin to look to the Obamas."
Diane Levin, professor of education at Wheelock College in Boston and co-author of So Sexy So Soon, says seeing well-dressed children in the national spotlight feels fresh because it's a departure from what has become the norm.
Levin points to the padded bras and bikini underwear for sale in the kids' section of discount department stores as examples of what she calls the "harmful sexualization of children."
"There is a huge amount of pressure on girls to dress in certain ways by the time they are the age of Obama's daughters," she says.
But, "there's starting to be a backlash ... People are starting to say enough is enough and it's not good for our children."
INFORMATIONAL BOX:
How to say no ...
How do you respond when your child wants a padded bra, bikini underwear and a miniskirt?
Diane Levin, professor of education at Wheelock College in Boston and co-author of So Sexy So Soon, offers tips for setting limits:
Help her understand "that people are trying to make money off of her" and influence her choices.
Look for things you can say yes to, so she doesn't always feel different from the other kids.
Keep a conversation going about what sort of dress is appropriate and why.
Don't respond to requests with anger.
Be a well-dressed example.
- The Palm Beach Post