What is Cool?

From the time we were little kids we've listened to our peers go on and on about the importance of cool. As we grow up and live on our own survival becomes more vital to our well being than simply being cool. Many of us sort of grow out of "cool". Still, some people strive to be cool or hip their whole lives. If "cool" is important to you regardless of age listen up.

What is "cool" depends upon what we're talking about here. Let's focus on clothing and appearance. Personally, I have always hated straight legged jeans for me. I don't hate them for my step-mother or my aunt. I just don't like the way they look on me. They fall under the category of "mom jeans." The flare leg I care so much about lends the illusion of length for a short person while also adding casual comfort. Basically, the pants you feel the most comfortable in are cool.
Nearly everyone has always thought that concert t-shirts are cool. If you wear a concert t-shirt of a band you truly admire and enjoy listening to this is cool regardless of the genre. Wearing a heavy metal t-shirt just to be cool is not cool. Our over view on clothing is summed up by stating cool is what you feel
most at home in, but we will talk about this more in a minute.

Are tattoos cool? only if they are done safely and neatly. The tattoo must represent you as a person. I personally have never had a tattoo or body piercing, because they are simply not for me. It is cool to be true to yourself. My style changes every few years so I have always felt that any symbol I might choose to put on my body probably won't fit me for the rest of my life.

Being who you are at the time and being brave enough to take a temporary risk such as shaving your head or getting a mohawk is harmless and often worth the process of self discovery, because hair grows back. In my youth I tried many hair styles from going bald on purpose to going blond and today my hair is just long, straight and natural all the way. You have to decide what the risks are when you choose a new or radical look and you must then decide if the risk is worth it.

Is it really all that important to be cool? Should you listen to your kids when they claim such and such look is not cool? I think most of the time what kids really mean by "cool" is that they don't want to be plain or ordinary or boring. They may want to fit in or be different, but thy often get the two confused. In the 1990's wearing dickies and shaving your head didn't make anyone different. This look actually made us all the same within one perceived genre known as skater or
grunge or thrash. It was actually a spin off from the punk days. Now, grunge has morphed into goth and goth is fast becoming emo. It doesn't make your child cool to be emo unless they truly feel they can grow and come to understand themselves through experimenting with various genres of clothing and music. If your child does something just to fit in this is not cool and their peers will catch on that are just trying to fit in. It's not up to you as a parent to decide whether or not a certain genre is right for your teenager. Your job is simply to make sure they survive finding themselves. You may think that if you give into goth or emo you will be caving, but the truth is you should set limits while allowing your teen to explore the pop cultures that will surround them their whole lives in one way or another. Within reason being cool is important, but that reasoning should be carefully explored by both parents and teens.

Does being cool mean paying more? Often. However, a creative person of any age should be able to come up with an inexpensive way to be cool. If your teen wants to be goth or emo explain that all these genres of fashion are spin offs of the head banger and punk looks. Then, explain that true punks, the original punks made a great deal of their own fashions from decorating jeans and jackets to making their own carry on bags. Also, note that when you carefully search for cool items they are often discounted in price and you may get lucky. You may even benefit from knowing that cool today is close to what it was yesterday. Try vintage clothing and things to go with it, you may still have some in your closet. Today the vintage look is still popular among young people who think the styles of yesteryear are so cool.

It can be fun to find out that clothing goes in and out of style every decade. Leggings are back! They weren't thought to last this time a couple of years ago, but they're still here. Leather and cords pretty much stay in style and they are usually both widely accepted in just about any genre of fashion. Even your grandmother's things from the thirties are "in" right now and have been for some time. So, don't be surprised if your teenage daughter thinks it's cool to be flapper.

Vintage is cool and probably will be cool for a long while if not forever, because kids get bored with the present time frame. You can also relax knowing that extreme fashion in the alternative world has calmed down. Today it is much cooler to appear somewhat mainstream with a little bit of edge thrown in . This is why many bands popular among teens are dressing more quote "normal."

I think what most teens rebel against is the totally mainstream look of khaki pants and sweaters. Being a teen is a unique time of a child's life and they realize this better than most adults. Teens know that this time in their lives will in some ways define who they will grow up to be, but they also know that this is a fun time and many things they will enjoy today and forget tomorrow. They just don't take the extremes too seriously, because in their minds they are just having fun and finding themselves.

Cool is being yourself, but when you're young yourself is subject to change.