I have to say something about this: the girls aren't poorly dressed, not by any means. They're just not really well dressed. They look nice (read: average), pretty (read: dressing to look hot rather than out of love for fashion), and cute (read: they look like every other non-crackwhore). They just look like girls. Girls you'd see at the mall, girls you'd see in classes at school, girls. This is supposed to be a magazine for young girls to look up to, not look down at and say, "pshaw, I see better-dressed hoes than these at the gas station."
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"Crystal, 18: Retro Hip-Hop"
Crystal is very pretty, she's got cute sneakers and hot sunglasses. She looks a lot better than most of the hip-hop girls in my neighborhood; she looks clean, she looks nice. But how is she among the best dressed girls in the country? I wish I'd been a judge. Many people portray a style similar to hers in a much more retro and hip way that probably should have been chosen.
"Julia, 16: Sweet and Simple"
Again, a very pretty young lady with a cute outfit. not a bad thing here. But I just have to ask: when did a cotton t-shirt, drawstring mini, ankle bracelet, and flip flops equal best dressed? She's lacking originality, flair. She's lacking class and appeal. I see 50 girls with outfits just like hers at my mall, and where I can find no fault in their style I also find no inspiration. It's very bland.
"Lindsey, 18: Southern Cali Cool"
Ugh. I want to reiterate that these girls are all gorgeous and look fine, but NOT best dressed in the country.
"Nathalie, 17: Tough but Feminine"
Jeans and a band t-shirt. Woohoo.
Ok. So basically, I think that when we do "best dressed" lists, we should be picking people that have a unique, different style that people can get inspired by and can aspire to emulate. I think Seventeen Magazine was trying to appeal to their main demographic so as not to frighten and/or confuse them (as Seventeen is not a fashion magazine, but a lifestyle magazine), but they shouldn't have promoted played fashions and generic outfits. This is just feeding the frenzies of the masses, like junk food... it's not fresh or nutritious and we've all had waaaaaayy too much of it recently. I would never be on anyone's best dressed list because I realize that my style is far too schizophrenic and sporadic for the average consumer but COME ON. This isn't even worth the ink that was used in printing. I can't wait to read the "letters to the editor" section come next issue to see what people have to say about this article.
