Less is more, or is it?

Less is More: A Thought on Fashion

Yesterday, I spent the day at Nahant Beach, and let me tell you it was a beautiful day.  The beach is one of my favorites simply for the fact that it only costs $3.00 to park, and because it is never overly crowded.  Without the draw of a boardwalk, the numbers remain to a manageable level.  I stepped out, rocking my slimming black one-piece with a bit of confidence, despite being of larger stature.  As I relaxed in my euphoric glow of sunbathing, I noticed something that to me see

med a little startling.  If possible the tiny slips of material known as bikinis had shrunken.  Now I will admit I was an avid bikini clad young adult until I got a little thicker, but my bikinis and these bikinis are miles apart.

I have always been the more conservative type, generally staying away from showing too much midriff or too much cleavage.  Even before I had my daughter, I had always dressed in clothing that did not reveal too much.  It had nothing to do with my body type, because I had been thin in my younger years.  It was merely something I simply did.  I most certainly did not dress in tarps to cover my body, and I still managed to earn a few disapproving glances from the much older generation, yet I always stayed firmly behind that line marked conservative.  This was simply my choice, and I had no ill thoughts toward some of my more risqué friends.  However what I thought was risqué back then, is starting to look more conservative today.

Now, in fear of sounding like an old woman, I have to ask is less truly more?  I know when it comes to makeup, it is a common statement that less make up is better, but what about clothing?  I suppose I was always brought up on the quip “Leave a little to the imagination.”  That statement, it would seem, is a fading belief.  It is not that I have something against revealing clothing, in fact It does not faze me too much, to a point.  After that line, that point, I find it somewhat off-putting.

The reason for these thoughts came in the form of two teenage girls, probably in the mid years of high school.  They were wearing string bikinis, however these are not the string bikini’s I remember.  The bottoms seemed to be somewhere between a regular bikini cut, and a thong. The tiny triangle top seemed to cover a mere 10% of the breast, and that is estimating high; really high.

Am I aging myself by voicing these thoughts?  I know our grandparents always chastised us for our audacious fashion sense, but isn’t there a line at some point?  Twenty years from now will we all be walking around naked?

Perhaps my point seems a little moot considering this was at a beach.  Bathing suits have always been a little more revealing.  Still, I cannot help but wonder if there really is a line to be crossed.  I know we roll our eyes are our parents and grandparents tsking as we walk around without nylons, but is this something different?  Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that we should all be walking around in below-the-knee skirts and shirts that go to the top of the collarbone, but the opposite extreme seems just as inappropriate, especially on young adults.  Or on kids for that matter! String bikinis for toddlers?  Really?  I won’t even get started on that topic.

Back to my original question; Is less truly more?  Is there a happy medium between too much and too little?  I know more conservative things are starting to come “back in fashion” however they don’t seem to be catching on in the younger crowd.  Does it make me old fashioned to not desire to see the curves of a teenager’s behind because her daisy dukes do not cover the entire cheek?   What do you think?