8th+Graders+Then+and+Now

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=Introduction to 8th Graders - Then and Now=

Fashion today for teenagers and fashion for the teenagers of the 1500's is very different. Today, there is a lot more choice given to the individual about what specific type of clothing they can wear while back then, all eighth graders of the same class typically wore the same style of clothing ,which was just a smaller version of what their parents wore. Some may say that the children of today are more fortunate than those of the Elizabethan Era because now, most eighth graders can dress for cost efficiency, comfort and style according to their specific preferences.

=Fashion for Teenagers in Elizabethan Times=

Not much can be said about the fashion of young children and teenagers of the Elizabethan Era. The fashions for children did not vary much from the styles being worn by their parents; in fact, they often wore smaller versions of their parents' clothing. Female Elizabethan teenagers of the upper and middle typically wore the same dresses and gowns their mothers wore, which no doubt caused discomfort for them because gowns usually had an assortment of heavy jewels and gems attached to them. Elizabethan girls would also have worn a corset, bodice, chemise, farthingale, and ruff, just like their mothers. Teenage girls would sometimes wear low-cut bodices, unlike their older counterparts,who would wear more high-necked and modest bodices. Young females also would have worn their typically long hair in braids or uncovered and tied it with ribbons,as to make themselves more attractive. Another common beauty practice for young and old women alike was to wear pleasant smelling perfumes and to apply makeup in order to achieve an extremely pale face, tinted eyelids, red cheeks, and red lips[|(source)]. In fact, young women would often apply makeup made out of hazardous materials such as lead, in order to have such a fashionable and extreme-looking face. Male Elizabethan teenagers would wear the same shirts, doublets, and breeches that their fathers would wear that were embellished with slashes. Moreover, the male teenagers would wear the same stockings, codpieces, and ruffles of their fathers. In fact, the only main difference between the teenagers' clothing and the adult male and female clothing was the size[|(source)]!

Teenagers of the Elizabethan Times would probably not bathe very often, and they rarely washed their clothes. Clothes were usually washed about once a week, if at all, and only clothing that was next to the skin was washed. Upper class and middle class eighth graders of this time period would usually take about an hour to get dressed in the mornings because there were so many layers of clothing that were needed to be put on. A young teenage girl would first have to put on her chemise or shift, then her stockings, then a corset, next, a farthingale and a bumroll(optional), a petticoat, a kirtle and a partlet, and finally her gown. After putting on her clothes, a young lady would probably need some assistance in order to put on her shoes. After putting on her shoes, a more wealthy girl would have her maids help her intricately style her hair and apply her dramatic make-up. Lastly, an Elizabethan girl would put on her cumbersome ruff and her jewelry[|(source)]. Young Elizabethan men also had to put on their shifts, stockings, then codpiece, then corset (optional), doublet, breeches, belt, sleeves, ruff, cloak, and finally their shoes. Young men also wore jewelry, and had to style their hair and put on hats.

= = =Fashion for Teenagers of Today=

While in Elizabethan Times, eighth-graders dressed in a specific way because of their class and the Sumptuary Laws, teenagers today can dress in almost any style they want. Moreover, young people generally dress a ceratin way because of their personality and individual tastes, not because of the law. Many modern young adults dress in a unique way in order to express themselves[|(source)].

Because of this main difference between the times, the style of 8th graders who live in 21st Century is significantly different from 8th graders who lived in Elizabethan period. Unlike the 8th graders before, modern teenagers have less limitation on their clothing (unless they have a school uniform), and if they do not obey a 'fashion rule' they have not illegally transgressed, as they would have been in the Elizabethan Era. Therefore, the little restrictions that are imposed on modern teens allow them to try and wear any look they would like. Eighth graders fashion trends change from day to day,recently, some of the trends for girls include skinny jeans, hoodies, flat dress shoes made out of leather,plastic,or cloth, called "flats", tight-fitting and long t-shirts that reach the upper thigh, mini-skirts, fluffy wool-lined suede boots called "Uggs", polo shirts and shorts. Girls can wear many different hairstyles; long, short, straight, curly, wavy,a ponytail, a bun, left down, a braid, blonde, red, brown ;anything goes. Eighth grade girls can try various types of hairstyles because they are almost all considered fashionable. Girls no longer wear constricting corsets, bodices, farthingales, and petticoats. Today, girls dress for comfort and style. The boys of this century also have some very different trends than those of the Elizabethan Age, including slightly baggy pants made out of denim called jeans, loose fitting t-shirts and shorts, comfortable sweaters, sports jerseys, and dress shirts with collars. Boys don't wear the feminine looking corsets,stockings, jackets,doublets, and breeches of Shakespeare's time. Eighth grade boys also have the same freedom with hair as girls do; it is acceptable for a boy to have long hair or short hair. One of the biggest differences between the boys fo today and the eighth grade boys of the 1500's is boys today usually don't spend as much time getting ready as boys did long ago. In fact, in the Elizabethan Time, boys would sometimes wear wigs, curl their hair, and even wear makeup! Most eighth grade boys of today would be appalled at the thought of applying makeup or wearing a wig. Some styles that both boys and girls of today wear include basketball sneakers called "Converse All-Stars", baseball hats, skateboarding shoes, long hair, t-shirts, and comfortable sweaters. In the past,people might have never imagined children wearing clothing that would be considered immodest and revealing, because, back in Elizabethan Times, teenagers were supposed to wear modest clothing that covered alomost their entire bodies.

Today,eighth graders ususally wash all of their clothes many times a week, in contrast to the once-a-week ritual of Elizabethan teens.