What has society come to? I see it everywhere. It bugs me most when I go home to the place where I grew up because there’s more of them there, and more of them equals more annoyance.

I’m talking about some girls between the ages of 12 and 15 who wear clothes they just shouldn’t wear and act ways they just shouldn’t act for their age.

They invade the movie theaters and the roller rinks among other places. They wear shirts with no backs, thinner than thin straps and low v-necks and halter tops. They use an entire container of blue or pink eye shadow and a whole tube of lipstick.

Clothing companies make some of the skimpiest clothes, and from what I’ve seen, they’re making a good buck off these young kids. I’m not completely against many of the shirts I see. In fact, a lot of them are cute, and I have a couple myself. But there comes a point where the top is a little too risque for the age of the person wearing it.

I don’t get the fascination these girls have with wearing these clothes and make-up. Maybe I have a different fashion sense that makes what they’re wearing wrong. These clothes don’t even fit right on most of these girls because most of them haven’t matured yet. One thing I saw in particular was a fashion no-no: a girl at the roller rink was wearing a tube top with a regular bra. Who does that? Obviously, that girl thought she looked good.

Maybe they think they look older or maybe they just feel older. Maybe they think they’re cool, and they have to dress that way to fit in.

They’re trying to act older by wearing these clothes and make-up, but then reality hits. After a movie, the girls wanted to do something, but they had to stop and say, “Oh, wait, I have to ask my mom.” That’s because they can’t drive, so their parents are their only form of transportation. Plus, they’re young, so they have to get permission for everything.

But if they have to get permission for everything, I’d like to know how they get away with leaving the house every weekend. I guess I also don’t understand why parents allow their children to dress the way they dress and buy the clothes they wear. Are some parents even buying the clothes for their daughters?

Beyond the parents, pop singers of today could be the force behind the actions of these young teenagers in today’s society. People tune into the MTV music awards and other celebrity award shows, and the biggest news is what so-and-so did or, rather, didn’t wear.

Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Mandy Moore are well liked among young girls, and I don’t think it’s because all these young girls admire their singing voices.

Two other younger girls who are considered role models for young girls in today’s society are Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. These “Full House” twins have their own outrageous clothing line. The clothes the twins wear and promote influence the ways teens dress today.

On this campus, I see many women wearing these clothes on their way to the bars, but they’re older. It’s fun to dress up, do something special with your hair and go out. It’s a mind game that people can have more fun if they dress up.

The difference I see with college students is they don’t go to the movies dressed for the bars. Most don’t wear the amount of make-up these young teenagers wear either.

Society is different now than it used to be. I remember the make-overs during sleepovers when I was younger or the fun it would be to have someone do our hair all fancy. Although some young teen-agers today probably still feel that same innocent feeling, in general, it seems something has changed, and not for the better.

n Michelle Jones is a junior journalism and English major and a biweekly columnist for The Daily Eastern News. Her e-mail address is [email protected]. Columns are the opinion of the author.