I’m a member of Generation X, which means I lived through the fashions of the 1970s and 1980s.
It was a colorful time.
Also, crop tops—80s—and hip-hugger bell-bottom jeans—70s—were unisex attire.
Apparently times have changed though—at least according to one teenager’s parents. No son of theirs would be wearing either.
After having it out with his parents, he turned to the “Am I The A**hole” (AITA) subReddit for feedback.
Burner_3738 asked:
“AITA for wearing my girlfriend’s clothes and refusing to change?”
The original poster (OP) explained:
“I (16, male) was at my girlfriend’s (16, female) place and she made me try on her clothes as like a joke because we found out that we’re the same size.”
“I tried on a cropped t-shirt and low rise jeans. She told me that I looked hot and told me to keep it on, so I did because, yeah, I looked hot.”
“She gave me the clothes to keep.”
“My mum called me and told me to come home because my uncle and aunt were there and I should say hi. I forgot to change, so I went home in my girlfriend’s clothes.”
“I didn’t think it’d be a problem or anything, but my parents were so pissed off. Once I said hi to my aunt and uncle, my mum pulled me to the kitchen and told me to go change.”
“She called me an embarrassment. I refused to change because, like what the f*ck, actually? Why does she care so much?”
“That made her 10x angrier and she called me disrespectful and some other sh*t. After my aunt and uncle had gone my dad agreed with my mum and told me that I should throw the clothes away or give it back to my girlfriend.”
“I said no, because the clothes were cool. I don’t get why they care so much—it’s just clothes.”
“My dad asked me if I’m gay and when I said no, he told me that I looked gay. I just laughed at him.”
“Then my mom grounded me.”
“AITA?”
“I feel like they’re overreacting. I’m not getting rid of the clothes though.”
“I looked hot—I don’t care. And my girlfriend likes it. That’s all I care about to be honest.”
The OP summed up their situation.
“I wore my girlfriend’s clothes and refused to take them off when my parents told me to.”
“I might be the a**hole because I embarrassed my mum and I guess I was a bit rude to my parents.”
Redditors weighed in by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
Redditors decided the OP was not the a**hole (NTA).
“NTA. Parents will be like this sometimes. My parents had the same reaction when I got my ear pierced at 16.”
“Self expression through clothes and accessories does not an arsehole make.” ~ alexmack667
“NTA. Good on you for standing up for yourself to your parents. They are in the wrong here, not you.” ~ Star-Sparkle01
“NTA. They’re just clothes. Everyone should wear whatever they are comfortable in.” ~ Sure_Economy7130
“Ha, the classic parent move of ‘I don’t understand what you’re wearing so go wear something else’. I think we’ve all gone through this in one way or another.”
“My mum used to get irrationally angry over some of my clothes when I was a teenager, and to this day I still don’t know why because they were pretty unremarkable clothes.”
“Well, if your parents are so worried about what you’re wearing when people are visiting, they should tell you in advance to put on church clothes.”
“No, but seriously. You’re 16, it’s expected that you’ll experiment with your wardrobe, it’s totally normal and healthy and has nothing to do with your sexual preferences, which by the way are none of their business.”
“Next time you have relatives visiting, dress up as a goth or a wizard to greet them. A little bit of rebellion is good at your age, it sets boundaries about how much the older generation gets to say about how you live.”
“NTA. And you and your girlfriend sound like awesome kids.” ~ mafaldajunior
“What about those mesh shirts guys used to wear? And the short shorts?”
“NTA. Sounds like OP’s parents are uncomfortable seeing him in a sexy outfit and lashing out.” ~ Lunatic-Cafe-529
“NTA. I think sharing clothes with your girlfriend is very cute.” ~ BlueAtolm
“NTA. My boys did this. My ex, their dad, flipped but I was like, whatever. Ditto when my kids dyed their hair.”
“Clothes and hair dye are way better methods of self-expression than drugs.” ~ Scottiegazelle2
“My dad exploded when he saw I got my ear pierced. He demanded I take it out immediately. I’d already had it for several weeks at that point.”
“The funny thing is… mom took me to get it done. I got several more piercings after that and when my mom and baby brother got them as well, he just resigned.”
“NTA. You do you OP.” ~ SeshruVantas
“NTA. Though with your parents holding power over you, it might be good for you to obey their silly demands here. Not saying they are in any way in the right, just that you should think if this is a battle worth fighting.” ~ Dimirosch
A number of people took issue with his dad questioning OP’s sexuality.
“Fellas, is it gay to have a girlfriend who thinks you’re hot? NTA, obviously.” ~ rat-simp
“NTA—your dad sounds like a homophobic bigot.” ~ Mc_and_SP
“NTA, but your parents definitely are—said as the mother of an LGBTQ teen.” ~ NopeNoNahNay
“NTA. It’s about damn time these older generations learn that clothes have no boundary, no gender, and anyone can wear whatever the f*ck they want.”
“I like how you stood up for yourself because there’s actually nothing wrong with what you wore and how you present yourself. Wear whatever makes you comfortable, confidently!”
“Though it would be nice to talk to them and make them understand your point. Plus make it a point to your dad that being ‘gay’ isn’t the drag that he wants it to be.”
“That’s just so off-putting of him—it’s the 21st century, duh. Maybe ask him to grow up and be educated too.” ~ jjunniehui
“NTA—why does it matter if you ‘look gay’? As long as your a** ain’t hanging out, your parents need to chill. Teenagers wear weird cringe sh*t sometimes—they did it too.” ~ loopylandtiedb
“‘Are you gay?’ while wearing your girlfriend’s stuff. Can’t get more ridiculous.” ~ Mr_McFeelie
“Dad tried to use ‘Toxic Masculinity’… it wasn’t very effective.” ~ tier19345
“Old fart here, probably older than your parents, but also a retired high school teacher. I have to admit, I laughed way too hard at your parents.”
“When I was teaching I had parents ask me if I thought that their kids clothes were ‘acceptable’ all the freaking time. Get over it.”
“Some of the crap I wore or they wore when they were younger? I think the reason parents get bent out of shape over this is they remember what they looked like at your age and get embarrassed.”
“Keep being you. NTA.” ~ Over-Marionberry-686
And there were plenty of 80s flashbacks.
“Lest we forget that in the 80s men wore crop tops all the time. Men in crop tops is *chef kiss*.” ~ sliceofpizzaa
“I’m an old man. Go look at what the styles were in the mid-80s and imagine how conservative parents must have reacted. We survived it, and so will you, and so will your parents.” ~ WhyBuyMe
“I was just thinking I could find a dozen pictures from high school in the early 80s that show the guys in short-shorts and cut-off shirts. Go figure.” ~ Donna_Dear
“Right? Guys were wearing mesh or cropped/cut-off shirts—or mesh & cropped—shirts in the 80s!” ~ jess-in-thyme
“I see your dad forgot how straight teen jocks dressed in the 80s. Short-shorts and midriff shirts.”
“Anyway, I also have a kid your age and I wouldn’t fuss about you wearing that ever, even to visit grandparents.”
“Wear what makes you feel good. My teen went to Easter dinner in full goth gear and got nothing but compliments.” ~ Slow_Nature_6833
“This was the same for emo millennials. As a guy, I wore clothes that were cut for women and make-up every now and then.”
“My girlfriend at the time was into it. Some people are just fans of men that embrace feminine looks regardless of generation, I guess.”
“Which makes sense now that I think about it. There are people that love the ‘tomboy’ look on women too.” ~ thealtern8
“Look up pictures of what teens wore in the 80s. Boys shorts were super short, and I remember mesh shirts and cropped tops.” ~ Virtual-Pineapple-85
“Honestly, the himbo look of the 80s NEEDS to come back.” ~ elfpower44
“When you’re young, everything looks good on you. Parents get freaked out by any self-expression that is a little out of the ordinary.”
“Plus, there is all this boomer gender stereotype crap going around. I wouldn’t take notice of them.”
“Clothes are clothes. The real test is whether or not you’ll look as good in a crop tee when you’re my age and have a dad bod.” ~ LeoB4Molly
While his parents may counter with “our house, our rules,” at least the OP knows Reddit has their back.