How can I help my daughter feel included in trends?

Question from a parent of a 13 year old

Question

I think this is sort of about relationships? Hope you can answer! Basically my daughter’s friends are obsessed with trends and she doesn’t want to be left out but everything she wants costs a fortune and it’s just not sustainable. How can I help her feel included without it costing the earth?

Answer

Thanks for reaching out! It sounds like you're a really thoughtful parent, and it's great that you want to help your daughter feel included without breaking the bank.

Trends can be super tempting, especially when everyone around us seems to be following them and they move SO much faster with social media in the mix.

At luna we hear about a new "aesthetic" basically every week, and with each new "aesthetic" come any number of new clothing, skincare and makeup products – for example, you might find it helpful to read about navigating the back-to-school glow-up trend and how to handle it. And another recent example is the bad facial harmony trend, which highlights how quickly these pressures can emerge.

Here are a few ideas to help your daughter without spending a fortune:

• Encourage her to mix and match her current wardrobe – it's all about being creative! Sometimes, a fresh combination can make an old outfit feel like something totally new
• Focus on timeless pieces that can be styled in various ways – capsule wardrobes can be a great way to do this. Alternatively, accessories can often change up a look and be a cheaper option! And things like an eyeshadow palette with lots of different colours can be good as a one-off spend which she can use in lots of creative ways – if she's into beauty, understanding how to navigate TikTok skincare trends can also be helpful to avoid unnecessary purchases.
• Explore charity shops or second hand apps together. Perhaps you could set a budget and she has to stay within that? This also teaches her a valuable skill of money management, and is a much more sustainable way to shop
• DIY fashion projects can be a really fun way to customise clothes and accessories. It's also a great opportunity to work together on something and bond if you want to do it too – there are plenty of tutorials online for inspiration

It's also important to remind her that true friends will value her for who she is, not what she wears or what trends she follows – building confidence in her own unique style can help her feel more comfortable and less pressured to follow every trend as time goes on.

Really hope this helps you out.

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