Trends in YA

Yeah, so Trends in YA. I didn't say Trends in YA writing. I'm here to toss around some of the real world elements that paint our young adult fantasy canvases into believable settings. How often do you Google what's hot in teen fashion today? OR check out the makeup they wear or how they apply it?

For those of us who remember using Bic lighters to soften the end of our goth black eyeliner, not to mention capture the essence of a ballad at a rock concert...um, they don't do either anymore. They sharpen their eyeliners--or most are self-sharpening, anyway--and they use their lighted cell phones to pay tribute to a melody at a concert.

The fashion and material they prefer also differs from girls to guys. I'm fortunate to have four kids ranging from age 6 to 16. My two oldest are boys (13 & 16). Their main attire is a graphic tee, torn pair of jeans, and most probably and depending on the weather a pair of ratty flip-flops. Sneakers when they're roughhousing. Then, of course, we have all the athletic gear. Herein too, do the research. All my kids play hockey and you'd think all hockey sticks are alike. Wrong. And let me tell you, the kids know the difference with their eyes closed. Drives me nuts.

Most boys between 14 and 19 aren't all that interested in fashion. You may find a few, which would make for an interesting character. Do your research first, though. Make sure it's accurate. I could list sites for you to view, but really there are a million.

Girls within those ages are much different, running the fashion gamut from tomboy to prom queen to executive. The only daughter I have is 11, and she is by no means a fashion queen. Give her a holey pair of jeans, a tank top and over-sized sneakers, and she's happy. Oh, don't forget the hair elastic. Geez...wouldn't want her to go off on me, now. But I find her friends opinions about clothes so diverse.

Note: when writing YA match your female character's personality with the proper teen fashion. I know that sounds like common sense, but when it comes to girls, isn't it always more complicated?

Then you have accessories.

What really is a BKE Studded Purse? Or the matching System Lizard Shoes? Seems as if these are hot items, for those teens who can afford them. But then we have knock-offs. Right?

We'll save that for another post.

What about this for the guys? G-Shock X Surfrider. Um...yeah. A watch.

Regardless of what your writing in YA check the current trends. Check out what they like, wear, and listen too. For a future post we'll talk about 'slang' and how to properly incorporate that into today's YA.

Do you do research? Found any interesting new trends in the YA realm, lately?