American Traditions: Working for Teens. How American teenage girls live - continued How teenagers dress in America

Russian and American teenagers differ in their attitude to education. Russian teenagers have a simpler attitude to study than American ones. For them, school years are a time of carelessness. Whereas the American approaches the education process with all responsibility.

Most likely, this is due to the fact that most of the American people are determined in advance with their future profession and admission to the desired university. At the same time, Russian teenagers cannot grasp their future vocation for a long time. In addition, parents often make the choice for them.

American teens love to learn. They spend a huge amount of time on academic studies, actively participate in school or student life. From an early age, they learn to plan their time. In America it is simply a shame not to study, because either sponsors or parents are a lot of money for studying. At the same time, children understand that the invested funds must be worked out.

In America's schools, you can't see someone cheating from someone else. This is strictly monitored there. Even classmates, noticing a cheating person, can betray him. Russian schoolchildren not only cheat themselves, but also willingly let others cheat.

From early childhood, the United States has taken part in charity events, to exercise certain powers. They strive to be perceived as individuals. Russian schoolchildren are unlikely to take part in such events. Although in Russia there are many ideological personalities.

Appearance.

American teenagers do not attach any importance to their appearance. Even those who are overweight do not have complex at all. Clothing is very often simple and casual. Boys wear T-shirts and shorts. Girls - the same T-shirts and skirts.

Russian girls from high school will never come to school in washed and not ironed clothes. In American women, this is quite normal. In addition, their clothes are rarely combined with each other. This is not to say that they are indifferent to the appearance and they do not want to be beautiful, they just have their own concepts of beauty.

In many states, there is no difference in the cost or quality of clothing among teens. Do not focus on the presence or absence of a particular car. In this regard, there is no differentiation according to social status or the amount of money a family has. More precisely, it exists, it is just that people do not advertise it in front of each other.

America. The first thing that is associated with this word is New York (Manhattan), Hollywood, the film industry, and so on. Anything but fashion. At first glance, this is how it should be. After all, Paris is considered the fashionable capital all over the world. It was France that brought up many of the most famous couturiers, such as: Jean - Paul Gaultier, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, etc.

On the other hand, one of the first things we pay attention to when watching American films or TV shows is a special style of clothing that everyone wants to copy literally from the first minutes.

The modern American style of dress took a long and difficult time to develop. One of the first prerequisites was the era of the 20s. The era of Gabrielle Chanel, who created the image of a simple American worker. Then, there were the 40s - the time of Dior and his new feminine images. In the 60s, the movements of feminists and pacifists developed, the air “smells” of freedom, the removal of canons, and the blurring of the boundaries between the sexes. And finally, the 80s give birth to a new grotesque style - neoclassicism.

All this mixing of styles, their gradual development, acquired the character of chaos, spontaneity.

As J. Goebbels said: “all ingenious is simple”. The style of modern Americans is not in beauty and grace, but, above all, in convenience and comfort. The simpler the clothes, the better. Here it is - freedom.

Now every second person dreams of visiting this unusual, multinational and very free country.

Distinctive features of the style

To feel at home among strangers, a guy should buy a couple of three extremely simple, but unrealistically comfortable cool things:

Sweatpants (in addition to designer sneakers);
A pair of oversized sweatshirts with geometric or cartoon prints;
As many T-shirts as possible that fit the body slightly;
Jeans, jeans and jeans again. Denim is one of the most popular fabrics in America, especially among teenagers and young people;
Jacket in suede or khaki wool in a cowboy style;
Leather Jacket;
Checkered shirt, preferably large.

You should wear the most comfortable boots on your feet, preferably made of genuine leather, suede, possibly moccasins. Americans hold footwear in high esteem.

When creating an image, you can pay attention to the headdress. A suede jacket with jeans will perfectly complement a cowboy hat. Moreover, in the United States, it will not look out of place. And for sweatpants and sweatshirts, a baseball cap is the best option.

The dressing room of an American teenager should "burst" with the amount of old, forgotten, long-worn things. Whether it's grandmother's dress or mom's 30-year-old jacket. Everything will come in handy. Unable to buy branded things for themselves, teenagers, without noticing it, introduced a fashion for frayed jeans, T-shirts with patches, voluminous sweatshirts inherited from an ex-boyfriend or older brother. The girls' favorite clothes are denim shorts, they are worn in any weather. All these styles look very natural and surprisingly harmonious.

Shoes are exclusively sports shoes.

Minimum makeup, maximum jewelry (many bracelets, earrings - rings, pendants on chains).

The clothes are layered, a combination of incongruous.

In order to become an American girl and understand their style, it is necessary to have a simpler attitude to life, to be always on the move.

For girls in America, it is not typical for long fees for the usual trip to the store or taking out the trash. American women prefer speed and convenience. They choose functional outfits - for all occasions.

The blurring of the sex boundaries has borne fruit. Women in the United States are increasingly dressing like men. No one will be surprised by a girl walking down the street in a classic suit and men's boots or in a jacket 2 sizes larger. They add women's accessories to men's clothing, then the image will overcame more harmoniously.

Everything should be appropriate and natural. From makeup to shoes. By the way, about her. A woman in America is rarely seen in heels, especially in everyday life. They prefer flat soles: ballet flats, espadrilles, sandals with thin straps or wedges. All this should be made from natural materials.

Yes. If only because Hollywood makes films primarily for the Americans themselves. But, naturally, not all aspects of life are shown. They often omit the topic of study, and only because much here depends on the school: students of good schools devote a lot of time to their studies (especially in high school) to get a lot of points on the exam and go to a decent college, about truancy, humiliation and bad behavior in such schools there can be no question (this is quickly decided by the authorities). In schools below the level, the rules are not so strict, and the contingent of students there is completely different (the standard of living and ambition is lower).

So it remains to shoot about what unites both groups - the social aspect. Teenagers in America really have nowhere else to walk other than shopping malls. Courtyards in our usual form do not exist, parks only in big cities. Remain for communication of the shopping center, and for dating "registration".

Stereotyped models of behavior, like "handsome athlete - selfish, beauty cheerleader, freak-nerd" and so on are sometimes greatly exaggerated, but reflect reality from the psychological side: they are drawn to beautiful people, beautiful people love themselves -> selfish, nerds do not have enough time and desire to take care of their appearance and other commonplaces. But these types of adolescents are not unique to America.

Basically, yes, adjusted for the obvious fantasy, for a little more poverty (see below), and the presence of immigrants (also see below).

Here are some examples of films that, in my opinion, show American teenagers very realistically. (Links to IMDB)

Many films directed by John Hughes (ru.wikipedia.org) and www.imdb.com). Breakfast Club http://www.imdb.com/tit le / tt0088847 /, 16 candles http: // www .imdb.com / title / tt0088128 /, Ferris Buehler http: // www.imdb.com / title / tt0091042 / (apart from the title character I, of course) very accurate portraits of typical American teenagers. (Of course, several decades have passed, and modern youth have smartphones ... but the behavior is the same)

Heathers www.imdb.com also illustrates how some teenagers are "friends against" others - typical behavior in American school. Some are offended, most are not. (Of course, the elements of fantasy - killing someone and faking suicide, or blowing up a school - only fantasy)

Bully www.imdb.com is based on the true story of the murder of a boy by his school friends. Shows the atmosphere of less wealthy / promising families very well.

In general, American cinema and television likes to show characters living more richly than most viewers, because viewers are more interested in it. In the movies, a teenager with friends can decide to fly to Mexico for the weekend to swim in the sea. In real life, such a trip is really available to many, but you need to plan, save money for it, etc. Or, for example, few families will buy a car for their child for the 16th birthday. (Even if there is money, teenagers are now much less interested in driving licenses.)

Basically, yes, adjusted for the obvious fantasy, for a little more poverty (see below), and the presence of immigrants (also see below).

Here are some examples of films that, in my opinion, show American teenagers very realistically. (Links to IMDB)

Bully www.imdb.com is based on the true story of the murder of a boy by his school friends. Shows the atmosphere of less wealthy / promising families very well.

Children of all nationalities have many characteristics in common, and their development follows a similar scenario. However, in adolescence, certain differences begin to appear. With the US and Russia regularly contrasted, it will be fun to see what the differences are between Russian and American teenagers.

Relationship with studies

Teenagers in the United States take full responsibility for the educational process. Plus, they love to learn. They take an active part in the social activities of the educational institution, devote a lot of time to the development of certain projects. In addition, it is not at all prestigious not to study in the United States, since the study is paid by parents or sponsorship structures, and the invested funds must be worked out. For Russian youth, learning time is a fun and carefree period. Affordable and free schooling is taken for granted. Therefore, personal responsibility is developed.

American teenagers, for the most part, know in advance which university they will go to next and who they will be in the future. Sometimes the parents make this choice for them. This forces teenagers to learn to plan their own time and life for the future. Unfortunately, the majority of Russian schoolchildren, unfortunately, may not even know exactly where they will enter next.

Another fascinating point is the issue of cheating and cheat sheets. American teenagers don't practice this on exams. In addition, when the cheater is noticed, they will definitely tell the teacher. For Russian teenagers, this is something like a sport. They not only deftly cheat during exams, but also intensively help their classmates.

From a young age, American children and adolescents are taught to have an active social life. Charitable events and other events do not take place without their participation. Russian schoolchildren can also boast of a large number of activists, but this practice is not yet so widespread.

Appearance

Teenagers in America are not particularly worried about their own appearance. They are often not obsessed with excess weight and other disadvantages. Without trying to imitate fashion trends, both boys and girls wear loose T-shirts and jeans. Therefore, by themselves, any complexes regarding social status, the price of clothing or belonging to a certain brand disappear.

In the environment of Russian students, everything is completely different. If guys are often frivolous about their own appearance, then for girls this is a very serious topic. They carefully approach the issue of choosing outfits, as if competing with their peers.

Relationship with elders

It is rather difficult to form a definite opinion based on only one youth films and news reports. But it's hard not to pay attention to the fact that they have the respect and support of the older generation. In the States, they believe that the future belongs to young people, therefore, when a person has the opportunity to provide a teenager with a job or help to realize a plan, he will definitely do it. Even when for this purpose it is necessary to squeeze an experienced employee and send him to retire, the manager will prefer to give way to the young.

As for the Russian youth, it is much more difficult for them to realize themselves. As a rule, the older generation looks at adolescents with distrust or with some kind of condemnation. All projects or intentions of self-expression are regarded with hostility. Very often, in many institutions, good positions are held by retirees, while young people are not able to find a job.

Carier start

Work is considered an integral part of the life and life of American teenagers. From the age of 13, a teenager gets the full right to independently earn money for personal expenses, having received permission from school and from parents. Such an activity can be delivering mail, walking with pets, sitting with children, and so on. At the age of 16, young people try to go to work in a catering establishment or at a gas station. And this does not interfere with the educational process at all, since employers calmly make concessions. So, adolescents from a young age get used to independent activities and begin to collect for their future.

There are huge differences between Russian and American teenagers. Our guys have no legal basis, as well as the opportunity to work, for example, from the age of 13, which is why they depend on their parents for a long time.