The Midlife

It’s not even August yet, and the stores are full of Back to School items, which I think should be illegal. But I digress. And nothing speaks chock full of Back to School sales like a trip to our local mall. I promised begrudgingly to my daughter, we would go.

I think my current disdain for the mall or mall-like settings boils down to crowds. I’ve never been a fan of too much peopling; however, when I was 14, fun times were had at the mall. You know where you’d find me on a Friday night after a long week of high school, girl drama, and not enough completed homework assignments? The mall. Rewind and you’ll see a bushy-eyebrowed me sitting on the floor up against the wall reading the latest copy of Sassy (IYKYK) waiting to sneak into the movie Heathers.

Perhaps, me being over the mall is because I spent so many hours there already; I may have reached my mall limit. Before I could drive and make money, in my mind the mall seemed like the natural solution for passing time, getting false notions of buying things I would have to spend months saving an allowance to buy, and coveting the style of older girls I thought I could emulate.

Back to yesterday’s mall visit. My daughter is now at the age of wanting to pick out her own outfits and flexing her unique style. Case in point: We headed to said mall with her donning a lynx mask worn on her head like a British fascinator, long T-shirt, baggy jeans, lots of gummy bracelets, and a giant homemade Narwal pendant necklace. Naturally this could only mean one thing? We were headed to Hot Topic.

Hot Topic has not changed much since my glory days. Well, except for the prices. The clothes are still mostly black, emblazoned with cartoon and anime characters, band shirts of those the young buyers have never heard music from, and plenty of skulls and fishnets. The daughter and mom duo in front of us walked away with a loaded bag of clothes, while I thought to myself: Are you guys rich? This place is expensive. Ultimately, we walked away with a long-sleeved T-shirt and a colorful chunky belt on sale for $40. If my girlie decides to build her complete aethetic here, I may need a side hustle in order to keep up.

So, dear reader, I ask you this: Do you still frequent the mall and for what? Please consider leaving a comment. And consider subscribing, it’s free!