On the weekend I went to a Batmitzvah. This is a religious ceremony held when a Jewish girl turns 12, and is usually followed by a big party. It is a recognition of the girl's coming of age, and gaining responsibility for her decisions and actions. A lot of Jews spend a lot of money on the event, and I joke that they're often as big and expensive as a wedding (which is in fact the truth for some!)
I haven't been around 12 year olds for some time, and I was shocked at what they were wearing. Heels. But not just any heels, super duper high heels. For example:
I am not ashamed to admit that I took a sneaky phone photo of 12 year olds, because I had to capture those heels. They're all wearing heels of around the same height, but you can see the white ones the best.
This Batmitzvah was not the more lavish I have been to, but it was pretty well catered. They had one of those "fill a lolly bag" tables which everyone seems to have these days:
There was also a hot chocolate station serving Belgian hot chocolate for dessert (yum!) and a vintage photo booth where you could get some snaps taken. The decorations were very pretty, with the ceiling looking like this:
Being amongst 12 year olds is like entering the jungle. I was standing on the side of the dancefloor minding my own business when I was suddenly kicked in the stomach by a tumbling 12 year old doing a clumsy flip of some sort. I should add that this behaviour ramped up noticeably after the lolly table was opened - I can totally see the virtues of low sugar/additive diets for kids!
One final shocking revelation. Just look at this snap of the "present table":
Sorry about the angle - Blogger is being disagreeable. What you were supposed to notice is not one, but THREE Tiffanys gift bags. I got my first (and only) piece of Tiffany jewellery for my 18th birthday, and even then it was a tiny charm (which I proceeded to loose somewhere in the midst of my cluttered bedroom, which shows how much I cared about it).
Are all twelve year olds today decked out in high heels and Tiffanys, or is this a particularily pretentious bunch?!
Wow. I've noticed that children seem to want to be "grown up" far earlier these days! I see children walking around in outfits that I wouldn't dare wear now, let alone when I was their age! It's kind of sad... they don't seem to have the same innocent childhoods that we had. (and saying that makes me feel very old! haha)
ReplyDeleteWow three tiffany bags!! I bought my own tiffanys for my 21st birthday only because I was in NY. Kids are definitely a lot more spoilt these days. x
ReplyDeleteWow I don't remember being like that when I was 12 haha! I think I bought my first pair of heels at 15 or 16. And I still don't own anything from Tiffany! I agree with Cat it is a bit sad to see them grow up so quickly!
ReplyDeleteI practically learnt to walk in heels...and gave them up at 16 (and haven't looked back). But my 12yo hasn't shown any interest. She loves fashion and clothes though. Maybe it's just she knows I will say no way LOL. Though unfortunately there seems to be a cultural shift to "maturing" quicker. When I was at school the teen girl bitchiness didn't start until grade 5/6/7, for my eldest it was grade 3 (all about boys, music and who was wearing the "right" things). When we first took her out of school in grade 5 she seemed to instantly regress to dolls and barbies and make believe. Then I met other girls who hadn't been in the school system and they were the same. I grew up too fast...I only hope my daughters get to relish childhood a bit longer!
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