Fashion in-Justices

When reminiscing about their childhood, people usually recall scoring their first soccer goal or climbing the playground monkey bars with their best friends. But I remember being a kid a bit differently — my most prominent memories involve shopping at the mall with my mom.

I regret to inform you, however, that the clothes I chose to wear were not at all chic; they were fashion nightmares.

During my elementary school days, I spent most of my time at the mall inside the almighty girls’ clothing store, Justice. As I glanced up at the pink, bubbly letters of the Justice sign, I felt some sort of spiritual connection to the store that I cannot understand to this day.

For those of you reading who are not experts in girls’ fashion, Justice, operated by Tween Brands, sells apparel and accessories products aimed at children ages 5-15. Though it’s losing popularity with today’s generation, Justice was the trendiest store in my entire school 10 years ago, and if you were not wearing Justice, it was a fashion faux pas.

Shirts with glitter hearts, tank tops with printed cartoon fruit that smelled like smoothies and dresses adorned with vibrant green and pink belts scattered the floor of the store. Racing across the flowery purple carpets, I gravitated toward anything covered in sparkles.

Not only did Justice house attire, girls could also splurge on “jewelry,” ranging from cheap matching friendship necklaces featuring googly-eyed food items to fuzzy zebra-printed diaries, perfect for detailing fifth-grade melodramatics. My mom, of course, fully supported my Justice craze, and willingly sat upon the bench in front of the dressing rooms, ready to see if she was just as obsessed with an outfit as I was.

As my mother pushed me in a stroller across the tile floors of Westfield Oakridge shopping center, I used to wonder why the bustling shoppers were dashing in and out of brightly lit boutiques. As I grew older, I began to relate to these shoppers frantically racing to buy the newest clothing lines at their favorite stores. Soon enough, I transformed into them at the young age of eight and developed my own sense of fashion that carried throughout elementary school.

Every time I entered Justice, I felt euphoric, but if I browsed the racks today, I would laugh.

Looking back at old pictures, it’s hard to think that I used to believe Justice was cute. Before, sporting a bedazzled hat with a plastic pink pearl necklace was the look of my dreams. I wish I could go back in time and tell my younger self that I looked ridiculous.

Yet, like every trend, Justice came and went. Though I despise its style now, I once prided myself on the way I dressed, and I’m glad my clothing fostered confidence at such a young age.

And hey, the clothes I like now could be considered ugly in 10 years. Maybe someday, I’ll be thinking the exact thoughts about my current favorite stores that I’m having about Justice. I guess the Falcon’s going to have to check back in and find out.