Joanna Fortune: My teenage daughter insists on wearing skimpy clothes 

"Perhaps you are more worried about what your daughter’s grown-up way of dressing signifies: That she is growing up and stretching her independence beyond you."

Pic: iStock

My 14-year-old daughter insists on wearing tiny shorts and a crop top when she meets her friends in town. I know it’s about fitting in with her peer group, but I worry that she’ll attract the wrong kind of attention from boys. What should I do?

Clothes can be a way to push boundaries, test limits, and playfully experiment with identity and image. I would urge caution around linking the (potential) bad behaviour or the thoughts of others to what your daughter wears. Your daughter can dress in whatever way she feels comfortable because clothes don’t carry consequences: Behaviour and choices carry consequences.