Teens freeze for the sake of being cool

Fashion wins over warmth for Rhiannon Blewett. Picture / Stephen Parker

If Mother Nature could talk, she would probably tell Rhiannon Blewett to put some clothes on.

Elderly people are living in their kitchens to keep warm and criminals are reoffending to go back to warm cells.

However, teenagers like 16-year-old Rhiannon are shivering in the name of fashion.

Rhiannon admits she is often so cold her teeth are chattering, but she doesn't care.

"All my friends do it too. It's more fashionable, I don't think about the cold."

Even at night when the Rotorua Girls' High School student goes out in the cold to parties, she'll wear singlet tops.

On Wednesday the school had a mufti day - many students were in short skirts and dresses with boots.

"Everyone dresses the same these days. People see things on TV and copy them."

Her mother, Debbie Tuuta, thinks Rhiannon is asking for trouble.

"I think she's mad sometimes, but it's her that goes out and freezes, not me."

Her attempts to get Rhiannon to cover up often fail.

"She probably walks out of the house in pants, then gets changed into a short skirt halfway down the road."

Rotovegas Youth Health clinical leader Tania Pinfold said skimpy outfits could be a health risk.

"Freezing is not cool.

"If you're not looking after your body and keeping warm, dry and comfortable, it is harder to stay well."

Young women wearing skimpy tops and short skirts are often seen lining up outside bars like Grumpy Mole and The Lava Bar.

Grumpy Mole manager Chathams Gregory-Hunt said girls snuggled up to boyfriends or borrowed jackets while outside.

"Good on them for wearing that, if they think they look good, go for it. But if it were me I'd certainly be wearing more."

Clothing stores like Jay Jays, Glassons and Pagani sell miniskirts, boob tubes, singlet tops and short shorts all year round. Surf, street and skate-wear shops Xploit, Serious Fun and Vegas sell bikinis and board shorts year-round.

Anita Henderson, manager of Jay Jays Rotorua, said girls dressed skimpily because they read magazines and saw what their favorite celebrities were wearing.

"We'll get girls coming in and saying, 'Have you got what [rock band] The Veronicas were wearing?'."

- DAILY POST