"Miley" Lead Guitarist of "The Urban Tinkerbells"

This is Miley, she's the first member of "The Urban Tinkerbells." It's been many, many years since I've been a teenager but I am inspired by the fashion and style of today's young generation. I am having so much fun learning about what kids wear today.

I have a four year old granddaughter Maya, who absolutely amazes me at how fashion conscious she is. I've seen her put her own outfits together and they are perfect. A designer couldn't do better. One of her favorite people is Hannah Montana. Of course we edit out the bad publicity that seems to be following this young star lately. We don't want to burst Maya's bubble yet. It would be like telling her there is no Santa Clause or Tooth Fairy. So my Miley doll is at the request of my granddaughter.

My generation had Twiggy, Carnaby Street, Betsey Johnson, and Mary Quant as only a few of the fashion influences of the 60's. I couldn't wait to get Seventeen Magazine every month to see what the latest styles were. My mom and dad were hard working people and they tried to give me everything I wanted. The smartest thing my mom did was to buy me my first sewing

machine when I was 12 and taught me to sew. She kept me in fabric and I got really good at replicating almost anything I wanted out of the magazines which saved my parents a ton of money. It got to the point where I only wanted to wear what I made myself.

Admittedly, I don't get a lot of today's trends and a lot of them I don't even like. But I know that fashion is the first rebellion young people demonstrate. The flappers did it in the 20's, my mother's generation did it, my generation did it, my older son wanted to be Prince, my youngest son went through the grunge style (that absolutely irritated me.) Every generation has a need to 'shock' their parents and authority figures and to make a statement about who they are and that they're young people and are not the same as their elders. I think rebellion is an absolutely necessary part of the process of growing up and fashion and style is for the most part a harmless rebellion compared to so many other negative and harmful things that young people could get caught up in. As parents, we need to let our kids and grand kids experience this creative freedom with some guidance from us for health and safety reasons.

I have three more dolls to add to this "Urban Tinkerbells" rock group. It is a challenge for me and I am learning and becoming aware of today's fashions. Keep watching this blog. Ga Ga is the diva and the lead singer of the group and she will make her entrance next.