"Rock Forever 21 But Just Turned 30?" - Kanye West

I don’t always agree with Kanye West but I have to admit the father of two, rap God (his words not mine), and hubby to Kim K makes a valid point. Can you rock Forever 21 when you just turned thirty? Or better yet, when you are currently 23… asking for a friend.

I grew up in a household that banned Forever 21 clothing from ever reaching our washer and dryer. Now I don’t want you to think I was deprived shopping at Forever 21 when I lived at home but it quickly became banned from the list of stores we were allowed to go in while school shopping. My mom refused to go into Forever 21 because the clothing was cheaply made but all I saw was the cheap so being the bargain shopper that I am figured we should give it a try. I say “we” because I was raised with a mom who did all my laundry for me (lucky I know). I’d like to take a moment to say thank you mom for never letting any of your children be called the “smelly” kid in class and always rewashing my favorite Limited Too jumpsuit so I could wear it twice a week in elementary school. Back to the pressing issue at hand though. Basically, I was forbidden the fruits of Forever 21 after I’d buy an item I’d love, my mom would wash and dry it, and then it’d never fit me again. After my meltdowns about an article of clothing (that I didn’t wash myself) being ruined (gosh I was a brat) my mom refused to buy clothing for me from that store (don’t blame her).

Anyways, now that I’m a mature 23-year-old adult (HA) and I can buy whatever brand I want I tend to find myself wandering into the Forever 21 store from time to time. You know when you go to the mall and you have that one trendy new item in mind and you look everywhere and just can’t seem to find it and for the right price. Forever 21 is that alcoholic beverage that you mutter “I can’t even taste the alcohol” then you end up having five of them and black out. What I’m trying to say is THEY ALWAYS HAVE THAT ONE TRENDY ITEM YOU’VE SEARCHED EVERYWHERE FOR! For example, I searched high and low for a boyfriend style jean jacket for a reasonable price. When I say reasonable I was thinking $40 at the most. Go into every store at the mall to wind up at Forever 21, with the exact style jean jacket I want, for $30ish. It’s so hard to say no when Forever 21 screams yes for you.

Now, the issue I’ve been grappling with is the fact that I’m no longer 21. It’s kind of like when my mom walks into a store and goes “they have very matronly clothing; not for me.” Should I be saying that about Forever 21 but in reverse? Or should the brand create a section called "Forever 21 & Beyond?" I know you’re probably like Karli why are you over analyzing this it’s just a store. But to that my friends I argue that KANYE. FREAKING. WEST. wrote a song lyric that stated “rocked Forever 21 but just turned thirty.”

I guess I’ll table this discussion until I’m thirty because according to Mr. West that’s when I should start questioning wearing this brand. However, does that include shoes and accessories too?

-iKarli