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I just think that girls, especially in high school, care more about their appearance than boys.

I mean, if you're a girl any flaw that you have will most likely get pointed out to you by someone to just be mean at some point in your high school years. Plus the standard of beauty for women at an even younger age has risen.

Now if your a boy, and you can dress like and look like and smell like a slob on a daily basis and most of your guy friends will still hang around with you and you probably can still get a date than why go to all the trouble? (trust me, in college that just gets worse)

Really, it's just another double standard. I mean, look, when you get older it doesn't really change except for their may be more deodorant involved. But really? I work with all guys and most of them are overweight to OBESE and all they do is pick on women who walk by or comment on women who are heavy or whatever. I always think to myself, "Who are you to talk?"

Interesting observation.

The answer to which is differences in cultures and upbringings, I believe.

For example, where I'm from (I lived half of my life in Indonesia and the other half in Singapore), the 'face-value' is still very much a traditional value and not just a teenage phase or vanity. Hence, you'd hardly find people going out looking less than 'presentable' and 'neat'; be it a 3 years old, an 18 years old or a 45 years old.

Teenage boys are enemies of hygiene, everyone would know. However, in my culture, if someone isn't presentable to the 'society', they might as well stay at home until they learn to clean and groom themselves like 'they're supposed to'. The parents would not only care, but stress on it for as long as they live under their roofs.

I've noticed its very different with countries who focuses on 'individual values' like many Western countries. To most parent there, even when they care and scold, they can't 'control' them in that sense; they've become an adult who's very much responsible for themselves.

While in other cultures, you don't become that adult 'till you support yourself. In the meantime, you do what you have to do to NOT bring shame upon other family members. We're taught that we have to consider how our actions would reflect on our parents, siblings, community, etc.

Now, I'm an Asian who was brought up under Dutch teachings; hence I get two different extremes of expectations when it comes to how I should look and behave in the public. One taught me to NOT care about what others think and the other one taught me to ALWAYS look presentable. I settled for something in between.

I'm pretty sure this doesn't answer your question in its original context; I just thought I'd share this with you and some other parents here.

Oh, and by the way, most of the time, its not that they don't care; its just that after the third arguments about shaving and they STILL don't get it, most people just grow tired of being the 'enemy' to their kids.

It is absolutely ridiculous to blame the parent for that. If the children were five or six years old, it would be a different story. However, 16 to 19 - year old young men are perfectly capable of grooming themselves properly. It is especially insane for someone 18+ to be so sloppy. Most people that age are living independently and entering the adult world. At some point, people need to take responsibility for themselves and stop blaming Mummy and Daddy.

What a 16 or 19 year old does it completely up to them not the parents. They are pretty much grown at that time and if they don't wash themselves it is on them not the parents. Wait till your a parent.

Some parents DO try, but they get ignored. Sometimes they keep nagging to thyier kid s much that they realize its his decision if he wants to smeell and look like trash sothey give up.

But normallysomne guys don't even care about appearance.

Many girls, on the other hand, do.

It's the same withmy mom.

When i get even the tinyiest pimples, she takesme to get pimple cream or to get a painful facial! haha, youare not alone. XD

Why do you assume it's the parents fault? When boys go through puberty many of them go through a phase where they don't like to wash or brush their teeth. Every day it's a struggle to get my son (who's 14) to do the most basic of personal care. I don't understand it. It's not like there isn't 5 bottle of Axe product in my shower, Clearasil, etc. He doesn't USE them.

It's not that parents don't care, it's that you, and many non-parents, just make assumptions based upon circumstantial evidence.

I guess they just don't care. :S