Yahoo Lifestyle Mom's Shopping Trip with Tween Daughter Turns into Viral Moment of Her Getting Schooled on Gen Alpha Style (Exclusive)
The 11-year-old explained the nuances between styles to her confused and intrigued mom
Christina was at Target with her daughter when the tween started explaining different Gen Alpha style
The mom recorded the exchange and shared it on TikTok, never expecting their conversation to go viral
The mother-daughter duo have now created a wider style guide to help parents understand Gen Alpha
A mother-daughter shopping trip to Target led to some big conversations about fashion.
Christina, who is on TikTok as @kriskamishka, shared a video earlier this year from a day out with her 11-year-old. While in the store, the tween, a member of Generation Alpha, commented on the different attire displayed.
"It was just a regular visit to Target and we walked past that display and she said she didn’t like it because it was too preppy. I immediately asked her how it was preppy and decided to film it, thinking it would be fun," Christina tells PEOPLE.
In the video, the tween holds a tan sweatshirt and says, "When I say aesthetic aesthetic, it means like beige."
Showing a matching sweatshirt and shorts set, the mom explains her daughter deemed it preppy. Panning to a display with the same shirt — a solid body with lacy long sleeves — she explains that the pink is "more coquette" than preppy. The brown, however, is "more cottage core."
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Pointing to pairs of flared cargo pants in black and khaki, the mom confirms that the khakis were "aesthetic," while the black were "e-girl."
The tween can be heard rattling off more terms as she goes through a rack of the same dress in different colors. Pointing to a purple corset-style tank, she says it gave "Olivia Rodrigo vibes."
"In case you're wondering what all these new styles these girls are wearing are, that's your lesson," the mom concludes.
"I had no idea it would go viral," Christina tells PEOPLE. "It was actually the first time I had ever put her face on any social media, as I have always kept her private, so of course, it went viral."
The pair was "very surprised" to see how quickly the video went viral. It turns out there are many parents out there who were desperate to decode Gen Alpha style.
"We were both pretty excited. It blew up super fast and, in a few days, hit a million views. We really couldn't believe it. We enjoyed doing it together, and it is something we will continue to do more," the mom says.
The two followed up their video by making a free, printable Gen Alpha style guide. Christina ran through some more styles in a video announcing the guide and answered questions about them from her comments.
The mom says it's been a fun experience for her and her daughter, who "go shopping together often."
"We actually made a style guide after our original video went viral. She told me all the styles she and her friends talk about, and we researched it and pulled it all together," Christina explains.
"It all started with what preppy is considered now, but she also talked about coquette, aesthetic, cottage core, soft girl, kawaii and e-girl. I think they are so interesting as they are evolutions of other styles we had growing up. Fashion is definitely cyclical and takes cues from past fashion, and it is interesting to see how they translate it to be their own."
As for their own senses of style? Christina says her daughter calls her style "aesthetic aesthetic," while the tween is more into "soft girl aesthetic."
To her credit, Christina says her daughter's observations have made her more fashion-conscious. "I realized she was right, and everything was beige and neutral, so I had my colors done and now wear more color. She absolutely influenced that decision."
The tween's closet is full of "more athleisure pieces but in soft colors like pink and blue."
"She is just getting into her hair and makeup now and has definitely been influenced by me always looking put together, even when wearing casual clothes. I would say we do have color palettes in common, but for style, she definitely is more fun."
Of her daughter, Christina continues, "She is definitely set in her opinions on her style and what she likes and does not like. But she also always has comments for me. She is usually right about it, and she likes to style me. I try to help her as well. It is so fun for us both."
Bonding over fashion and going viral means a lot to Christina.
"The time I have with her is everything and I value it so much. It helps us stay connected as she is getting older," she says. "The going viral experience has been surreal to say the least, but I am so glad we have this together. We have so much fun together, and I think that comes through in the video."
Christina also hopes their videos will help other parents and kids realize there aren't so many differences between generations.
"People have so much to say about this generation. I feel if they really took the time to get to know them and not just control them, they would see them for who they really are," the mom says.
"They are passionate and kind. They stand up for themselves and each other. They have a definite sense of right and wrong. They are creating their world just like we did when we were their age. Are they perfect? No, but neither were we. They are definitely more mature than we were at their ages and I believe it is because of their access to information we did not have growing up."
Christina believes tweens "aren’t difficult if you take the time to get to know them and understand them."
"I sit with her a lot to talk, I have real conversations with her and try to help her get through the hard things. I encourage her to be herself and discover who she is. It is not always easy, but it is completely worth it."
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