Why do teenagers use small kids' backpacks?

Question

I live in Oakland, CA. I frequently see young teenagers, especially African-American teenage girls (around Claremont Middle School and in some parts of Berkeley) wearing backpacks that seem specifically for younger kids (primary grades; K-3rd). I have seen these girls, and possibly even boys, with Dora the Explorer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Spiderman, Superman, Strawberry Shortcake and various Princess backpacks. They are always small backpacks (about 16") and don't seem like they would be big enough for a middle schooler to fit all their stuff that they'd need for school.

- How do these backpacks fit into the lives of these teenagers I see?
- Do certain groups more than others tend to use them? (i.e. I've never seen Latino kids wearing them, but maybe they do.)
- Why?
- In what ways?
- What function do the backpacks serve?
- What do these backpacks tell us about these kids who use them?

Please do not answer this question unless you know the answer to WHY these specific kids or other kids that you know use these backpacks. I tried to explain earlier... I am a graduate student at UC Berkeley in the Education Department. I doing this investigation as part of an assignment for my Urban Education class. (Please do not post random answers just so you can get points. That is not very helpful to me. Thanks!)

Answer 1

I see that in Oakland too, mainly around Oakland Tech. It's just a fashion thing really. They've been popular for at least a few years, mainly with the African-American community in Oakland. I guess it has something in common with the Finding Nemo cup I have on my desk.

The amount of books and papers these kids are bringing to and from school really does fit in a little-kid backpack. They'll probably have a notebook or two, maybe a binder, a few pencils, and possibly a book or two. Mostly they can leave things in their lockers. I went to a competetive private school, so I had a lot of books to carry back and forth every day, but public schools often don't have enough textbooks to go around, and don't let kids take them home even if they want to.

Once in high school I went to a debate competition that was held at a public school in Utah, and it started before the end of classes on Friday (since Utah refuses to allow any debate rounds to take place on Sundays). I remember being struck by the fact that many kids when they were leaving for the weekend didn't even have a backpack at all - just a couple books/notebooks tucked under their arm.

The little-kid backpacks serve the same function as any other backpack, and they have enough room for everything that the kids need to bring home with them. So what's wrong with having a backpack with cartoon characters on it?

Answer 2

Little Kids Backpacks

Answer 3

This fall, as my 17 year old son began his senior high school year, he announced that he and his friends and classmates would start using a kid's throwback backpack at the start of second semester to indicate he was embracing senior slide. Meaning, the backpack is small since there'll be no need for books or studying second semester senior year.

Answer 4

I saw a couple of guys crossing the street the other day, here in CA, wearing little kids backpacks like that. I'd never seen such a thing before, but it got me to thinking how times have changed. When I was in high school and beyond, heck to this day, I am so afraid of being called gay, as I have been called on occasion, that I would never have dared to try and look effeminate or childish. But these two guys, who were probably in Junior College, since it's right there, not high school, are so comfortable looking like total homos, it's astounding.

And my gay cousin just out of high school and his 30 year old boyfriend just bought a house and moved in together. When our Grandpa is the person who started it all by calling me a sissy when I was 4 (Yes I remember the incident), and from that day forward I vowed never to be a sissy. While my cousin who grew up in the same family over ten years younger than me is flaming, though grandpa won't have anything to do with him since he came out, nor me, but because I told him to he's a drunken closet case a few years ago.

Answer 5

Ha, I think they have a lot of guts, when I went to high school no one ever did that or they would have been made fun of a lot. Maybe they just havent grown up yet and still really like cartoons. I dont think they serve as any function, high school text books and notebooks are big, there is no point in having a back pack that small, nothing is going to fit in it but your school ID. I just think its your state, you see a lot of different trends and such in California that you dont see anywhere else.

Answer 6

they are fun. They are an acessories and they look better then those manish hiking ones
Having a huge backpack just makes you carry more things in it......carying a heavy pack sack everyday leads too back problems. Thats why so many kids have been going to chiropractors and what not lately. Big backpacks are bad for you!

Answer 7

Jesus christ! It is just a teenage trend okay. It hasn othing to do with race. I live in South Florida and went to a prominant rich Catholic Highschool where there was like 100 black kids at the most in my whole senior class the rest white and all the little white girls, hispanic girls and some black people had the kids backpacks. It is just a trend....

Answer 8

WHY?! because the key to being cool is being yourself! so if you like Dora then you can have a Dora backpack. Small backpacks acctualy hold a lot of stuff belive it or not! and well im not so sure about which groups...

Answer 9

Different states have different fashions, it seem as though it is a trend in CA. I live in New York City and never seen that before.

Answer 10

For one, they're "In style"

For another,it's actually BAD for teens to carry all their books in their bags. That's just begging for back and shoulder problems later. My backpack used to be 60 pounds when i put all my books in there. It's much better to have a smaller backpack and then carry some of your books in your arms to kind of balance out the weight.