How much is too much?

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Where do Mumbai''s youth draw the line in their effort towards coolness? Choice slang, minimum attire -- that''s the norm not the exception, say parents</span><br /><br />They were teenagers who seemed to be barely out of school, but ready to give Woodstock a run for its money. And the object of their attention was singer Shaggy on a Sunday evening in suburban Mumbai. Halfway through his concert, some of these nubile nymphets took off their bras and swung them in the air, screaming "F*** me, Shaggy!" This act left many members of the audience distracted for a while.<br /><br />Some might choose to call these youngsters ''cool''. Others might get appalled at their frantic antics. Whatever be the interpretation, there is no denying that a sizeable section of today''s youth is trying to rewrite the definition of ''cool'' -- be it in the way they dress, conduct or approach to life. "Times have changed," explains Sunidhi Patnaik, a commerce student, whose statement is almost a throwback to the days of the uninhibited flower children of the ''70s. "It''s too much to expect today''s youth to be tied down by social norms that''ve been in force Baba Adam ke zamane se." <br /><br />Some might consider minimum attire an essential to be part of the so-called cool brigade. Like low-waisted jeans is a must-have for Reena Pallat''s wardrobe. "I need to stand out amongst others," says the tenth standard student. "Otherwise, what''s the point?"<br /><br />Notes Agastya Sen, a parent, "Recently, I saw this girl wearing a T-shirt which had slits all over and was held together by safety pins. I''m sure her mother must have made some attempts to dissuade her from such bare-all clothes."Fiftytwo-year-old Lata Bharadwaj recollects a similar incident, "My jaws dropped when I saw this girl wearing a see-through dress. Shocked, I couldn''t help ask her why she was dressed in such a fashion and all I got in reply was, ''You will not understand.''" <br /><br />The occasional hostile glares and raised eyebrows don''t daunt this free-spirited lot, whose lingo is peppered with a generous dose of four-letter words and assorted American slang. With teenagers steadily getting exposed to the risque and formerly taboo in this age of information overload, it''s fast becoming a force of habit for many. "It''s a fun thing to do, so why not?" says Anupam Kumar (name changed). <br /><br />But there are also those who agree that there is a fine line between being cool and uncool. "The definition of being cool has varied interpretations depending upon individual perception," says Sakshi Raina, barely out of her teens. "Sometimes, in our attempt to be cool, we tend to go overboard. But to each his own. Shouldn''t we follow the diktat of live and let live?" </div> </div>