Something for Everyone
To the derogatory comments from the older generation the teenagers might retort
that new fashions and styles are adopted by the elders with alacrity. Though
they complain, they emulate their daughters by shortening and lengthening their
hems. They may appear reticent about the bother and expense of altering their
wardrobe, but they give tacit approval to the change by rushing to department
stores where they jostle each other to buy copies of more expensive dresses. 
The conclusion one might reach by observing how women countenance the arbitrary
changes year by year is that they are naive and victims of some chicanery
practiced by the clothing industry. Women may appear hapless before the 
intimidation of style, but the truth may lie in the fact that they are so docile
because they secretly enjoy the yearly excitement around the latest fashions.


to maintain the status quo--to keep things as they are.
You hit the nail on the head when you said we ought to maintain the status 
quo and not change horses in midstream.