Guest Articles

Bratz Girls and Clothing   by Julie Plancarte

My daughter recently crossed over into the 7-12 girls section in the clothing stores. Like any parent, I had the joy of trying to find something suitable to wear for a child of six.

What I found in the girl’s section was a little disturbing. I had a hard time distinguishing the clothes and the way they were cut and made, with some of the things in the juniors/women’s area. I saw t-shirts emblazoned with dolled up Bratz, and High School Musical characters. There were bikinis for seven year olds, low cut underwear for ten year olds, pants and tops for prepubescent girls that bared midriffs and hung below the hips. The dresses were so close to what I saw in the women’s section, I couldn’t see the difference.

I was able to find a few items of clothing for my daughter, but I was discouraged by what I saw. The 7-12 year old group has become the target of product placement, and a growing trend to ‘dress up” little girls older and more mature than they need to be.

Just consider Hannah Montana and High School Musical. Disney pulls in huge profit from product placement for these two programs. Everything from clothes, purses, shoes, lunch boxes, posters, and stickers bear the likeness of the teenagers in those shows. What’s the age of the girl’s that see these programs? About 5-14. So let’s say you are a seven year old. Those teenage girls on these programs are going to be who you want to dress like.

Now, Disney can shrug and say”no harm done”, but I take a different view. Girls are learning at a young age to dress older than they are. It used to be that little girls could be little girls. There was a certain whimsical quality to girl’s fashion. Little girls dressed like little girls.

As a parent, I want my daughter to dress modestly in clothes that are appropriate for her age. I recognize that time will pass, and there will be debates about clothes in the future, but do the debates have to start now? Must I really have the argument with a six year old about low cut tops and mini skirts now?

There is also a safety factor to consider. I don’t have the talent to figure out who is a pedophile based on sight alone. When we allow our daughters to wear immodest clothes and emulate teenagers, who’s attention will they attract?

It’s our responsibility as parents to dress our daughters in an age appropriate fashion and allow them to enjoy the childhood they are passing through. We should stimulate their imaginations, allow them to play and have fun, and keep things simple. They grow so fast, and are gone so soon. We should not be part of the process to hurry them along.

I look on eBay for clothes now, and search a little harder when I go shopping for my daughter. Bikinis and miniskirts are out, and I keep her away from TV/movies that feature older kids.

Today I can control many things. In the future it will be so much harder. Easy victories should be taken now, when the children are young. It only gets harder with time.

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Copyright  2008     Leland Pulley