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In the study, researchers examined 15 of the most popular U.S. kids' clothing websites and found that nearly 1/3 of the clothing for sale had "both sexualizing and childlike characteristics."
But this is not a new issue. Over the past few years, several such products have prompted parental outcry. For example:
- Abercrombie & Fitch's thong underwear, marketed in 2002 to girls age 7 to 10 years old
- Walmart's "Credit Card" panties, marketed in 2007 to young girls (age unspecified)
- New Look's high-heel shoes, marketed in 2010 to 8-year-old girls
- Abercrombie & Fitch's "Ashley" push-up bikini, marketed this year to girls age 7 to 12 years old
But the problem with these products is deeper than parental philosophy and opinion. Findings of a 2007 American Psychological Association study on the sexualization of girls linked sexualization with "three of the most common mental health problems of girls and women: eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression or depressed mood."
So, what do we as parents do about it?
A recent opinion piece from CNN.com, titled "Parents, don't dress your girls like tramps", says the buck stops with us.
"Is getting cool points today worth the harm dressing little girls like prostitutes could cause tomorrow?" author LZ Granderson asks. "A line needs to be drawn, but not by Abercrombie. Not by Britney Spears. And not by these little girls who don't know better and desperately need their parents to be parents and not 40-year-old BFFs."
The aforementioned American Psychological Association study gives several suggestions on how parents can combat the sexualized messages manufacturers are sending to our daughters.
"As parents, you are powerful too," the authors of the study state. "You can teach girls to value themselves for who they are, rather than how they look. You can teach boys to value girls as friends, sisters, and girlfriends, rather than as sexual objects. And you can advocate for change with manufacturers and media producers."
CLICK HERE for more advice on combating the sexualized messages your children are receiving.
Email: jormond@ksl.com
