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PHILADELPHIA — Stephanie Giese is a mom of three, Target lover and the writer behind the blog Binkies and Briefcases. When she discovered her favorite store was making extremely small clothing for toddlers and girls, she decided to call it out on the most public forum she could think of: the Internet.
“You are making our daughters’ clothes wrong,” Giese wrote in a post on her blog. “I’m sure you already know this, but your size 5T shorts are actually smaller than many size 2T shorts made by other brands. Why are you offering my kindergartener clothes that are sized for children less than half her age?”
Giese backed up her complaint by posting several photos showing the discrepancies between sizes. A boys extra-small shorts were bigger than a girls size-large shorts. Toddler shorts in 5T from Target were shorter than Fisher Price toddler shorts in 2T.
“Every time the grandparents ask what size her sister is wearing so that they can spend their money at your store as well, I wind up passing down some brand new, too short for their label hand-me-downs to my smallest child,” Giese wrote.
#poll
The story quickly gained traction on the Internet and the post amassed over 330 comments, with most commenters (mostly moms) agreeing that clothing at Target and other stores are too small for their daughters.
But the responses weren't all pleasant. Some people told Giese she's too “caught up in numbers” and that she should be more concerned about her kids' diets if the clothing doesn't fit.
Despite the criticism, her pleas were heard by Target. Representatives from the store contacted Giese, she reported on her blog, and they asked her to work with them to provide feedback on their children's clothing choices. She also fired back at the criticism with a detailed post on inseam lengths for boys and girls clothing at both Target and Kohl's, and she found that girls shorts at both stores averaged a 1-inch inseam.
Target confirmed to today.com that it does not have a formal partnership with Giese but is working with her as a consumer.
