Why Are Girls Wearing Inappropriate Clothing?

When walking in the mall the other day, I saw something rather disturbing. A girl with long blond hair teased to the to the ceiling. Her lips were covered with pink lip gloss with sparkles. I had to assume this girl was cold because she decided to put on at least three layers of makeup. The girl’s interesting appearance did not stop there, she had large hoop earrings to accompany her halter top and a couple sizes too small yoga pants that sat a little to low on the waist. And to top off this amazing look, the word “Juicy” was written the back of her pants. If you are wondering why I found this look so interesting, it is because the girl looked to be about eight or nine.

This got me thinking why are girls, especially young ones, dressing so provocatively. Although I am sure the parents were extremely proud of their eight or nine year-old’s attire, she was the sluttiest looking girl in the mall and she is not even in middle school. That is quite a feat. Why are we, specifically parents, encouraging this type of clothing? It is degrading and sad to watch young girls feel they have to expose themselves for attention or to look “hot.” Are girls’ self esteem so low that they feel they need to wear revealing or suggestive clothing? Society is pushing the need to be sexy on girls and the young ones are becoming victims to this media pressure. It is apparent that clothing stores are over sexualizing clothing to keep up with trend. Girls seem to be lowing their self value to be sexy and there is a huge potential that this lowering in standards could lead to bigger problems that are much more than just an inappropriate outfit. Why are parents encouraging these dressing habits? Parents are increasing the chances for problems, such as eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression. There’s nothing inherently wrong with parents wanting to appease their daughters by buying them the latest fashions. But is being able to look “cool” and “in style” today worth the harm dressing little girls like prostitutes could cause tomorrow?

Abercrombie & Fitch recently created a push-up bra line called “Ashley” that was marketed for girls as young as seven. After a public outcry, however, they marketed the bra for a much more mature audience, twelve year olds. How does a person pitch or even come up with this idea for the Abercrombie & Fitch office? When did it seem to be a good idea to give a push-up bra to a girl in elementary school with undeveloped chest. Now, thanks to Abercrombie & Fitch, girls don’t have to wait until high school to feel self-conscious about their…“girls.” Why not start encouraging girls to show off their two “assets” as soon as their potty trained? Babies-R-Us could keep a plastic surgeon on site for free consultations, so your daughter can really impress in her “Ashley” push-up bra.
Why do retailers continue to sell this clothing? Could it be the parents? No…it couldn’t be. Wouldn’t a parent want their daughter to grow up with a high self-esteem and what girl with any ounce of self respect would wear this clothing? It is hard to believe a parent would look at their twelve year-old daughter and think “wow she needs a little boost in the chest area to show off her undeveloped ‘assets’.” Thinking back to that little girl in the mall, there are numerous other little girls like her walking around in airports, restaurants, or even in those beauty pageants. What do these girls have in common? Their parents not only allow them to wear this clothing, they purchase the clothing for their daughters. Then I realized as creepy as it is to think stores like Abercrombie & Fitch are offering something like the push-up bras, the fact remains that sex only sells because people are buying it. No successful retailer would consider introducing an item like a padded bra for kindergartners if they didn’t think people, specifically the parent, would buy it. This raises the question people should be asking: why are parents buying these clothes?

It is easy to attack companies for selling “sexy” wear, but the companies only goal is to make money and they would not make anything that wouldn’t have the potential to sell. It is not retailers that should be criticized, it is the parents who think low rise jeans for a second grader is cute or a padded bikini looks fashionable for their fourth grader. The parents are the ones spending the money and they are the ones encouraging the market to push this trend of inappropriate clothing. The parents are responsible for deciding what is appropriate for their child, not the companies trying to make a profit. The parent does not need to feed into the media and make her daughter believe she has to be sexy because it is trendy. Katy Perry is extremely popular, but that does not mean a girl should strap on whip cream to her chest and wear peppermint flavored underwear as if they are in candy land. Parents should consider what their child is wearing and what message they are sending their daughter because if your daughter grows up dressed inappropriately, she is more than likely to continue the trend.