Back in January I wrote this post about a Sunday Times article that questioned the agressive marketing of ‘sexy’ clothing to very young girls. Since then hardly a day goes by that I don’t get hits on this site from people using search terms such as ‘sexy young girls’. I don’t think they’re likely to find what they’re after here at The Journey.
Today in The West Australian there’s an article on page 3 about the same issue. The article quotes Dr. Rick Kausman, who treats girls as young as 6 with eating problems, as calling the trend of marketing innapropriate clothing to young girls ‘toxic’. “The pressure to look a certain way, to grow up too quickly and to look older puts a focus on looks at a very young age. That causes kids to do things to try to change their natural body shape by dieting, bingeing and self harm.”
Padded bras and lacy underwear sets are just a couple of the items that are being sold and aggresively marketed to girls aged from 7 to 12. A Big W spokesman said customer demand dictated what the store stocked and that included selling padded bras to children. What a shocking cop out. They’re effectively throwing their hands up and saying that even if something is morally wrong, if people want it, then their response is to sell it to them and make money from it. Of course they’re not the only ones doing it, they’re just the only ones that are honest enough to put it that bluntly.
Our kids are having their sexuality awakened a long time before they’re mature enough to make responsible decisions regarding their bodies. Can’t we just let kids be kids? I was amused recently when we were having a family picnic in a park to see a group of very young girls, perhaps around the age of 11 or 12, who were all dressed in skimpy skirts and tiny tops playing on the playground equipment. They had bought the lie that they had to look ‘sexy’ but deep inside what they really wanted to do was play like the children that they were.
My regular Monday morning guest on 98.5 Sonshine FM is Joan Grosser from Growing Families Australia. Joan will be away on business for the next couple of months so I’ll be chatting with Heather McEwan who will be tackling the issue of purity in kids and helping them to develop healthy attitudes to sexuality and body image.
If you’re looking for ways to go against the flow of society’s obsession with sexuality and you’d like to see your children grow up to respect themselves and others in this area, be listening to 98.5 Sonshine FM from 10:10 a.m. Perth time this Monday. (Click here to see what time that will be for you.) If you’re not in the Perth area you can listen on-line through the website.
Heather will be speaking from a Christian perspective but will have something to say to everyone, whether you consider yourself spiritual or not. (After all, it was God who invented sex and he wants us all to enjoy healthy sexuality.)
Posted by Rodney Olsen
Technorati Tags: Marketing – Parenting – Sonshine FM
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it is pretty horrible and shocking what marketing companies do to try to get young kids dress way above their age. the chaser (on abc) last week had a clip about marketing “sexy” clothes to pre-teens.to see the video clip go to this link: http://tinyurl.com/e55s2 then click on “play latest highlights then go to “pre-tweens” (this link is probably only available until next monday) they always over exagerate issues they deal with on the chaser but its even more shocking that some people actually agree with what he’s pretending to market.
I do try to catch The Chaser but I had to be on-air at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday so I missed it.
You’re right, it’s scary that a couple of those mums wanted that stuff for their daughters.
Rodney, this issue is close to my heart. It is so sad, so horrible. If you read “Barbara’s Journey” you will know I can relate on a somewhat personal level. I hope that parents get the message. I just don’t get it. I am glad my son is just a kid still (age 15)