UK retailer withdraws padded bikini bras for kids (7 year old girls)

major British clothing retailer withdrew a children's bathing suit from sale Wednesday after a front-page tabloid story criticized the store for selling padded bras on bikinis aimed at 7-year-olds.

The bikinis also angered children's advocates and top candidates in Britain's upcoming national election, who say it was yet another product that sexualizes children and encourages them to grow up too fast.

"It's a shame it was ever put on the shelves in the first place," said Justine Roberts, founder of the Mumsnet, a parenting Web site that attracts a large, vocal audience. She nonetheless praised the decision to pull the bathing suit from the shelves.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/04/14/international/i090124D39.DTL#ixzz0l7yh5a2L

after a recent shopping trip with their daughters.

Scary, creepy, just plain WRONG.

But what's equally sad are the number of parents who'll find it hard to just say "no!" no matter who else is doing it or how fashionable it's supposed to be.

:scared:

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This is much ado about nothing, in other words.

Don't think so. Besides, it's a little make-believe. No harm in it. No one's proposing they dance at a stripper pole in their fantasy swimsuits.

who takes it as an invitation. Lots of crazy people out there.

Little girls love to dress up. And it's not like she would get to wear a swim suit at Chapel...

Comcast is making $500 million a year from internet porn and they want to buy NBC!!

There is harm in sexualizing young girls --

No one's proposing they dance at a stripper pole in their fantasy swimsuits.

Really . . . ?

Looks like you've given it some thought --

You're funny. Do you think of things like this right before you go to sleep? lol

No one's proposing they dance at a stripper pole in their fantasy swimsuits.

Again -- that's your thought -- take responsibility for it --

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post isnt intended for you. but i cant put this question on the deleted post.

Baby stripper poles.....ugh

there is some weird shit going on over there these days.

Old Navy had several styles of girls' suits with (removable) padded inserts.

My Brit compadres seem to be a bit daft lately....all of them.

I know, my post is not nice, but come on....

females are sex objects from the time they are born, evidently!

Sexualization of children is an inevitable extension of the overall hyper-sexualized culture.

Children always mimic or "ape" the adult behavior they observe. It's a normal part of development and socialization.

Our sexuality has become such a commodity now and is displayed much more ostentatiously than before - as a consumer product, really - that it's only natural that this disturbing trend would develop and grow.

I don't think we can fight the sexualization of children without addressing the overt and omnipresent sexualization of the wider culture.

I could never be considered a prude, but I am sometimes disturbed the the overt, commercialized and ceaseless objectification of sexuality today. It's like a grotesque mix of vanity, insecurity, and exploitation.

toddlers.

big on sexualizing children -- and much of TV --

Just as an aside in making children more grown up -- I've always been aware that

children in sit-coms are given lines which children would never think of saying.

They are used to create laughs, but what effect does it have on children, in general?

Do they feel stupid? Immature? Do they think they should address their minds to the

issues commented upon by children in these shows?

And this has been going on for decades --

"Primark refused to discuss the bikini's padding but a source familiar with the product said the extra fabric was designed to preserve a girl's modesty and prevent any signs of a developing breast from showing through."

Teh stupid. It burns.

now projected onto a 7 year old girl . . . who perhaps now should worry about

"developing breast showing through" . . . and being "modest" -- !!

Amazing reversal/projection -- !!

Nothing like advertising for first class exploitation -- !!!

:banghead:

lol

in place. The top is pretty baggy and this keeps it spread out enough so it won't scrunch up and reveal anything. I used to sew a lot and it just looks like something used to keep the form of an article intact.

the bottom of the bra would cause it to form a cup shape. I've seen the same detail in adult bathing suits.

it didn't have that inset, it would just hang like 2 spaghetti straps? Also the dart is a seam - easier to cut out 2 pieces of material the same sizeand just sew them together. And wouldn't that "dart" also help smooth out the fabric over the chest. The torso is round not a flat board.

swimsuit fabric is made to cling and be stretchy. This swimsuit in question is clearly designed to make a padded look.

shaping like that in adult swimwear and it was for bust shaping, not to reinforce the fabric.

If somebody wore this, they might have an advantage and win a contest.

I'm just saying. Not EVERYTHING has an evil purpose.

would wear. I know there is nothing next to it, so we can compare the size, but it looks more like a suit for a pre-teen or tween. The color is all wrong. Most little kid suits are made in bright colors

and the '128' below that matches with Primark's sizing system - it's the height in centimetres: http://www.primark.co.uk/page.aspx?pointerid=175fec441e1f436db0fa7f92b14d8ccb

"it looks more like a suit for a pre-teen or tween. The color is all wrong. Most little kid suits are made in bright colors"

Well, yeah, this is the problem. They're designing them with the implying marketing angle "this is what the older girls wear - you want to look older, don't you?"

there is simply no way in hell that I would buy something like that for her to wear. I'm already finding it difficult to get clothing and shoes for her that I consider age appropriate. A 7 year old does not need to wear shoes with a two inch heal - yet that is what I'm seeing in the stores for dress shoes in her shoe size, nor does she need to wear a dress with spaghetti straps and low cut neckline. As a mother, clothes shopping is becoming a problem. At least she has to wear a uniform for school and there is only so much you can do with khakis and a polo shirt.