Let Girls Be Girls

Mumsnet's Let Girls Be GirlsLet girls be girls logo campaign

Let Girls Be Girls was launched in early 2010, and grew from Mumsnetters’ concern that an increasingly sexualised culture was dripping, toxically, into the lives of children. The campaign aims to curb the premature sexualisation of children by asking retailers to commit not to sell products which play upon, emphasise or exploit their sexuality.

 
"I am tired of looking for shoes for DD and seeing them in her size with massive great heels on them. She's 5...!"  Mamazon

"Little girls are being groomed into passively accepting their place as objects in our increasingly pornified culture, and it stinks."  TenaciousG

WHO'S BACKING 'LET GIRLS BE GIRLS' - AND WHO ISN'T:
Yes: Bhs, Sainsburys, Great Little Trading Co., Tesco, Next, No Added Sugar, Bread and Jam, Zara, Boots, Clarks, Debenhams, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Fat Face, George at Asda, Boden, House of Fraser, TK Maxx, Mothercare, Pumpkin Patch, Start-rite, Hush Puppies, YellowLolly.com.
No: H&M, Gap, WH Smith.
Didn't respond: Barratts, Claire's Accessories, Deichmann, Ethel Austin, Mackays, Monsoon, Littlewoods, Matalan, New Look, Primark, River Island, Selfridges.

It's no secret that the worlds of entertainment and celebrity encourage girls to believe their sexual attractiveness is paramount – and recently, many Mumsnetters were alarmed to see that this trend was increasingly visible in the products which retailers were marketing at young children.

"Kids should be allowed to be kids, not be forced into mini adulthood when they're far too young physically and emotionally."  Fords

A growing number of toys, clothes ('sexy' slogans on young girls' clothing, high heels for five-year-olds) and accessories (Playboy-branded stationery sets? Good grief) seem designed to encourage children to enter the world of adult sexuality when they should still be - well, children.

Like many others, we're worried about the long-term impact of this trend.

Authorities as varied as the NSPCC, the NUT and the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams have all called for more awareness of the effect of sexualisation on children.

  • It introduces children to the world of adult sexuality, when elsewhere we are rightly encouraging them to resist the pressure to become sexually active at a young age
  • It tells girls in particular that the most important quality they need is 'sexiness', and not cleverness, sportiness, application or ambition
  • It tells girls and boys that female sexuality is all about pleasing others
  • It encourages a culture in which children are viewed as sexually available

Message of support from former prime minister Gordon Brown

I'm proud to back Mumsnet's Let Girls Be Girls campaign because all of us as parents can recognise there's something wrong when companies are pushing our kids into acting like little grown ups when they should be enjoying being children.

Parent power has successfully persuaded retailers to withdraw inappropriate products in the past and this campaign, backed no doubt by the many loyal MNers, will send an important message about our determination to set boundaries around childhood.

I don't agree with those people who argue the market should always decide and that's why we have taken a number of steps in recent years to better support parents and children themselves to ensure a safe, happy and healthy up-bringing for our children and young people, including introducing the first ever child internet safety strategy, and introducing a duty on schools to support pupils' emotional and physical wellbeing through a range of programmes.

We commissioned Linda Papadopoulos to produce her report into the sexualisation of childhood because so many parents were raising this issue with me on my trips around the country, and because as a parent myself I know how careful we need to be about protecting our kids from pressure.

I welcome her report, and MN's campaign, and will be backing the NSPCC in its work to make the industry more responsible in what it sells. Good luck with the campaign - you have my full support.

Best wishes,
Gordon Brown

    Why retailers? 

    Of course, the premature sexualisation of children is not driven only by retail and marketing. Music, TV, pop promos, newspapers and lad’s mags are all in the dock – but turning back the tide of pop culture felt like a big ask, even for Mumsnetters ;).

    We did think, though, that we could let retailers know how we felt about this development - so, in February 2010, we wrote to them, asking them to do their bit to help reverse this trend. Here’s a copy of our letter to retailers.

    Fast forward a few months, and we’re absolutely delighted that so many high-street names have decided to take the lead on this very important issue. Plenty of retailers, including Boden, Startright, House of Fraser, Mothercare and Asda signed up to ‘Let Girls Be Girls’ almost immediately, and other big names – John Lewis, Tesco, M&S, Bhs, Boots, Zara, and Next amongst others - followed close behind.

    So how exactly does it work?

    Let Girls Be Girls is a rolling campaign: new products are hitting the shops all the time, and there are still plenty of retailers who haven’t yet signed up.

    Those retailers who have signed up to ‘Let Girls Be Girls’ have agreed ‘not to sell products which exploit, emphasise or play upon’ children’s sexuality’.

    We've mentioned a few examples of inappropriate products in our letter to retailers - children's underwear which mimics adult lingerie, ‘grown up’ heels for little girls, 'sexy' or provocative slogans on clothing - but we’ve deliberately not provided a definitive list of inappropriate products.  Our intention is to encourage retailers to keep this issue in the forefront of their minds and for them to become self-policing, and we feel they’re more likely to do so without a list to 'tick'.  We're also wary of appearing tacitly to endorse an item, simply because it's not yet been drawn to our attention.  

    However, this is a learning process, and over the next few months it’s possible that some retailers might slip up. Please do let us know if you see products which concern you. In this situation, we will first ask Mumsnetters what they think, and if there is a broad consensus that the product in question does sexualise children, we will raise the issue with the retailer in question, and work with them to resolve the problem. If an acceptable solution can’t ultimately be found, the retailer’s accreditation would be removed.

    Mumsnetters are generally a very sensible bunch; we know that people have different ideas about what does, and what doesn't, sexualise children. We’re also well aware that not all pre-teen clothing is to everyone's taste - but that taste is a different matter to sexualisation. To give an example, there is no consensus on Mumsnet about whether bikinis or crop tops fall into the 'sexualising' category.  For similar reasons, the campaign focuses on the pre-teen market - beyond that age there is much less consensus over what is appropriate. 

    If in doubt, retailers are welcome to get in touch with MNHQ to discuss consulitng Mumnsetters about their product ranges.

    What about parental responsibility?

    Of course we’re not suggesting that retailers should shoulder all the responsibility for turning back the tide. We understand that parents always have the option of not buying products which sexualise children, and that a small minority of parents might actively wish to dress their 8-year olds like mini-adults, teetering in heels and a provocatively-sloganed top.

    But we believe few parents make an active choice to do so - we know from experience that most parents are low on energy, and struggle to resist 'pester power' at the best of times. Holding the line against a furious nine-year-old who wants a padded bra ‘like everyone else’ can sometimes seem like a battle not worth fighting, and the more widely available these products are, the more acceptable – even inevitable- they are perceived to be.

    This is why we need retailers’ help. Working together, we think we can make a difference – and ultimately, we believe that the retailers who have signed up to the campaign will benefit from the support of the vast majority of parents who want products which ‘Let Girls Be Girls’.

    The effects of premature sexualisation on girls

    This generation is being sexualised before they reach their teens with, according to the experts, disastrous implications for their self-worth.

    You don’t have to be a feminist to believe that little girls shouldn’t be told that a vital quality to cultivate is that of being attractive to boys. Nor do you have to be Mary Whitehouse to believe that it’s not great for girls – or boys – to grow up thinking that being feminine is all about a pornography-inspired pastiche of female sexuality.

    • In 2007, a study by the American Psychological Association found that: "Sexualisation has negative effects in a variety of domains, including physical and mental health, and healthy sexual development." Possible ongoing effects identified by the research include: low self-esteem, poor academic performance, depression, and eating disorders such as anorexia.
    • A 2008 study by Girlguiding UK and the Mental Health Foundation found that premature sexualisation and pressure to grow up too quickly are two "key influences" in the anxiety felt by girls.
    • According to Dr. Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation, "Girls and young women are being forced to grow up at an unnatural pace in a society that we, as adults, have created and it's damaging their emotional well-being. We are creating a generation under stress."
    "Mumsnet has been loud, clear and effective in their Let Girls Be Girls campaign."
    Michael Gove,  Education Secretary

    Here are some of the books and articles we've come across which deal with the subject, either specifically or tangentially. It's by no means exhaustive - so if you know of any others please do post on the campaigns thread and we'll add it to this list.

     

    Let Girls Be Girls: latest press

    Any thoughts on how we can maximise the impact of this campaign? Please add your support, comments, ideas or extra research to this campaign thread.

 

Shortcuts

Popular forums

Product reviews

Tools


Advice

Family recipes

Membership


About us


Other stuff