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AIBU?

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Original poster

bras for young girls

29 replies

Lindoug · 04/02/2011 18:12

I was browsing in BHS Truro this afternoon and was appalled to see that they have padded bras on sale in their Tammy range. The smallest one would fit a seven year old. I was so incensed that I have written to the Commercial Director at BHS to complain about these items being on sale. His name is Darren Topp, BHS Head Office, Marylebone House, 129-137 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5QD, if anyone else would like to complain. With the current climate of sexualising young girls, I think it is highly inappropriate for these bras to be on sale. Am I being too cautious?

OP posts:
manicbmc · 04/02/2011 18:13

You should see what they have in Primani!

mutznutz · 04/02/2011 18:14

I don't know if you're being too cautious but if you're going to complain, you might as well complain also to all the clothing companies that sell mini skirts and crop tops for little ones.

HingCogNeeto · 04/02/2011 18:16

what age was on the labels?

bubblewrapped · 04/02/2011 18:17

Victoria Beckham is about the size of an average 7yr old...

FreudianSlippery · 04/02/2011 18:20

Agree that age 7 is too young (apart from precocious puberty)

BUT I used to agree that padded bras are awful for young girls. But actually they are much better. It helps if they are self conscious about nipples, especially during the cold weather!

MissQue · 04/02/2011 18:20

I hate that too, my dd is developing and I don't want padded, underwired bras for her yet. New breast tissue can be easily damaged, I just want a nice, comfortable bra for her which provides support but doesn't make her breasts the first thing you see when you look at her, y'know?

HingCogNeeto · 04/02/2011 18:20

on the website the bras start at 30AA

I am having a think

PaulaMummyKnowsBest · 04/02/2011 18:28

my 12 yr old dd is a 30AA and wanted me to get her a couple of bras as "she was the only girl in her yr 7 class to not have one".

I don't see the harm actually.

MissQue · 04/02/2011 18:33

30AA is probably the starting point for a lot of young girls, and at 12 she needs to be getting used to bras anyway. It's the ones that have ages rather than back and cup sizes that are nonsense.

LadyOfTheManor · 04/02/2011 18:35

There's a difference in buying a bra for a newly developing girl, and buying a plunge bra.

At 12 I didn't need underwire, by the time I was 14 I did (I was a D cup-quite unfortunate for a teenager). They didn't have many bras that size that weren't "adult looking".

That said, "kids" bras are ridiculous,
a) They don't need them, wear a crop top.
b) For the few that do it's normally a training bra.

Why do people insist on making children so sexualised? It's disgusting.

FreudianSlippery · 04/02/2011 18:42

Agree underwired is awful (I hardly wear that now anyway as I'm BFing)

But I say again, honestly a bit of padding (and it's usually not that much, not like an adult plunge) is more comfortable for many young teens.

Ladyofthehousespeaking · 04/02/2011 18:44

30AA isn't for a 7yr old- I wore a 28AA as my first bra-just the awkward 'breast bud' stage when you don't want to show through your shirt.
No biggie I think

piprabbit · 04/02/2011 18:50

OP - The Tammy range is aimed at girls 8-16.

The bras are sold by cup size, not age, and seem to start from 30AA.

I'm assuming that BHS are aiming these bras at flat-chested teens instead of large 7yos (speaking as the mother os a large 7yo).

I don't think we can ban retails from selling bras to teens on the basis that they might fit younger children too.

YABU in this particular case.

piprabbit · 04/02/2011 18:51

retailers - not retails - sorry.

PrincessScrumpy · 04/02/2011 19:05

I had boobs at 9 years old and had a couple of bras. I would have preferred padded ones as they hide nipples and feel more covering - I really think this is why they have them rather than to be like wonderbras.

PixieOnaLeaf · 04/02/2011 19:17

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maryz · 04/02/2011 19:17

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maryz · 04/02/2011 19:18

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MrsAlanKey · 04/02/2011 19:23

I'm a 30 now and I'm not 7yo. Before I had dcs (when I was 25) I was a 28. Not a A admitedly but you don't have to be 7yo to be a 28AA.

LaWeaselMys · 04/02/2011 19:23

Agree with everyone else. It's all about nipple coverage ! Much more about modesty than sexualisation.

I still wear lightly padded bras for the same reason.

LaWeaselMys · 04/02/2011 19:25

(my 22yo friend wears a 30AA for some perspective - when not PG or breastfeedibg the biggest my boobs get is 32A! Some women are small. It's not a crime.)

duchesse · 04/02/2011 19:26

I know of a girl who started developing breasts at 6 yo. In height she was the same as an average 9-10 yo. She wasn't wearing a bra at 6, but almost certainly was at 8. Whilst I agree that average flat-chested children should not be wearing bras of any sort let alone padded, there are increasing numbers of girls who need them before 10. That said, I'd be surprised if a 7 yo with breast tissue were the size of an average 7 yo- they would end up very short indeed if they didn't grow early.

muggglewump · 04/02/2011 19:30

DD is 9 and is developing, she has small boobs and is wearing crop tops atm.
Are these bras you saw padded, or moulded?

I often buy bras from the kids section, and have never seen padded, though I've not been to Tammy.

Primark, Peacocks and M&Co, though they are small branches.
I buy their knickers for myself too, and they are not inappropriate for younger girls. Cotton short style pants.

LaWeaselMys · 04/02/2011 19:33

Also you say they would fit a 7yo, what are you basing that on? Since it didn't have an age suggestion.

Takver · 04/02/2011 19:34

Agree that a lot of teens would wear a 28AA bra, and as a 15 y/o with pretty much zero breast development, a wee bit of padding would have been quite welcome.

(I still take an AA size, these days I don't care & wear crop tops instead of bras, but as a teenager I definitely wanted to be a bit more like everyone else.)