Campaign to stop retailers selling products that prematurely sexualise children - let us know what you think...

[JustineMumsnet]

So quite a few folk on the MN campaigns thread mentioned that an issue they'd like to see MN get involved in is the premature sexualisation of children.

So we've put together an outline for a potential campaign, along the lines of Let girls be girls, summarising the issues and some of the research. The aim is to encourage retailers to make a simple, public pledge that commits them to selling only products which do not sexualise children.

Please do have a read and let us know your thoughts, ideas, suggestions.

Thanks.
MNHQ

Sheep - think that report was commissioned by Jacqui Smith when she was Home Secretary - not directly linked to the MN campaign but is obviously in a similar ballpark.

Have come to this late, so please excuse any repetition of points already raised.

1. August 2009. Zara (in France, but have seen the same product over here. For 2-yr-olds). Was perfectly happy to buy my then 9-yr-old DD a faux-leather bomber jacket. Was NOT happy with the faux-leather mini-skirt on offer with it.

Was also not happy with having to explain WHY a plastic mini-skirt is inappropriate, when a jacket is ok. Impossible to do without introducing age-inappropriate concepts? and my DD is not one to be easily fobbed off with "I'll tell you when you're older", or "because I said so."

1. Shoes. It's not only high heels that are the problem. School shoes for girls made by Clarkes and Start-rite are often not fit for purpose. Boys get substantial and supportive footwear that they can run about in and keep feet dry. Girls get insubstantial almost-sandals, with nothing between the thin velcro strap & the toe-cap, that fall apart in weeks if you so much as walk in them?

am glad this is back at the top of active convos. had argument with dd's dad about why his brother's choice of cardigan for dd was inappropriate

I will don my hard hat -

Haven't read the whole thread, but are the issues of parental 'choices' also going to be tackled?

Someone is buying this tat merchandise and it must be very profitable if the shops are bothering to stock it and market it. So can anything be done about the people who are chosing to buy these items for their daughters?

DD - now a teenager - has pestered me for 2 years to allow her to but and wear a RIDICULOUSLY short denim skirt, so she can look like a hooker trendy young person, but I have refused her everytime (yes, I am a cow) so don't we all need to start taking a bit of personal and parental responsibility for this?

I think the campaign is a brilliant idea, raising awareness of the issue and the fact that it IS an issue, but are we ever, as a society, going to accept that parenting also has something to do with these issues and the problems we are facing? The retailers are just taking advantage of a trend in parenting imvho, albeit in the name of profit...

With reference to Clarks, have they stopped doing the clumpy, but practical shoes for girls that I have very fond memories of as a child because no-one was buying them?

No offense intended, I am just getting increasingly afraid for my culture as it slips increasingly into 'no-one is to blame ME for anything at all, it weren't my fault ever, ever, ever, they made me do it' area of reference and away from the 'gosh, that was a bit of a rubbish choice I made, think I'll do it a bit differently in the future...oh and it was my fault and responsibility after all'

I totally think girls are being made to grow up so fast. There are girls in my daughters class at school who wear high heels, make up and bras (my daughter is 5 years old). It is quite sad to see little girls struggling to walk in these shoes. I refuse to buy anything like that for my daughter.

V good idea - and I love "let kids be kids"

Just want to say though that this is about so much more than girls clothes - it is also about culture, media projections and society expectations and attitudes.

Refusing to buy the clothes, mags & accessories is a good place to start...

Today's report is a bit depressing because it feels like total cod-research. Why exactly has the psychologist from Big Brother been chosen to research this?!?! Hardly the right approach for critiquing popular culture.... grab your nearest pop psychologist! And then bunging in lap dancing/airbrushing/anorexia into the argument seems to rather cloudy the waters. Shame it isn't a little sturdier.

Aaah here she is looking seductive and telling us how to 'sex up our bedrooms': "Sharon Osborne has red lights in her bathroom ? apparently you can't see cellulite in it."

Agree with bb99.

Surely the answer is not to ban this stuff but just not to buy it? It really isn't that hard to say No when your DD wants you to buy her a tarty top.

Every week there seems to be a new suggestion of banning junk food... banning advertising of junk food... banning cheap alcohol ... banning overly sexual clothing... banning this that and the other.

It all leads to the impression that if something is bad for you, it's not your responsibility to avoid it, it's the government's responsibility to ban it. Time we put the responsibility back on individuals I think.

Of course this does not apply to things that can't be avoided - such as billboards for example. But clothes, magazines, etc - just don't buy them. Simples.

The Scottish Parliament did a proper report on this recently - it is very interesting reading. Basically it says it's all jolly complicated.

Couldn't agree more bb99 I haven't been on the site for a long time and I came across the campaign in this weeks Grazia magazine. I haven't read all the threads either so apolgise if I am covering topics already raised.

On Sunday we were treated to a nine year old modelling her birthday outfit she was tottering along in knee high heeled boots with high gloss black tights and black hot pants finished off with a black sequined vest top and matching waistcoat more Kate Moss meets the Pussy Cat Dolls. All I could think was Over My Dead Body.

I'm not advocating that they should be dressed like Laura Ingalls and Nelly Olsen (I am I showing my age!!) I think little boys and girls should look little little boys and girls not wannabe WAGS and RAP STARS. I have a son and a daughter who are under five and I completely ignore their likes and dislikes and choose clothes which I regard as appropriate and be a pain and ask for receipts for clothes that other people buy for them that are completely unsuitable.

In our fast paced society do we really want to facilitate our children pressing the fast forward button to skip over the boring bits and get to the main event,where they all have the same goal to be a celeb? Childhood is too precious to allow it to be bypassed.

At Christmas we were buying a dolls pram and I noticed the age categories assigned to each model and it struck me that we no longer see twelve year olds pushing a dolls prams. They are more likely to be pushing their own baby in a pram in a few years, surely we cannot rule out a link between the premature sexualisation of children and the increased proportion of school aged pregnancies.

surely we cannot rule out a link between the premature sexualisation of children and the increased proportion of school aged pregnancies.

Teenage pregnancies have actually dropped over the last 10 years, not enormously, but slightly.

I'm really relieved that someone is doing something about this problem. My dd is 3 and suddenly it's becoming hard to find clothing that is suitable for her. I think it is part of the fast clothing trade, because countries like France, where they buy fewer but better quality clothes this problem does not exist, children are dressed like children.

I don't think Next is improving at all, in the most recent advert I came across from them in a Mother and Baby magazine the outfits were shocking. I don't know who is buying this stuff. Why should we be expected to dress a 3 yr in an outfit that you wouldn't let a 15 yr old out in? I think it's a sign of desperation on the part of the designers/retailers.

A report on the news now about images on TV. About time too.

The reason teen pregancies have dropped is due to the availability of the morning after pill. That's what the girls are doing at her school. Better than unwanted pregnancies but not due to them not having sex.

I am VERY interested in this campaign! I only found out about it today, so it's all new to me, but as a mother of 3 girls (aged 9, 7 and 7) I agree wholeheartedly with this cause.

There doesn't seem to be a 'watershed' anymore. And many kids programmes are fairly inappropriate in some respects. Although I try to shield my children from much 'grown up' material, they and all of their friends, seem to be striving to be teenagers with boyfriends - which is often reflected in their imaginative role play.

Adverts for chlamydia and birth control around tea time does not help and it seems that it is now acceptable to HAVE underage sex as long as protection is used???

All advertising seems to involve sexualisation is some way or other and young children pick up on this and absorb it all like sponges!

I agree with couldeatawholeones point about school shoes. My dd (10) is now a size 2 and on a recent school shoe buying trip I was unable to find anything without quite a heel. My dd asked the lady in the shop how on earth she was supposed to run around in these shoes. I was shocked at what was on offer. In the end we had to buy boys shoes as she was not able to walk properly in any of the others.

What policywonk said.

Boys and girls want to emulate grownups - generally women's image is more sexualised than men's.

But I agree with your campaign! Best of luck.

I just saw this campaign on the 10 o'clock news &...
Finally! ...the thoughts I've been having for too long have become public concern! Thank you, thank you! I just felt that maybe I was being too prudish in my views about children being sexualised too early & exposed to sexual images irresponsibly & in not allowing my children to watch music videos. Magazines aimed at young teens shocked me when I read articles such as "position of the month" with graphic diagrams, and the feeling of losing control over protecting my children from such material is very depressing when kids today are bombarded with sex from every available angle, which hit home to me when I found my 5 yr old son gyrating provocatively around a clothing rail in a clothing store, when i asked what he was doing (praying for an innocent explanation) it sickened me when he said "i'm doing what ladies do" because I endeavour on a daily basis to shield them from such images & what i saw him do made me feel that i'd failed as a parent to protect him.

I totally agree with this campaign and hope that it helps to WAKE UP people to this problem! Thanks

I know I'm a pain going on and on about this topic - but my kids are at an age were they are influenced by all this and I'm finding it hard keeping on top of it. I've copied this from a music forum (they're good for keeping you (horrified) and informed.

*has anyone seen this ?
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8538179.stm

video report ^
news story v
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8537734.stm

quote -

The report said this "drip-drip" exposure was distorting young people's perceptions of themselves, encouraging boys to become fixated on being macho and dominant, while girls in turn presented themselves as sexually available and permissive.

what do fans think about young girls listening to -
i,ll get him hot show him what ive got "
and watching her on stage or in a video with loads of men while dressing provocatively
"im bluffing with my muffin " might make young lads think girls are just out to cheat so why respect them ?*

I think these are Lady GaGa's lyrics

I've just watched newnight tonight with HH and it depressed me. I hate that attacking journalism. Accusing women in parliament as only being tokens. Watched the older women of the second Womens Lib movement chatting and felt so sad. Their ideals were great but it just didn't happen and agree that we have gone backwards in the last 15 years since my DD was born.

We need this campaign. I have been so depressed watching pop videos aimed at young kids, gyrating, skimpy clothes, and despaired. But hey who am I to object. Now it is time to fight back. Well done to Mumsnet to highlight this problem.

yes yes yes

A couple have mentioned the Saturdays on Blue Peter - that would be something that could be achievable, asking the BBC to have a parent panel to vet guests on children's programmes with criteria that included things like not appearing naked in "lad's mags" etc.