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

Am just so glad MN have taken this on. Went to buy my 3 year old DD some new summer clothes and was gobsmacked at the slogan T's, mini skirts, cropped tops and hotpants that were mainly on offer. How I miss the days of baggy T's, plimsolls and cut off jeans - that was freedom, perfectly designed for climbing trees or making dens, exactly what our young girls should be doing!

I agree with a lot of the comments on here. I think rubysreturn is right though it does depend on each other's view. My DH and I despair at the clothes his ex packs when his daughter stays with us. She is 8 and I find the clothes far too grown up. We have bought her clothes for her to wear when she is at our house for the weekend. Can't say anything to the ex as she tends to fly off the handle easily, and don't want DSD to get stuck in the middle.

I think children should definitely be children but I have a clear view of what that means and others would probably disagree!

I definately support this campaign. Similarly, I support the pinkstinks campaign. Gender specfic marketing has gone mad and is giving our children a very narrow and worrying view of life.

Sainsbury's sell some pretty gender-stereotypical stuff. Anybody seen the dressing up costumes?

A nurse's outfit labelled 'girls' and a doctor's outfit labelled 'boys'.

When I complained about it they said it would be gone by Autumn and that they were already aware of the 'error', and gave me 500 nectar points.
Can't help suspecting that the Halloween stuff will come in round Autumn and be just as bad though...

Hello everyone

Quick update -
BlodynBach, watch this space for the list of supporting retailers - we've given the stragglers another 10 days to get back to us but we're very hopeful of having a few more big ones on board soon.

Zazizoma and franch - to backtrack a teeny bit, we haven't yet had a final absolutely definitive no from Monsoon, so still some hope. We've also gone back to Fatface to give them a second nudge - so it's not quite over yet!

MsVal - although the letter to retailers mentions various items of clothing, the campaign itself asks them to commit not to sell "products" which play upon, exploit or emphasise children's sexuality, and so we approached WhSmith on that basis.

Loobyloo and Tammybear - thanks v much for the info about Primark's Future Wag t-shirt (we haven't heard back from them yet..)

This is a much needed campaign - thanks mumsnet. My eldest dd is 7.5 and we went shopping yesterday to our very run of the mill shopping precinct to get a few new bits for her. I found it so hard to find anything 'suitable' - beginning to sound like my mother - but she is only 7 and I don't want her looking like a tart or a rock chick even if she is tall for her age and in some stores like H&M she is into the older girls range. Why do our daughters have to wear stuff that is just smaller versions of adult clothes? She likes Boden but its a bit pricey and not always great quality (sorry this has already been said on here a million times) She also announced today that her new favourite colour is black - shes definitely picked that idea up from our shopping expedition...

Anyone seen this this morning: www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/7588484/Primark-accused-over-padded-bikin i-for-girls-aged-seven.html ?

Justine is on Vanessa's Radio London show now. Primark have stopped selling these bikinis, but why did they sell them in the first place?

monsoon and fat face should be ashamed of themselves

shall i start a thread
shall we BOYCOTT them

Forgive me if this is already somewhere else in the thread, but it's tricky wading through it all with two children on school holiday who want to play club penguin!

Is there a list anywhere of shops that have signed up to this. Is the a petition, something which can be signed or joined (on facebook for example) so retailers can start to get a real feel for how strongly people feel about this?

Thanks

Hello everyone - another quick update. It's all go, innit?

MrsShu, Zazizoma, franch and others

Good news on Fatface - they've now got back to us and are keen to get involved. They have to confirm it with their board, but will come back to us next Monday - so high hopes of a yes from them.

MrsShu - just to repeat, we haven't yet had a definitive No from Monsoon yet, but have given them another gentle nudge.

With luck there'll be a full status update on the Campaigns page today to let everyone know where we are with the various retailers.

A few years back I remember seeing thongs aimed at young girls. Can't remember the exact age but it was definitely for under-10's. I was horrified that anyone could consider buying such grown up underwear for a child.

Hello. Thought you might like to know that, although Primark have withdrawn the girls' padded-bra bikinis, they are still selling Tshirts with "Future WAG" on them.

And they issued this extraordinary statement to the press this morning: "Every girl wants to look her best and at Primark we make no exception for the younger ladies. All the high fashion trends can be found in our Girlswear section, no matter what age you are"

Yes, the younger ladies

There's also quite a lively Primark thread here

Oh, and one letter and three emails later, no response from Primark to our Let Girls Be Girls campaign

I haven't seen much tarty stuff in George the last year or so anyway TBH but maybe I haven't been looking hard enough? What ages are the padded bras sold in cos I haven't seen them.

I note that last night Asda removed their "padded bra" for 4-12 year olds from their website.

Although they still have this padded and underwired bra in their 4-12 year-old section - perhaps they could reconsider?

It looks as though it only comes in one size? If it is only aimed at teenagers I don't have a problem with it. If it is aimed at 4 year olds then yuck.

I agree completely - it seems that girls are marketed upon earlier and earlier. Where does childhood figure in that concept? But it is not just the clothes (also after all it is us adults buying them up to a certain age...), but also stories, telly, school, friends... I was wondering, my three year old was watching Sleeping Beauty and for days afterwards she kept talking about how she is waiting for her prince Philip who will kiss her...
So the question is, where do you start? In a local shoe shop I saw some shoes in size 27 (for approx. three years) pointed tip and a 5 cm heel... but then again, if they are on offer, sure enough there are parents who are buying shoes like this...

Breaking News: Mothercare has signed up to our Let Girls be Girls campaign. Hurrah!

Fantastic! With a company like Mothercare signing up, others will soon follow. Is there a list of shops that have signed up so far?

tesco padded bra

i think this is in the under 13 section

Will mothercare stop selling nonsense like this then?

or this

or this

And while I'm here being crabby, tell Johnnie B that this is a ghastly slogan to plaster on a 10 year old and I cringe every time I see it:

Shaking like a pink lemonade?

I really think this is a fantastic campaign! I may not be a parent but I'm a young adult who loves working with kids and the clothes directed at kids in general these days disturbs me. I remember not even ten years ago when we had camo clothes and sparkly heals in our dress up box, not in our wardrobes!

I also remember 6 or 7 years ago, aged 13/14, buying a top that I thought was pretty and had a Chinese symbol on it so Mum brought it for me. Turns out that this symbol actually was English and read 'Fuck' but we only noticed that after it was pointed out to us worrying things for clothes in general I feel and I was beyond embarrased when I found out!

Which shops have you contacted and which have replied?

Would like to know what Next, Debenhams, M&S, GAP, BHS, Pumpkin Patch, H&M, Matalan, Peacocks, Adams, New Look, Topshop, John Lewis, House of Fraser and Boden think.