Help - about to go on BBC radio Birmingham - your thoughts on "Are children being sexualised too young?" urgently required please!

[JustineMumsnet]

Apparently Asda's just had to withdraw a range of kids' knickers cos they were too sexy. Do you think that business/media encourage children to be sexual prematurely these days or is it a case of kids just want to role-play and twas ever thus? What do mumsnetters think?

even the bloody wellie boots for girls in Woolie have heels on them. Wellie boots with heels?Apparently its so that you know they are girls wellies....they are bright pink ffs.

My local comprehensive school has stepped in precisly for this reason, and introduced a uniform.

I like the uniform! Black trousers, grey pique t shirt, and a black jersey top.

Heels are allowed, but we are talking about 14/15/16 year olds, so I do think that is ok.

Ithink heels on little girls are vile. Ditto underwear made to look like lingere[sp!], tops with inappropriate writing in, and words on the bum of trousers, and preciousness about keeping clothes clean. I only have a boy, no girl (yet) but boys clothes are designed to make them look as old as possible too. Shirts, big boots, low slung skater trousers etc

and I think those Bratz dolls should be bloody banned, they are a major symptom of a big problem!!!

(HOOTER!!!!!!)

Thanks guys - gave a summary of your excellent opinions. The more I think about it, the more depressing it is really - my six year old went to school with her handbag today (I only carry a handbag at weddings!)

DH has just got over the shock of discovering one of DD's Bratz dolls (she got it for her birthday from a friend, not us,I hasten to add)has a thong on.
What he was doing looking up a Bratz skirt is a conversation I must have with him....

I agree with everyone else. I want to buy pretty clothes for my daughter, especially as mentally she is younger too due to her special needs but the stuff available in most shops is so unsuitable.

i dont think it does happen with boys either but the market gets them in another way, with batman, power rangers etc etc tops

Why does puberty start earlier, I remember reading a while back about sexually precocious girls but which comes first awareness and sexual consciousness leading to early puberty or early puberty leading to earlier sexual behaviour.

I get a bit upset when I see toddlers in straight skirts who can't climb the ladder to the slide. Or whose mothers tell them that they are not allowed to run on the grass in their new pink suede boots.

To me clothes should be practical not restrictive. And that does not involve looking pretty so that mummy can show off to her friends. Boys tend to get off very lightly in this respect.

I also think that Blue Peter presenters should not be showing bum cleavage on the telly. It is not nice and it is not pretty.

oneidea on puberty

At ds1's primary school the Head had to send letters home to all parents reminding them that thongs, mini-skirts, crop-tops and thigh-length boots were NOT suitable for school. It still didn't stop them.

Thanks for the good link, unicorn.
It doesn't give any answers though, does it ?
All the research is unfortunately at the early stages.
When will we know for sure ? - prob when its too late !!

Isn't it for this reason that clothes from places like Boden are so popular, they are nice proper little girls clothes. I like La Redoute for the same reason - the French don't seem to be the same at 'encouraging' sexualised clothes, yet their adults are some of the best dressed (and sexily too imho) people around.

Just my rantings there.......

But at least girls get beautiful best outfits - Ds was recently in a concert (I know, I know he's 2.5 - but boy can he knock out a tune).

All the little girls had princess frocks on. Ds had to make do with a pair of red cord dungarees and his best stripey T shirt. All the other boys had their best cargo pants on!

I saw a girl at the park with a poncho on - couldn't go on the monkey bars because she couldn't lift her arms. Totally useless.

On a lighter note my friend is Australian and was a deputy head of a school. He wrote a note about a school adventure trip saying that "Thongs would not be acceptable for this trip". He meant flip flops. Result - lots of kids trying to abseil in flip flops - but at least they had big pants on!

the clothes are a problem. my dd (2.5) ends up in charity shop/French bought clothes all the time because I refuse to buy anything with "babe", "princess" etc on it. Dressing up clothes are one thing; everyday stuff is another.
I work a lot with primary school children involved in musical events and I am constantly shocked at what appears to be appropriate for young children to wear to church/concerts. but when you talk to the children they are in fact quite a bit less street wise than we were at that age, because their lives are much more home focussed and cossetted. They are giving out signals that IMO they don't properly understand, and provoking reactions that they couldn't cope with.

How did you get on Justine ??

Hi Sherlock,
Posted a bit lower down - was fine - a controlled rant on behalf of the nation's mums, I'd say. Thanks again for your help.

Hooter topic for me as well.

I'd really like to set up some kind of badge scheme or something, equivalent to the throwing red paint at porn shops that feminists used to do. However, as I know I'd get arrested for throwing paint in M&S kiddie dept, something less damaging and criminal, like stickers saying "Buy this if you actively want your child to look like a child-prostitute" or "paedophile-friendly clothes". Something uncontroversial, like that.

We dont need to buy this stuff though do we. Vote with your feet. If it doesnt sell they will stock something different. Someones buying this stuff. Its not me though.

Yes I agree with all the comments on this thread and my Dd 6yrs old likes to wear long dress because she feels like a princess in them, proper lenght trousers and tops to keep her self warm. When look for cashool uniform for this year I gave her the option of wera a skire rather than pinafore dresses, she chose the pinafore dress which pleased me greatly. She does not get to chose very often and usually i ahave chosen the outfits and she has to chose from those.
I do vote with my feet and have complained on many occasions and also asked the staff if they would dress their daughters in these clothes? most say yess but occasional one has said no and thank me for challenging them about it.

definitely - was in asda getting some clothes for the kids and saw thongs for 12 years old. Why does a 12 year old need her bum hanging out for-whats that all about? Also some of the clothes I have seen children in you would expect to see women who charge by the hour on street corners wearing. how can you have a true childhood if you are parading round as lamb dressed as mutton.

Agree with all of this. I find buying clothes for my 6 and 4 year old dds a nightmare as I won't dress them in tarty looking slogan bedecked stuff. End up on ebay looking for french-made clothes that are IMO suitable and attractive for little girls.

Just in case anyone's got a moment at this hour (know many busy on other threads ) but we have been asked to put MN's point of view on this again on five live tomorrow am in the light of this:

"David Cameron today attacked "creepy" efforts to sell sexy clothes to young children and warned firms that a Tory government would not allow profits to come before responsibility."

If you've any thoughts do please post them.
Many thanks,
MNHQ

Yes I do think children are urged to grow up far too quickly, but really it's down to the parent to buy suitable clothing for the age of their child.

It can be difficult though, there's a lot of peer pressure even at a very young age so I suppose if the stuff wasn't out there to buy in the first place it would make a parents job a lot easier!