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Parents' fury as Abercrombie & Fitch unveils padded bikinis for girls as young as eight
By Tamara Abraham
25th March 2011
Abercrombie & Fitch's preppy style has made it a favourite with teens and tweens.
dailymail.co.uk
But the fashion chain was the subject of outrage today after it released a range of bikinis for eight to 14-year-olds with padded cups.
The Abercrombie Kids 'Ashley push-up triangle' top, which retails for $24.50, features thick padding in the cup to give the illusion of a larger chest size.
Outrage: The Abercrombie Kids Ashley push-up triangle top features thick padding in the cup to give the illusion of a larger chest size
But psychologists today called the design 'appalling' and 'dangerous'.
Speaking to FOX411, parenting expert Dr. Janet Rose said: 'This is appalling. If a parent buys a padded bikini for an eight year old, children's services should be called.
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'The sexualisation of teens is bad enough and now this trend is trickling down to our babies.'
She continued: 'If we continue to try to make our children value "sexy", I shudder to think what damage we are doing to their future self-concepts and adult values.
'Dangerous': Parents and child psychologists believe that padded bikini tops could encourage premature sexual promiscuity
'In the long run, I fear we are creating girls who will suffer from low self-esteem and all the issues that go along with that.'
Psychologist, Dr. Nancy Irwin, believes that the garments could encourage premature sexual promiscuity.
'Wearing a padded bra at that age... is encouraging sexual precociousness, a dangerous muscle to flex for the girl as well as for peers and predators,' she said.
Parenting blog Babble added: 'The push up bra is, effectively, a sex tool, designed to push the breasts up and out, putting them front and center where they’re more accessible to the eye... How is this okay for a second-grader?'
'Playing at sexy is an inevitable and important part of growing up. But there’s a difference between exploring these ideas on your own and having them sold to you in a children’s catalog.'
The nylon and spandex garment, which is a part of the Abercrombie Kids summer collection, features a striped design. It is sold separately from the matching bottoms, which retail for $19.50.
A range of thongs bearing the words 'wink wink' and 'eye candy' sold by the retailer for the same age group in 2002 sparked a similar debate, but Abrecrombie Kids refused to recall the line.
The company said at the time: 'The underwear for young girls was created with the intent to be lighthearted and cute. Any misrepresentation of that is purely in the eye of the beholder. |
