My daughters are getting new Christmas dresses from their grandmother this year and since she lives far off in rural Washington where there aren't many stores I volunteered to get the dresses. What I found was truly upsetting.
Frances and Katherine are seven. They like Barbie (which just kills me but what can you do), Pillow Pets and Nancy Drew mysteries. They've been privileged, I recognize this, to grow up without needing anything. Our kids are pretty innocent though they understand from both my work and Liz's that plenty of people are in need.
Having said all that, they like to dress like princesses. When grown-ups kiss they yell "yuck." Our kids are age appropriate.
But what the clothing the stores are trying to sell are anything but age appropriate. I went to store after store at a local mall and found dresses that looked like outfits you'd find on 21 year olds at a night club instead of second-graders at a family party. So here's my message to stores and clothing manufactures: stop trying to sexualize our children. Let kids be kids.
And parents everywhere could do their children a real favor by resisting all the marketing these companies put into selling this kind of trash. Children deserve better. My mother taught me so, thank God.
