Take one sweet baby girl. Dress her softly with ribbons and bows and mary-jane shoes. Oooh and aah. Make the most of it because... it’s all over when she reaches size 2. Then, apparently, we hit preteen fashion. When did this happen? When did we decide to skip childhood and fast track our babes from tots to teens?
This week’s junk mail catalogues are sitting beside me as I type. Maybe at 31 I’m getting old (??), but this is what I see. I see pages of little girls dressed in sequins, studs and chains. I see short shorts and short skirts. I see leggings under some of those short garments so we can pretend they’re not as short as they really are. I see knee high boots with leopard print leggings. And I see slogans that range from arrogant to inappropriate. (A topic we’ve talked about previously over in the forums - click here).
In one catalogue I flip from the girls’ fashion pages to the teen and young women’s clothing, and I see exactly the same clothes! Well, minus the leggings under the short shorts. What is appropriate for life at 18 is not appropriate at 3. Three year olds need clothes for cubbies, not for clubbing! Children’s clothing should allow for children’s activities. Running, climbing, jumping, tumbling, exploring, playing. That’s what childhood is all about, and it’s important stuff.
Before you all jump in at the comments section below and tell me I’m overreacting, I know that you can still buy some sensible play clothes at these stores. My point is that they’re not in the catalogues. If play clothes are not promoted or encouraged, then neither are playful activities. And that’s a big problem. What message are our girls getting here? I want my daughter to have a childhood full of happy, messy fun! The last thing I want is for her to sit pretty on the sidelines.
That said I still think there are times for dressing up. Nothing is nicer than a party dress on your birthday! I’m not saying girls always need to dress in dungarees. I’m just saying that whether they’re dressed up or dressed down they need to be dressed like children.
Most mothers with young daughters look ahead to the teen years with a sense of dread. Somehow we have to lovingly guide our girls through those perilous years with their self esteem intact. That’s quite a challenge in this day and age, and I for one am in no hurry to get there. My daughter will be four in a few months. Four is for pigtails and gumboots. I don’t want to miss that! Six is for skipping ropes and eight is for bike riding. There are so many wonderful experiences to have and memories to make when you can count your age on your fingers. I honestly think our daughters would benefit if we got back to embracing childhood and just let our little girls be kids.
What are your thoughts on this topic? Should I take my Fraulein Maria attitude and go make play clothes out of curtains (ala The Sound Of Music)?! Or do you think I have a point...?
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Catherine Oehlman is a SAHM currently being raised by a terrific toddler and a curious crawler. Her background in primary education, love of the mothering journey and compulsion for writing collide on her SquiggleMum blog. Cath encourages other parents from all walks of life to maximise the time they spend with their children.
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Monday, 15 February 2010
I don't see any of these clothes advertised for little ones. It is all designer mini-me outfits, bootlegs and short shorts and denim skirts.
I am dreading the end of the year, and my daughter's Year 6 farewell. I keep seeing pics of 12 year olds in strapless formal frocks, heels and makeup. Where do they go from there?!
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
The fact that what is advertised and promoted is so inappropriate and unbalanced sends a strong and in my opinion horrific message to our girls. We've recently shifted to the 'middle size range' 7-12 and to find appropriate clothing is next to impossible... can't tell you how grateful I am for school uniforms at the moment!
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
I totally agree with everything you say.
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
It's important, it's hard and I so hope I am doing the right thing.
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
That's why we created iTwixie.com - to celebrate real tween girls all over the globe!
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
As someone who does not have children of my own, it's particularly hard to buy clothes for friends' children - because of the slogans, the short shorts, short dresses (etc), even how low cut some of the tops and dresses are!
Our girls should be encouraged to be the beautiful, inquisitive little people that they are.
I totally agree... (maybe we'll be making clothes, or maybe even bonnets out of curtains together?)
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Thursday, 18 February 2010
We are wonderfully blessed with hand me downs from a few generous people. Yet I sift through the halter neck tops... bikinis, tight skirts... I allow some to stay in the house as dressing up clothes but they stay in the house. At just turned 5 we battle with our daughter trying to explain why we won't allow her to have the make up sets she's been given for her birthday. If she wants her face painted I happily make her into a butterfly or whatever she desires, but I am not going to make her look like an 18 year old heading out to the bars.
Thursday, 18 February 2010
Friday, 19 February 2010
I love the baby whisperer's saying "Start out as you mean to go on". At 15 are we still going to be happy to send our girls out with mini-skirts, boob tubes and crazy heels or boots? Perhaps by that time we will realise how inappropriate this is as we envisage the disasters this kind of clothing can instigate.
Friday, 19 February 2010
Friday, 26 February 2010
And you do dress your kids in age appropriate clothes they become 'different' to every other child. I got accused by a friend of not letting my son grow up by not buying him clothes with skulls or miniture versions of mens clothes with chains and studs on them.
I am shocked that in most department stores I cannot buy my son a plain singlet that does not have the latest flash in the pan logo on it. (excluding Best n less)
I also loved to dress my son in cute little rompers and fancy singlet suits. However they usually only went up to size 1 and that was pushing it. Not jeans and t's with stupid comments on them. Skulls, bad boy, stix n stones, emo clothes the list goes on. I guess unfortunately if people don't buy them they won't sell them and vice versa.
I have spent many an hour online trying to find cute clothes for my boy that don't aren't copies of what men and teens are wearing.
Tuesday, 26 April 2011