Racy fashions attract preteens

indpls/star ^ | 040202 | Anne D'Innocenzio

[InvisibleChurch]

School officials and parents worry about daring attire that tempts young girls to grow up too fast.

Don't count on Kathleen Mortensen to get excited about shopping for her 11-year-old daughter. She's dreading it.

"I see midriffs, shirts with necklines way too low, and all those leopard fabrics," moaned the 42-year-old mother from Boise, Idaho. "They look like they're for lounge singers. Whether you go to Kmart or an expensive department store, all I see are risque outfits."

[InvisibleChurch]

Carol Levey, 40, of Los Angeles, lamented that even her 5-year-old daughter has grown out of frilly dresses and patent leather shoes. "She loves to wear short skirts and tops where the belly button shows," Levey said. "What happened to my little girl?"

what happened to you, mom?

[hobbes1]

"She loves to wear short skirts and tops where the belly button shows," Levey said. "What happened to my little girl?"

I was just about to ask where the 5 year old gets te income to buy such things.....lol

[Enterprise]

She is a product of the Educational system. They don't teach values and parenting.

[EggsAckley]

Right on! What did happen to Mom? When I was that age there were trendy clothes too, but I didn't like them. My mom made my clothes so I could wear what I thought looked good; Madras fabric, knee-length shirt-dresses. Very classic, not revealing, and totally NOT trendy.

That Mom should turn off the TV and start doing some parenting.

[Pete]

"She loves to wear short skirts and tops where the belly button shows," Levey said. "What happened to my little girl?"

Here's what happened. You went out and bought slut clothes for a five year-old. Good luck with those teenage years.

"The fashions do worry me," said G.J. Tarazi, principal of Glasgow Middle School in Fairfax, Va., citing the bombardment of television ads from the likes of Levi's and others trumpeting low-rise jeans.

Here's an idea. Turn off the TV.

"It will be the question of how far can the retailers and how far can the parents go," she said. "Who will blink first?"

For me, this is a non-issue. There are plenty of stores out there with (what some might call) traditional styles. I can tell you this - there is no way in hell my eight year old is wearing a a mini-skirt or low-ride jeans. It just ain't going to happen.

[Paradox]

WHAT IS WRONG WITH PARENTS!

Sheesh, thats the real issue. My sister has "tween" daughters, who giggle and like those racy fashions, but she insists that they dress like ladies. They complain a bit, but they go along with her. WHATS SO HARD ABOUT THAT!

Sheesh, modern parents today make me sick.. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE WORD "NO".

[Dimensio]

I've never understood the fashion trend of showing lots of skin. Then again, I've always considered jeans and t-shirt adequate for all but formal affairs. I'm also not female -- though I personally don't care for nor understand the interest in the fashion trend of female shirts that cover little more than the breasts and shorts that cover little more than the waist.

[Dimensio]

"The fashions do worry me," said G.J. Tarazi, principal of Glasgow Middle School in Fairfax, Va., citing the bombardment of television ads from the likes of Levi's and others trumpeting low-rise jeans.

I recall the recent "I'm coming out" adverts run recently with CGed navels "singing".

I personally thought it was rather sick. I wouldn't want to associate clothing with body parts other than the mouth bursting into song.

[Mr. Bird]

I'm surprised. Typically an identical article has been published in each of the past 3 years, but usually around "back to school" time. If you are a parent, and this is the only "crisis" you have, you are blessed. It is one of the few things over which you have control.

[Slyfox]

They lose their modesty when they have to place a condom on a banana, when a boy is holding the banana. They have as their idols Brittney and other strip tease artists. Some message, huh? No wonder college girls are exposing themselves in public. No wonder young trumpets are flashing their thongs in the faces of lecherous men.

Remember the good old days when a young woman would blush if anything remotely immodest was said in front of her?

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

My wife went looking for an Easter dress for our 3 year old and found everything to be to trashy. Miniskirts and clothes that are age innapropriate/too sexy.

She had to go to a second hand store to find stuff that wasn't sexualizing her at such a young age.

Michael Medved has talked about it on his show before and it's true. The clothes for kids (I guess were talking about girls and not kids) nowadays is trashy to an extreme.

In a few years the second hand stores will be stocking the crap that we won't buy now and then we will be taking sewing classes.

I'm not talking about 12 year olds trying to look 16 or 18. I'm talking about clothes for a kid who just started pre-school and the only clothes available for Easter outfits are miniskirts and short skirts.

Unbelievable.

[jboot]

Ye Gods, those ads were disgusting! I had blissfully forgotten them until you went and brought them up again! Thanks a lot!

[1Old Pro]

Whether you go to Kmart or an expensive department store, all I see are risque outfits."

Try L.L. Bean.

[Dimensio]

Ye Gods, those ads were disgusting! I had blissfully forgotten them until you went and brought them up again! Thanks a lot!

My plan has succeeded, now I shall not have to suffer alone! Muhahaha!

[VoiceOfBruck]

"She loves to wear short skirts and tops where the belly button shows," Levey said. "What happened to my little girl?"

I have a strong hunch that the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

[toenail]

Kids don't "grow up," in any meaningful definition of the phrase, until they're around 25. It didn't used to be this way.

"Growing up" means taking responsibility for your actions, and making decisions based on cost/benefit, planning for future growth. "Growing up" does not mean dressing like a tramp.

The parent here is the one who needs to grow up.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Sheesh, modern parents today make me sick.. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE WORD "NO".

Maybe I'm using them all up on my kids and now there isn't enough NOs left to go around.

[mitchbert]

I have an old high school friend with a very pretty 12 year old daughter that makes a little money babysitting that she likes to use to buy clothes for herself. When she started coming home with skimpy t-shirts with sayings like "Hot Stuff" and "Sexy" on them her dad would promptly throw them out.

When his daughter complained he told her "Well, if you'd buy clothes that look decent I wouldn't throw them out." When she said "But it's my money!" he replied, "Yep. And you'll run out of money a lot faster than your mom and I will run out of garbage bags."

Now if she wants something that she thinks he might consider pushing the limits she asks if its okay first. Simple behaviour modification from a loving parent.

[Paradox]

When his daughter complained he told her "Well, if you'd buy clothes that look decent I wouldn't throw them out." When she said "But it's my money!" he replied, "Yep. And you'll run out of money a lot faster than your mom and I will run out of garbage bags."

Hah, that is cute.

I think part of the problem is that today's parents don't want to admit that when THEY were young, and they wanted to buy/wear racy outfits, that THEY WERE WRONG as well! Since they dont want to admit it, they have no moral authority to stop such actions by their own children. We have raised recalcitrance to virtue status. (One day I am going to write a book about False Virtues..)