The sexual objectification of little girls

[laundry_queen]

25. When my oldest outgrew toddler sizes

I found all of the girls' clothing to be very sexualized - writing across the bum of pants, high heeled shoes, sequins, mini-skirts etc. I ended up sewing my own clothes for her, until I found some of the higher priced clothing, which was okay to buy even if it was very pricey because I have 4 kids of the same sex, so it all got handed down multiple times. But it was amazing to me how once kids grow out of 3X sizes, how horrible the clothes are. It wasn't just the styles, but the 'themes' - it went from teddy bears, kitties and cupcakes to large red lips, shoes, unrealistically slim females, lipstick, make up and sayings about shopping or beauty. ick ick ick.

As someone who grew up with a mother who put ALL emphasis on looks and figure to measure a woman's worth, I can tell you my self esteem WAS shot to hell, and I had all of the problems mentioned in the original post. I'm fighting like heck to not pass that on to my girls but it's not easy. At least one of them has picked up on the 'message' and is always wanting clothing much to 'old' for her. It's a societal issue. I can only do so much, and I DO talk about it to them - but the message is so powerful and pervasive.