ARTelevision

no brainer: every time someone buys this stuff, they make more.
.........................................

HOW CAN ANY MOTHER BUY HER CHILD A THONG?

mirror.co.uk
May 29 2003


Mirror fashion director Ollie Picton-Jones on the sexy underwear that's aimed at our children

AS someone who's kept a close eye on fashion for the past 20 years, I'm pretty unshockable.

But what has concerned me more than anything else over the years is the sexualisaton of young girls.

And this week the situation reached a new low when headmistress Anna Roxburgh had to ban girls from wearing thongs to her mixed primary school.

The move came after Mrs Roxburgh, head of Hamp Community Primary School in Bridgwater, Somerset, spotted four 11-year-olds wearing G-strings while changing after PE.

But while she deemed their attire "inappropriate", some of the girls' parents seemed outraged that their daughters' underwear had been brought into question.

"They're fed up being treated like children," said Annie Milton, mother of an 11-year-old girl. "It's unbelievable."

No, what's unbelievable is that any mother bought her child such overtly sexual underwear to go to school in.

To allow girls of this age to go out dressed like that is simply stealing their childhood.

Marks & Spencer stopped selling suggestive children's lingerie several years ago following complaints from the NSPCC.

The Next store then found itself in the firing line for selling unsuitable outfits.

And last year Argos was forced to remove a range of G-strings and padded bras aimed at girls as young as nine from its catalogues.

But I'm still stunned by how much sexy children's clothing is available.

Yesterday a quick scout round the high street revealed a large selection of thongs and bras aimed at eight-to-11 year olds, plus much more for the 11-13 age group.

From Tammy girl at Etam I found an underwired push-up bra in black, priced £8, starting from size 28A. Surely a bra of that size isn't even necessary. It was also available in a strapless version.

And when I asked for a thong for a 10-year-old I was handed a skimpy G-string priced just 75p.

At clothes store Mk One I was horrified to find a sexy black bra and briefs trimmed with a satin bow.

The label inside said "age 9-10".

Topshop and Miss Selfridge underwear isn't specifically aimed at a particular age but the Oxford Circus branches were filled with schoolgirls on their half-term break snapping up the tiniest of briefs from a size 6, priced at three pairs for £7 and sporting logos such as "SEXY".

Little girls are clearly no longer content to wear the slightly greying pants and vests that my generation were brought up in. They see their idols Britney Spears and Atomic Kitten wearing trendy clothes and underwear and they want to do the same.

But thankfully it's not all bad news.

Marks & Spencer has just launched a range of underwear called Angel which has been created for teens in conjunction with Kidscape and the NSPCC.

And it seems to please kids and parents alike. The range includes first bras and matching brief sets for £12 that are ideal for schoolwear or weekends.

There are sporty versions and even "party bras" for special occasions with clear straps and pink flowers or pretty silver stars.

And now Argos is set to launch its own version which has also been devised with the help of Kidscape.

Michelle Elliot, director of the child welfare group, has long been campaigning against overtly sexual clothes for kids.

She says of the Angel range: "This is an attractive, well-thought-out range that pleases young girls and their parents. It's been responsibly created, and any girl will love wearing it"

BUT she remains angry at the wide availability of provocative clothing.

She says: "Thongs are designed to be sexy and revealing so why on earth would a parent want their children to show themselves off like that?

"They're intended to prevent a VPL but children really shouldn't be wearing something so tight they're trying to hide a knicker line.

"Parents should be protecting their children instead of encouraging them to go way beyond their years."

A spokeswoman for Marks & Spencer says: "There is a lot of concern among parents about what their children should wear and we feel that, with the Angel range, we've come up with a solution."

But it's unlikely that all retailers will fall into line so ultimately it's up to the parents to take control.
..................................

cute can mean other things besides sexy
but it's getting harder and harder to figure out what, exaxctly

__________________
create evolution