Is dressing your child like a child a thing of the past?
While skimming through the racks at a popular children’s clothing store in search of an outfit for my toddler, I could not help but realize how difficult (and equally frustrating) it was to find a decent outfit. My only options were items that were too tight, too short, too revealing and way too grown up to be deemed appropriate for a child that young.
The Tiny Trendsetter
Is it just me? Am I old fashioned? Why is it that parents nowadays think that it is “cute” to dress their children like miniature adults?
As I made my way out the store and unto the streets I couldn’t help but notice a mother and her daughter all decked out from head to toe in identical outfits.
Like her mother, the little girl was clad in a multi-coloured top with enormous letters across her chest that said “famous” neatly tucked into her tiny pair of distressed denims. These were paired with sandals adorned with multiple straps that wrapped themselves all the way up to her knees. A large pair of gold hoop earrings hung from her earlobes, with an assortment of bangles on her tiny wrist to match. To complete the look, a crossbody bag dangled at her side as she scurried to keep close to her mother’s side. She looked no older than three years.
Apparently, this trend for dressing young children like adults has settled in for quite some time now and is considered normal. Jumpers and sneakers have been replaced by gladiator sandals and pint-sized skinny jeans. With a wide range of styles to choose from, these are now standard attire for little girls today, hardly the most practical of play clothes in my opinion.
A Cause for Concern
What bothers me the most, is the fact that now more than ever our women are being targeted, and with the rise of crime and social media having the most popular vote, there are very few things that are left unseen. Is it such a smart idea as parents to have our little girls parading around in outfits that make them look older than they really are?
What parent in their right mind is looking at their sweet, little girl thinking, “Well I’ll dress her like this so that she can be the sexiest one at her end of term class party”?
And then I remembered the little girl and her mother making their way down the pavement in the mid-afternoon bustle that day. And the little girls we’ve all seen at the malls dressed like store front mannequins. And the ones whose parents carelessly flaunt them on their numerous social profiles.
I realized then that as disturbing as it is, almost every single store you go into carries racks filled with clothing that I couldn’t dream of wearing when growing up as a child. The fact remains that sex only sells because people are buying it. No successful retailer would consider carrying such items if they didn’t think consumers would indulge.
So, what do we do? There is nothing wrong with wanting your child to look and feel their best; the question really should be how far is too far? I beg you to consider the times we live in and keep in mind that we are our children’s protectors. As seemingly innocent as it may be at present, remember that they will eventually grow up to be the adults that we groom them into.
