We’ve always known the popular outfitter Abercrombie & Fitch targets a specific customer (see: young, rich, skinny) with controversial advertisements (see: racist, offensive, child porn-esque), but many teenagers are wiling to put all that nonsense behind them for the chance to wear an overpriced polo with an embroidered moose through the halls of junior high. We totally get that.
But there’s a line to be drawn, and we tend to think it’s somewhere around selling push-up bathing suits to 7 year olds. In their newest act of conscious idiocy, the brains behind the brand decided to forgo all rational thought in favor of sexualizing the bodies of 7-14 year olds via the Ashley top a striped triangle string bikini that boasts both volume and lift for the nonexistent bosom of a pre-pubescent girl one of the products in the company’s children’s swimwear line. To help you put this in perspective, these kids have been out of diapers for, say, 4 years, so they’re likely still wetting the bed every so often. In what world is this appropriate? In addition to the gross inappropriateness, it simultaneously teaches young girls to look at their bodies as something that forever needs improvement.
Apparently the bikini top is worth about $6 less without the sexual connotation attached though the product is still being sold online under the same moniker, the words “push-up” and “padded” have been removed, and now it’s on sale. Unfortunately, the padding itself is still in tact. So better, but not really.
Though the brand Abercrombie & Fitch doesn’t exactly boast an air of integrity, this blatant attempt at sexualizing children has mothers concerned, including this mom blogger from Babble, who sounded off about the ridiculousness of A&F’s blatant message under the header “strollerderby”
“But even the use of the word push up is unbelievably inappropriate. The push up bra is, effectively, a sex tool, designed to push the breasts up and out, putting them front and center where theyre more accessible to the eye (and everything else). How is this okay for a second-grader?”
Seems like any publicity is good publicity for Abercrombie & Fitch. What do you think? Are we just being overly sensitive?
I have to agree that Abercrombie has gone way to far with this one but my concern is not just with them but with parents that would actually buy this bathing suit for their child. Most likely a 7 year old isn’t going to drive themselves to the mall or have their own credit card.
I doubt that little girls at age 7 are out shopping with their own money at A&F buying push up bikinis, the parent makes the call for what is purchased for the child. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. This isn’t even a new item, so why is this an issue now instead of a year ago when the product came out? People need to not complain just to complain…there are bigger issues going on it the world.
I absolutely agree with this, and have been enraged since I first heard about it. We rant and rave about child ### offenders, and here we are promoting our children (who are not even old enough to leave elementary school) as ### symbols. We are letting our young girls worry about competing for attention based on their physical content. The worst part about this… all it takes is one 2nd grade girl to wear that clothing, and like wildfire, it will spread. The other little girls will start to feel inferior and start seeking ways to compensate.
@Jewels1007, I agree, parents are the bank, but consider, even if 1 girls parents choose not to buy it, her classmates parents might… then that first little girl starts looking at herself as denied the same privileged and might resort to stuffing her shirts or training bras if she has them.
I am disgusted by this. I cannot imagine who would even buy this for their child. Little girls should be just that, little girls! Their swimwear should be innocent and age appropriate with ladybugs or butterfly print, not padded and pushup….making them look like mini adult women. The whole thought of this literally gives me the heebie jeebies…..just sickening! I hope the fact ,that it is now on sale, is an indication that no one actually purchased this for their little girl.
I don’t understand. Was anyone forced to buy it? That frenzied mother is speaking as if someone coerced her into purchasing one for her daughter. It seems to me that no one who doesn’t want their 7-year-old to dress like a hussy has to buy hussy clothes for their 7-year-old.
So by your logic, child porn is okay to produce because – after all – no one is forcing you to buy it. It seems to you, then, that anyone who doesn’t like child porn just doesn’t have to pay for child porn?
I think you need to re-assess: Yes, there is something wrong with sexualizing children. I don’t care who’s paying the bill.
No – the main reason why child porn is illegal (and disgusting, etc…) is because it harms the child who is being forced to participate in it.
No one is harmed when someone creates a swimsuit.
Not that I agree with this (sexualizing children is wrong in its own right), but your argument is flawed.
So… since we don’t want flawed arguments …. could sexualizing children harm the child? The answer is, of course, yes.
Maybe it is part of A&F plan to stretch things as far as they can in sexualizing kids, it would certainly seem that way. So it makes sense that they don’t see any problem with this. So in other words, A&F cares more about stretching boundaries and make a lot of cash, then they do on protecting kids.
That’s how Congress works too. Money first..
Amen!
Parents have regrets they didn’t enter their daughter in those JonBenet pagents like on Toddlers and Tiaras. Trying to play catch up to sexualize them at an early age.
Parents have regrets they didn’t enter their daughter in those JonBenet pageants like on Toddlers and Tiaras. Trying to play catch up to sexualize them at an early age.
Simple solution…if u don’t like it for YOUR child then don’t buy it for YOUR child. All you’re doing is putting A&F in the spotlight. Not purchasing the product has a more effective impact in regards to your desired outcome (I.e, hindering A&F) than blogging & posting about them ever will. Personally, I was not wetting the bed at 7 (what a horrible exaggeration!) & also would like to remind u that push up bras go up n in-not up n out. Finally, some girls are/were fully into puberty as early as 3rd grade…so if your kid develops more slowly that’s their body-again the parents choice to buy or not. Can’t stop a biological clock though. Nor can you stop an Int’l organization from producing items for which it’s clearly found a market.
You might want to know what you’re talking about the next time you write.
Gonna laugh when your daughter gets raped by a predator.
You’d laugh at a child being raped?
You really should think about what you write before posting. As much as I disagree with Katie and think she is a fool, I would never joke about laughing when a girl gets raped.
You obviously have no idea what YOU’RE talking about. Read the article again and find out what its main point is, what you ranted about is irrelevant to the topic. Personally, i don’t care that you didn’t wet the bed when you were 7 and it is not an exaggeration because it happened to my siblings too. Also what does third graders fully in to puberty and ” kid’s developing more slowly” have ANYTHING to do with push-up bras or swimsuits?
you are obviously a A&F follower… and you might wanna know wht you’re talking about before YOU write
Disgusting
Perhaps the push-up part is for the obese children our country seems to be producing. If that’s the case, they’ll need one for the boys too. Otherwise, leave the push-ups to VS models and leave the children out of it.
Sexy.
This is not a question as to whether or not a 3rd grader could have entered puberty and be in need of a bra yet… I developed in 3rd grade, and trust me, the last thing I wanted was to draw attention to my breasts, because thankfully, my mother, while she was sensitive and understanding of my early development, would NEVER have even given a thought to putting me in anything that put my breasts on display at 8 years old! And I was not, nor have I ever been overweight, by the way. This is sexualizing children. Push up bras, padding, these are things women wear to accentuate thier sexuality, expressly. I think it is disgraceful that this company would even dare to tread in this direction.
this is disgusting . but i guess these kids don’t really care. everyone still wants to buy A and F
Well truthfully most people who buy from a&f kids are 16 and 17 simply because it’s the same clothes that a&f has but cheeper but none the less it truly is disgusting simply because this is still under the kids label and it’s not even a push up bra, but bathing suit. One is exposing enough when in a bathing suit, why make then feel even more uncomfortable by adding heavy and water absorbing padding. It’s rather impractical.
Here I am trying to find swimwear for my child that covers her well and does not gap in places and this ‘store’ chooses to create looks to attract child molesters and those that would enjoy fantasizing about what to do with a child’s body. Disgusting. And shame on any ‘parent’ that would purchase this or allow their child to wear this type of clothing.
A child molester is attracted to a child no matter what they are wearing. If a parent chooses to put this on their child, that is their choice. Why the need to criticize them? We are not all perfect and neither is our parenting skills.
Why can’t pornographer, pedophile’s and Abercrombie & Fitch just LEAN CHILDREN ALONE !!!! LET THEM HAVE CAREFREE CHILDHOODS (IS THAT POSSIBLE ANY MORE). Leave them alon, no touching, no sex, no push up bras for 7 year olds. LEAVE THEM THE HELL ALONE !!!
Excuse me ! Where did you grow up ??? Your response is just tooooooo simplistic. Kids see other kids with something and they want it, too. Don’t you remember? Can’t expect A&F to be morally responsible..
Padding has NEVER been heavy. Are you male ?
It’s not everybody, just a small percentage. they want for their kids what they never had. Watch them sometime, mostly from the South.
NOT IN THE LEAST !!!
I expect everyone to be morally responsible for their actions lol. Kids can want what they want, it doesnt mean you produce it for them. If your child wants a shotgun go ahead and let someone sell it to them and I dare you to say that person isnt morally responsible.
You might want to type like an adult if you want to be taken seriously; ‘you’ has two more letters in it. No one cares what some 16-year-old bitching from their phone has to say.
I doubt he would actually laugh at the sight of a child being raped, and I doubt that thats what he was saying, too. He was using humor to make a point. Use your head, man.
He was getting people to think about it, it’s like saying someone is one in a million, no one is actually that.
not wetting the bed at 7 (what a horrible exaggeration)
Katie… you clearly do not have children.
And as you put it ” you might want to know what you’re talking about the next time you write”
My 7 yo daughter is the only one out of her friends that isn’t wearing a revealing bikini bc I refuse to buy one! Even Old Navy and Macy’s sell small triangle bikinis that cover just enough skin. Inappropriate and modest are two words I use time and time again; if I allow the bikini then she wants halter tops and short skirts. It’s a slippery slope and I’m digging my heels in bc as a mother, it is my job to protect my daughter’s innocence and virtue.
Just because it was “humor” doesn’t make it appropriate. Rape jokes are never, ever funny.
Normally I would agree that something like this is unacceptable and not ok, however my 15 year old friend fits into abercombie kids clothes. This store isnt just for kids its also for older people who happen to be small. I do think that it would be too far to market this to kids but just having it in the store is ok I think.
Um neither are racist jokes right…? Still funny. Niether is holocaust jokes right…? Still funny. Get off your high horse, the joke may have been distasteful but it was just that a s* talking joke. You feminazi’s are so ridiculous. You think by focusing on the issues of one gender we can make them both equal.
Really…? Because crappy desicions deserve to be criticized DUH
IF U DON’T LIKE IT DONT BUY! Just cause u can’t afford it then don’t bring it out on people who can. I’ve shopped there all my life and I would buy my daughter something like that if she wanted it. Plus ur not the one wearing it, your daughter is. So maybe u should of asked her what she think before making them quit selling it. YOU GUYS ARE SO SELFISH AND SELF CENTERED!! My god